Nairobi, 11 February 2014 – Start-up social and environmental entrepreneurs who have developed innovative products or services and are working with local communities can win a tailor-made business support package through the 2014 SEED Awards, which open for nominations today.
SEED Award Winners, based in emerging economies, developing and least-developed countries, will receive $5000 towards their most urgent needs.

In addition, over a period of about 6 months, they will be offered expert advice on developing their business plans, the opportunity to take part in specially-designed workshops to enhance their skills, high-level profiling of their enterprises and access to an international network of businesses, governments and development institutions.

For the 2014 SEED Awards, SEED has received support from the European Union; the International Climate Initiative of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Protection, Building and Nuclear Safety; the Government of Flanders; the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women); the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO); and the international law firm Hogan Lovells. Additional support is provided by the SEED Partners.

SEED this year will make available up to:

• 30 SEED Africa Awards to enterprises in Ethiopia, Malawi, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania and Uganda;
• 12 SEED South Africa Awards to enterprises in South Africa, with up to four of them to enterprises in the provinces of Free State, Limpopo or KwaZulu-Natal;
• 10 SEED Low Carbon Awards to enterprises in Colombia, India, Tanzania, Uganda and Viet Nam;
• 3 SEED Gender Equality Awards to enterprises in countries that are not OECD or EU Member countries.

Winners of the 2013 SEED Awards included enterprises in Uganda for a biogas plant which utilises agricultural waste to produce renewable energy for rural communities; in Colombia for an alternative lighting system based on recycled plastic bottles for off-grid housing; in Ethiopia for improved cook stoves and briquettes for various end-users throughout the country; and in Namibia for a value-added fish and food processing facility which focuses on solar-dried food. Details about these and other SEED Winners are available at: www.seedinit.org.

The deadline for applications is 08 April 2014, 23:59 Central European Time (CET).

Applications can be filled in online at the SEED Initiative website www.seedinit.org. Alternatively, the application form can be downloaded and emailed to seedawards2014seedinit [dot] org. Applicants may also contact the SEED Initiative by email or phone (+49 30 89 00 068 99) should they not be able to submit their application electronically.

Related documents

• UNEP Press Release [ English | French | Portuguese | Spanish ]