2021 Wood Business Incubation/Acceleration Program

National Industrial Research and Development Agency (NIRDA), with the support of The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, has established a new Incubator and Accelerator Facility (I/AF) for the wood sector.

The main objective of the I/AF is to improve the competitiveness of start-ups and companies in the wood value chain. To that end, the I/AF offers general and tailored set of services for start-ups, companies, and cooperatives from the wood sector including:

• Business advice
• Entrepreneurship and business management training
• Coaching and mentoring
• Access to technical infrastructure
• Technical assistance
• Market information services
• Marketing assistance
• Facilitation of financial and investment linkages
• Facilitation of linkages for technological upgrading

We are inviting applications from start-ups and enterprises of all sizes to benefit from this comprehensive development opportunity. Selected candidates will participate in 7 to 8-month incubator/accelerator programs to help them improve the performance of their businesses, access to markets, and ability to compete.

This call for applications seeks entrepreneurs and companies that have the potential to grow, compete and contribute to the development of the Rwandan wood sector.

The I/AF offers tailored incubation and acceleration services to start-ups, companies, and cooperatives from the wood sector to help them improve the performance of their businesses, access to markets, and ability to compete.

For more information read Information Manual  or Brochure.

Are you interested in the incubator program?

This program targets early-stage start-ups with less than 12 months of business operations to increase their competitiveness within the wood processing sector as well as established entrepreneurs who seek to diversify into the wood sector for the first time. The I/AF is here to help you innovate and to equip you with improved technical and business management skills to stimulate your entrepreneurial activity.

Incubator program eligibility:

• Less than 12 months of business operations (including start-ups) or
• Businesses that want to diversity their products (can be more than 12 months of business operations as long as they are new to using wood components)

Are you interested in the accelerator program?

This program targets entrepreneurs, business owners, and management teams in more mature micro, small, medium-sized, or large enterprises and cooperatives in the wood sector. We seek companies with a potential to grow and contribute to the development of the wood sector. The I/AF will provide general and tailored assistance to these businesses to accelerate their growth, technically improve, attract investments, and expand into new national, regional, or international markets.

Accelerator program eligibility:

• More than 12 months of business operations
• Any size of enterprise in the wood sector is welcome to apply.

Start of application period: 10th June 2021

End of application period: 25th June 2021 (12:00 pm)

How to apply

All applicants are requested to submit duly filled and signed Incubator or Accelerator

Application Forms via the application portal before 25^th June 2021, 12:00 pm.

Detailed instructions on how to apply can be found in the Guidelines for Applicants.

Additional information on the I/AF can be found in the Brochure.

For more information, please email us at iaf.applications@icon-institute.de