Nutrition Connect Fortify Forward Innovation Challenge (FFIC) 2024-2025 ($5,000 Grant Funding)

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Applications are still open for Nutrition Connect Fortify Forward Innovation Challenge (FFIC) 2024-2025. The Fortify Forward Innovation Challenge 2024-2025 (FFIC) is a transformative regional competition designed to help combat hidden hunger and tackle malnutrition in all its forms, while improving public health in Africa. In search of innovative solutions for large-scale industrial food fortification (LSFF) and biofortification, they invite entrepreneurs, researchers, innovators, and organizations to join us in this mission to address micronutrient deficiencies affecting nearly 500 million people on the African continent. FAO: Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition.

Organized by the LSFF, Biofortification, and Nutrition Connect teams at GAIN, and supported by partners, The Waterloo Foundation, Funguo Program by United Nations Development Programme-Tanzania, DSM-Firmenich, NMB Foundation, Alliance of Biodiversity & CIAT, and University of Abomey Calavi-Benin; this competition is part of our larger effort to improve the nutritional quality of foods throughout the food value chain in East and West Africa.

Bring your expertise and creativity to propose scalable and sustainable solutions that ensure access to essential vitamins and minerals for the most vulnerable through fortification, to promote healthier diets and stronger food systems in Africa.

Nutrition Connect is an initiative of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). Nutrition Connect’s purpose is to mobilise knowledge, share experiences, and stimulate dialogue on public private engagement (PPE) for nutrition.

Fortify Forward Innovation Challenge Competition Categories

Category I – Profitable and Sustainable Business Models for Fortification

Innovations that develop viable business models supporting food fortification, including machine design, supply chain optimization, and consumer awareness campaigns. Priority areas include:

Micronutrient Addition: Adding essential micronutrients in optimal quantities and qualities, demonstrating innovation.
Efficient Machine Design: Developing machines that improve the fortification process, making it more efficient and cost-effective.
Supply Chain Optimization: Refining existing supply chains to improve consumer outreach, reduce costs, and increase the availability of fortified foods.
Incentive Structures: Creating commercial incentives for millers and other producers to fortify their products, including financial, regulatory, or market-based incentives.

Category II – Solutions for Segregation / Aggregation in Biofortified Crops

Solutions that address the segregation of biofortified crops from conventional crops and the effective aggregation of these crops for market distribution.

Traceability Standards: Implementing digital tools and standards to track and verify the source of biofortified crops, ensuring their identification and appropriate separation from non-biofortified crops.
Digital Innovations: Leveraging technology to improve traceability, data collection, and tracking within the biofortification supply chain.
New Agricultural Interventions: Developing new agricultural practices or technologies that support the production and distribution of biofortified crops, from farm to market.
Market Interaction: Strengthening interaction between farmers and markets to improve the adoption and sale of biofortified products.

Category III – Innovative Vehicles for Food Fortification

Proposals that expand the range of products suitable for fortification, from edible oils and rice to tea, coffee, and bouillon cubes, and develop innovative methods to effectively fortify these products.

New Food Vehicles: Identifying and developing new products or food vehicles suitable for fortification, such as edible oils, rice, bouillon cubes, triple-fortified salt, tea, and coffee.
Fortification Processes: Innovating the methods used to fortify these new food vehicles, ensuring that they are effective and sustainable.
Product Development: Adding to the range of fortified foods and crops and utilizing new ingredients or processes that can enhance the fortification process.

Benefits

Financial support
- Each winning proposal will receive a $5,000 grant to help implement and scale their innovative solutions.
Mentoring
- Winners will have access to a tailored mentorship program, pairing them with leading experts in nutrition, food systems, business development and other relevant fields. This guidance will help refine their solutions and maximize their impact.
Technical assistance
- In addition to mentoring, awardees will receive technical support to strengthen their innovations and make them market-ready. This could include assistance with fortification processes, scale-up models, and biofortification techniques.
Media exposure
- Winning innovations will be featured across GAIN’s media platforms, including blogs, press releases and social media campaigns. This exposure will help winners gain visibility and build credibility in the marketplace.
Networking opportunities
- The winners will be connected to a broad network of industry leaders, investors, policymakers and organizations working on food fortification and biofortification in Africa and globally.
Capacity building
- Through workshops and advanced training sessions, winners will develop skills in areas such as supply chain optimization, marketing strategies and business management, ensuring the long-term success of their innovations.
Peer Recognition
- Winning the competition not only brings credibility, but also recognition from industry peers, paving the way for future collaborations and partnerships.
Continuous commitment
- Even after the competition ends, winners will receive ongoing support from GAIN and its partners to ensure the sustainability and expansion of their innovations.
Presentation on global platforms
- Winning solutions may be showcased on relevant global platforms and conferences, giving winners the opportunity to present their innovations to international stakeholders and investors.
Impact on public health
- Ultimately, the winners will become part of a larger movement to improve public health and address hidden hunger in Africa, contributing to a lasting legacy in food systems and nutrition security.

Eligible countries

Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Benin, and Nigeria

Eligibility criteria for Fortify Forward Innovation Challenge

Type of candidate: Applicants must be companies or individuals based in East or West African countries, including Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Benin and Nigeria. Eligible applicants include entrepreneurs and startups, researchers and academics, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and food producers and suppliers (e.g. farmers, millers, processors).
Registered agency or citizen: Applicants must be registered as a legal entity or be citizens of eligible East or West African countries, applying through the relevant Fortify Forward Innovation Challenge national chapter.
Theme Alignment: Applicants must align with the competition’s vision of promoting healthier, more nutritious diets, fostering sustainable, equitable and resilient food systems. Solutions must focus on food fortification and biofortification.
Age: The Team Leader candidate must be 18 years of age or older as of September 1, 2024.
Proof of concept: Applicants must present an operational proof of concept with measurable growth, having been in operation for at least one year. A technical and financial history will be required for evaluation.
Novelty: Submissions should go beyond the idea or initial prototype stage and present a tested prototype with plans to scale the innovation to mainstream levels.
General conditions: All applicants must carefully read, understand and accept the terms and conditions of the competition.
Minimum threshold for applications: The registration window will not close if there are at least 1000 registered applications. Organizers may extend registration if necessary. A qualitative assessment of submissions (e.g. a sampling of all first 50 registrations) will ensure that quality standards are met.
Representation by country: The organizers will try their best to choose at least one winner from each of the eight countries where GAIN operates in Africa : Tanzania, Benin, Rwanda, Mozambique, Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya and Nigeria.