Procurement of consulting services for an innovation partner to manage an innovation challenge and incubate participating startups.

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (CONSULTING SERVICES – FIRMS SELECTION) COUNTRY: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia NAME OF PROJECT: Food Systems Resilience Program For Eastern And Southern Africa Loan No. /Credit No. / Grant No.: IDA Credit - 71560 Assignment Title: Consultancy Services for Hiring an Implementation Partner to Manage the Second Cohort of the AgTech Innovation Challenge (ATIC) and Incubate Startups. Reference No .: ET-MOA-479128-CS-QBS The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Ministry of Finance (MoF), has received financing from the World Bank toward the cost of the Ethiopia Food System Resilience Program (EFSRP) , and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consultancy services to hire an implementation partner to run the AgTech innovation challenge, competition, and incubate startups Objective of the Consultancy Service The consulting services (“the Services”) is to engage a qualified and experienced incubation center (implementation partner) to manage and coordinate the successful implementation of the second cohort of the AgTech Innovation Challenge (ATIC), nurturing homegrown digital solutions from initial startup sourcing through to commercial scaling. The assignment has the following specific objectives: Design and execute a comprehensive applicant scouting and outreach campaign. Design and implement a transparent, criteria-based selection process to screen applicants and shortlist the strongest DAEAS solutions aligned with prioritized farmer needs. Strengthen the innovation and business readiness of selected participants through delivery of the Innovation Sprint Support the growth and maturation of incubated startups through structured incubation services Facilitate the development, validation, and refinement of market-ready AgTech solutions Support the commercialization and investment readiness of high-performing startups Strengthening market access and strategic partnerships by facilitating linkages between startups and rele