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Purpose of the Fund
The purpose of the Botswana Innovation Fund is to support innovation through technology, product, and business development in the private sector by providing financial assistance to qualifying entities. The Fund is intended to catalyse innovation development, strengthen commercialisation outcomes, and support wider national economic transformation.
BIF supports innovation development across the post-proof-of-concept to pre-commercialisation stages, especially where innovators need capital and structured support to validate, refine, and prepare solutions for market entry. The Fund emphasises technical development, product improvement, local intellectual property development, and economic impact.
Eligible Applicants
BIF funding is intended for Botswana-domiciled private sector companies developing commercially relevant innovations. The business must have the capacity to implement the project and comply with tax, governance, and reporting requirements.
Who Can Apply
- ✓Private sector companies domiciled in Botswana
- ✓Startups, SMEs and growth-stage companies
- ✓Valid BURS Tax Clearance Certificate required
Important Notes
- !Only one application per company at a time
- !All IP must reside in a Botswana-registered company
- !Subject to availability of funding
How Funding Works
BIF provides support to innovations that demonstrate technical merit, commercial potential, and socio-economic relevance. Eligible applicants are assessed on merit and supported through a milestone-based funding approach.
Submit online
1–3 weeks
~6 weeks
~6 weeks
Milestone-based
Definition of Innovation
Innovation refers to the development of new and unique products or processes that are functionally advanced, efficient, and cost-effective. It includes significant improvements to existing products or processes, resulting from technical development. Projects considered innovative should:
Offer unique features or attributes not previously seen in similar products.
Provide substantial efficiency improvements, particularly in software development.
Result predominantly from technical advancements rather than research or studies.
General Funding Criteria
The Botswana Innovation Fund provides financial support to proposals on the basis of merit. All promising applications will be evaluated against the following general criteria:
The project must seek to develop a new product, process, or technical service, or significantly improve an existing one that demonstrably surpasses current alternatives in functions, parameters, features, or performance.
All Intellectual Property rights arising from the project must reside in a Botswana-registered company.
Products and solutions developed must comply with all relevant national and international standards, where applicable.
Only one application may be considered from any company at a time. Subsequent applications only after completion, cancellation, or formal withdrawal of the earlier project.
The applicant must submit a valid BURS Tax Clearance Certificate at the time of application and for each milestone payment request.
The proposed product or service must demonstrate sustainable competitiveness and marketability within its intended target market.
The proposal must align with BIF priority industries, programme focus areas, or specific call objectives, where applicable.
Clear social and economic impact: job creation, value-added exports, improved sector competitiveness, IP development, and improved quality of life.
The technical and commercial viability of the plan must be clearly demonstrated.
The team must demonstrate sufficient management capability, technical competence, and appropriate operational systems.
The business must demonstrate financial viability.
The business model should show potential for scalability and/or replicability.
What We Fund
BIF provides financial support for costs directly related to innovation development and pre-commercialisation. Supported activity types include:
Eligible cost categories are detailed below:
1. Salary & Labour Costs
- Qualifying remuneration based on total annual salary package
- Overtime only if specifically paid; no double time
- Executive/management personnel directly involved technically
- General management costs, production administration
- Commissions, interest, overhead allocations
2. Material Costs
- Direct materials for prototype or model manufacture
- Non-capital materials consumed during direct development
- Non-capital materials not directly related to the project
3. Subcontractor Costs
- Subcontracted items that are eligible if done by applicant
- Subcontractor must be at "arm's length"
- IP must be wholly owned by the recipient
- Related-party subcontractor arrangements
4. Tooling & Capital Equipment
- Design, mechanical drawings, models and prototypes
- Capital items specifically required for the development project
- Specially approved tooling items
- General capital equipment not directly related to the project
5. Computer Hardware & Software
- Software forming an integral part of prototype/product
- Maximum of two (2) hardware units (including laptops)
- Hardware and software used in development process
- General-purpose hardware/software unless specified
6. IP & Licensing Costs
- Patent application lodging costs
- Technology licences required in the development phase
- Costs for defending patents
7. Travel Costs
- Economy-class airfares for development purposes (1 person per trip)
- Car hire, buses, taxis for development-related travel
- Seminars, conferences, training travel (unless specially approved)
- Laundry and tips
8. Documentation & Certification
- Development-related operating/maintenance manuals
- Product quality or other certification (e.g., BOBS)
- Proof of market / pre-commercialisation (last milestone)
- Non-development documentation and certification
Exclusions
- Incomplete applications
- Applications where inadequate effort has been made to secure other funding
- Applications seeking to expand tobacco, liquor, recreational drug, or sex trade markets
- Projects receiving other government grant funding for the same project (double-dipping)
- Projects of a military nature without substantial general commercial/civilian application
- Projects where technology is licensed from a third party with commercial restrictions
- Research of fundamentally new products or processes (BIF supports pre-competitive development only)