GIZ, UNIDO Seeking Private-Sector Partners for Vaccine Cold-Chain Project in the Philippines

By Devin Yoshimoto, Jan 26, 2021, 02:27 2 minute reading

Interested companies must apply by March 31.

To ensure the effective distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in the Philippines, GIZ, Germany’s international cooperation agency and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) are seeking help from interested private-sector companies.

The companies must be willing to strongly engage in a project that aims to provide better and faster vaccine access through sustainable and robust cold chains.

Vaccine cold chains have become a new and urgent priority in the Philippines, and better vaccine distribution is the project's short-term goal. However, the project also provides an opportunity to help develop integrated cold-chain strategies that build on the existing food cold chain system in the country – thus ensuring both better health and a reliable food supply in the Philippines over the long term.

In addition, there are opportunities to use synergies with the ongoing Cold Chain Innovation Hub (CCI-Hub) project. Launched in 2019, the CCI-Hub aims to improve the food cold chain in the Philippines through the establishment of a global partnership and a sustainable cold chain technology exhibition and training center in the country. (shecco, publisher of this website, is one of CCI-Hub’s key executing partners.)

Project funding

Funding for the vaccine initiative is being provided by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). BMZ is currently supporting initiatives by privately owned companies that “mitigate the economic as well as the health-related impact of the corona pandemic in developing or emerging countries.”

Suitable projects, which should have a timeline of two years, can receive up to €2,000,000 (US$2,430,710) of funding, with the public contribution covering a maximum of 50% of the total costs.

A private-sector company does not have to make a cash contribution, and can instead contribute in-kind (for example, with the company's personnel, project management costs, procurement and donation of equipment, contracting of experts, coverage of training costs, etc.).

Application criteria and deadline

Applications are open to both European and Philippines-based companies that:

  • have an annual turnover of at least €800,000 (US$972,200)
  • have records for two operational financial years
  • are registered in the EU, a member country of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) or a country on the OECD DAC list (which includes the Philippines)

Click here for a complete list of the criteria.

The deadline for submission of final proposals is March 31, 2021.

Interested parties should contact Franziska Menten, UNIDO Project Coordinator at f.menten@unido.org for more information. Given the close deadline, parties are encouraged to get in touch quickly and be ready to support the concept preparation in the next few weeks as well as be prepared to get the project started in mid-2021.

For more information on the project framework visit: https://www.developpp.de/en/covid19/

By Devin Yoshimoto

Jan 26, 2021, 02:27




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