Provision of Technical Assistance: Advancing Climate Innovation and Resilience in Suriname

The United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON), on behalf of the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), invites qualified and interested firms to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to participate in an upcoming solicitation for the provision of technical assistance for the implementation of the project “Advancing Climate Innovation and Resilience in Suriname.” UNEP, on behalf of CTCN, seeks to engage a qualified consulting firm to provide the technical assistance requested and endorsed by the National Designated Entity (NDE) of Suriname. The objective of this assignment is to strengthen Suriname’s national innovation ecosystem by assessing institutional, technical, and capacity gaps; enhancing collaboration between government, academia, private sector, and civil society; and developing policy and implementation recommendations to support climate technology development and transfer. Suriname faces increasing climate change challenges, including impacts on forests, agriculture, energy systems, and low-lying coastal zones. While the country has strong natural resource endowments and high forest cover, it continues to face limited innovation capacity in climate-related technologies, particularly within SMEs. Strengthening the enabling environment for climate innovation is essential for advancing national mitigation and adaptation priorities under Suriname’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and National Adaptation Plan (NAP). The country’s innovation ecosystem remains fragmented, with key constraints including limited R&D capacity, weak policy and regulatory frameworks, insufficient coordination among stakeholders, inadequate digital and data infrastructure for climate monitoring, limited access to finance for SMEs, and weak knowledge-sharing and capacity development systems. At the same time, ongoing initiatives such as the Innovation Network Suriname and the development of fabrication laboratories (FabLabs), supported through partnerships with Anton de Kom University of Suriname and national ministries, present an opportunity to strengthen a coordinated national innovation system. This technical assistance will support the Government of Suriname in designing a functional and inclusive innovation ecosystem that promotes climate technology development, strengthens institutional coordination, improves access to knowledge and tools, and enhances participation of SMEs, youth, and women in climate innovation. It will also support the development of governance frameworks, collaboration mechanisms, and capacity-building systems required to operationalize a national climate innovation network. The assignment will be implemented over 12 months and will include stakeholder engagement, institutional and policy assessments, development of governance and collaboration frameworks, knowledge management and dissemination activities, and capacity-building programmes including training of trainers and curriculum development. Expected outputs include: 1. Project Management (mandatory output); 2. Stakeholder mapping, inception report, and establishment of Project Steering Committee; 3. Baseline assessment of the innovation ecosystem and development of governance and policy recommendations; 4. Definition of Innovation Network functions, required skills, and collaboration frameworks; 5. Knowledge-sharing products including case studies, communication materials, and toolkits; 6. Capacity-building programme including training modules, Training of Trainers, and delivery of training sessions; 7. Closure and dissemination including final report, knowledge products, and stakeholder engagement outputs. Detailed requirements will be provided in the solicitation documents to be issued following the closure of this EOI.       Specific Requirements/Information 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.