Support for the Establishment of Tanzania Climate Innovation Centre (TCIC) within the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH)

The United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON), on behalf of Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) invites qualified interested firms to submit Expression of Interest (EOI) to participate in the upcoming solicitation for the implementation of technical assistance on Support for the Establishment of Tanzania Climate Innovation Centre (TCIC) within the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH). The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on behalf of the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) requires the services of an institution to deliver the technical assistance as approved by National Designated Entity from Tanzania. The objective of this Technical Assistance is to establish the Tanzania Climate Innovation Centre (TCIC) at COSTECH. Climate change presents a significant threat to Tanzania's socio-economic stability and environmental sustainability. Despite the urgent need for innovative solutions to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change, many Tanzanian entrepreneurs and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face numerous challenges in developing and scaling their innovative ideas. These challenges include limited access to financial resources, inadequate capacity building, and a lack of incubation support tailored to climate-related ventures. Additionally, the transfer and deployment of climate technologies that are locally relevant and context-specific remain sluggish. The impacts of climate change are also evident in irregular trends in rainfall patterns, long periods of droughts, decrease in fresh water sources such as rivers, short periods of above normal and destructive rainfall, and a surge in incidences of climate related human and livestock diseases. Access to energy, particularly for production under small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is one of the key interventions that are envisaged to transform productivity in rural areas. With over 65% of the rural population having no access to electricity, the use of alternative energy sources such as solar photovoltaic (PV) systems becomes critical. Addressing these issues necessitates the creation of a comprehensive, nationally mandated centre that provides holistic and country-driven support for the entire lifecycle of climate innovation projects. Such a centre would offer a range of services including technology incubation, capacity building, linkages and access to climate stakeholders’ network, knowledge materials, financing options specifically designed for new, small, and medium business ventures as well as Tanzanian entrepreneurs focusing on climate change solutions and sustainable development. For this reason, this proposal seeks support to establish a Climate Innovation Centre hosted at COSTECH. Some of the expected outputs are: 1. Mandatory Output: Development of the workplan and related communication documents. 2. Stakeholder mapping and establishment of a Project Steering Committee. 3. Conduct a comprehensive needs analysis and benchmark International best practices. 4. Functional layout of the Climate Innovation Centre within COSTECH. 5. Action plan to establish the proposed TCIC. 6. Developing an intergrated regulatory sandbox. 7. Establishing TCIC digital platform. 8. Capacity development of TCIC team and final stakeholders workshop and Centre's Inauguration. The complete details of the requirement will be provided in the tender documents that will be issued to bidders after this request for EOI is closed. Specific Requirements/Information The Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) is the Operational arm of The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and hosted by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The mission of the CTCN is to promote accelerated development and transfer of climate technologies at the request of developing countries for energy-efficient, low-carbon and climate-resilient development. CTCN provides technical assistance to the countries using its own funds ( which it recives through voluntary contributions of donor) or through the other funding sources specifically the Green Climate Funds (GCF) through the Readiness Programme. The requests for Technical Assistance (TA) are submitted to the CTCN by the National Designated Entity (NDE) of the respective country. In this present case the CTCN has developed a response plan and expect to implement the technical assistance on its own funding. In case you are not a CTCN network member yet, you may apply for this REOI and subsequent soliciation (Request for Proposal), subject to the condition that you submit your completed application for CTCN membership before the proposal submission closing date, which will be communicated in the subsequent Request for Proposal in due course of time. Furthermore, the contract award – should your proposal be selected – is conditional to your application for CTCN network membership being approved by CTCN management. The requirement to join the CTCN network is only relevant to the main bidder and not subcontractors. Please find more information to join CTCN Network at- https://www.ctc-n.org/network The purpose of this REOI is to identify suitable firms who may be invited for the Request for Proposal after the REOI is closed. In addition to CTCN registration, all applicants should also be registered (free of charge) at United Nations Global Marketplace (www.ungm.org). IMPORTANT: Please note that this REOI is not an invitation for submission of tenders. Its purpose is to identify companies that would be interested and eligible to participate in the solicitation when issued. UNON will examine the outcome of this request for EOI and will consider those companies that have expressed their interest . UNON reserves the right to change or cancel the requirement at any time during the EOI and/or solicitation process. Thus, submitting a reply to this Request for EOI does not automatically guarantee your company will be considered for receipt of the solicitation when issued.