USAID and IFIA help you to develop your innovation

In a groundbreaking partnership, the International Federation of Inventors’ Associations (IFIA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have come together with a shared mission: to catalyze innovation and support innovators worldwide, with the ultimate goal of creating a brighter and more prosperous world.
This collaboration represents a significant milestone in the world of innovation, where two influential organizations combine their resources, expertise, and networks to drive positive change on a global scale. IFIA, as a leading advocate for inventors and innovators, and USAID, known for its international development efforts, are poised to make a substantial impact on innovation ecosystems and entrepreneurship across the globe.
The partnership’s core objectives include fostering innovation and creativity in various sectors, promoting entrepreneurial endeavors, and providing the necessary support and resources to turn innovative ideas into tangible solutions. By working together, IFIA and USAID aim to harness the power of innovation to address pressing global challenges, such as sustainability, healthcare, education, and economic development.
IFIA’s extensive network of inventors, entrepreneurs, and innovation hubs will be instrumental in identifying and nurturing innovative projects, while USAID’s vast experience in international development and resource allocation will ensure these projects have a meaningful and lasting impact in regions that need it most.
This collaboration promises to be a catalyst for positive change, with the potential to empower innovators in all corners of the world. As the partnership unfolds, the global community can look forward to witnessing a surge in groundbreaking innovations and solutions that will contribute to the betterment of society, the environment, and the world as a whole. IFIA and USAID’s joint efforts have the power to inspire a new era of creativity and progress, proving that by fostering innovation, we can indeed build a brighter future for all.

The United States Agency for International Development is an independent agency of the United States government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance.

USAID leads international development and humanitarian efforts to save lives, reduce poverty, strengthen democratic governance, and help people progress beyond assistance.

The forthcoming groundbreaking solution may emerge from individuals situated anywhere around the globe. With this in mind, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is dedicated to promoting a culture of innovation within the United States by welcoming new individuals, ideas, and approaches to address development challenges on an international scale.

With the recent establishment of the partnership, IFIA has joined forces with USAID, underscoring a significant development in collaborative efforts. This synergy enhances IFIA’s role in delivering services to its members and inventors. The collaboration with USAID brings added resources, expertise, and opportunities, strengthening IFIA’s commitment to fostering innovation and supporting its community of inventors. Together, IFIA and USAID aim to provide comprehensive services and create an environment conducive to the growth and success of inventors associated with IFIA.

Development Innovation Ventures (DIV) is USAID’s open innovation program that funds breakthrough solutions to the world’s toughest development challenges. By funding innovation and focusing on rigorous evidence, DIV impacts millions of lives at a fraction of the usual cost.

DIV provides grant funding based on a tiered-evidence approach that maximizes impact per dollar spent. DIV’s model allows for risk at early stages and mitigates risk at later stages, ensuring that funding is targeted to the most impactful and cost-effective innovations.

DIV believes that the best ideas can come from anyone, anywhere. DIV supports innovators and researchers around the world to test new ideas, take strategic risks, build evidence of what works, and advance the best solutions. DIV looks for solutions that demonstrate rigorous evidence of impact, cost-effectiveness, and a viable pathway to scale and sustainability. Learn more about DIV’s core principles.

DIV offers the following funding:

Stage 1 Grants: Pilot (Up to $200,000)
Stage 2 Grants: Test and Position for Scale (Up to $1,500,000)
Stage 3 Grants: Transition to Scale (Up to $15,000,000)
Evidence Generation Grants (Up to $1,500,000)

• Since 2010, DIV has funded 297 innovation grants in 52 countries. Explore DIV and its portfolio of innovations on the DIV Portal website.

• DIV is driven by its social return on investment, which is the benefit to society generated by DIV’s investments. In its first three years, DIV’s portfolio returned over $17 in social benefit for each dollar awarded—a 17:1 return on investment, according to the research paper, “Is Development Economics a Good Investment? Evidence on scaling rate and social returns from USAID’s innovation fund,” by Michael Kremer, Sasha Gallant, Olga Rostapshova and Milan Thomas.
• DIV provides funding through fixed amount awards, a unique type of Federal grant instrument that is designed to pay for results through milestone payments, not just reimbursing costs like traditional grants. 
• DIV was co-founded in 2010 by Nobel Laureate Dr. Michael Kremer and USAID’s former Chief Innovation Officer, Dr. Maura O’Neill. Hear Dr. Kremer speak about Development Innovation Ventures in his 2019 Nobel Prize Lecture.
• Interested in applying? Read DIV’s Annual Program Statement. 
• Check out DIV’s Fact Sheets.
• Read the Frequently Asked Questions.

• Subscribe to DIV’s Newsletter.

Development Innovation Ventures (DIV) provides grant funding to innovators and researchers to test new ideas, take strategic risks, build evidence of what works, and advance the best solutions.
DIV’s tiered-funding model embraces risk at early stages and mitigates risk at later stages, ensuring that funding is targeted to the most cost-effective innovations that can improve people’s lives. DIV takes a broad approach to innovation; innovations can be business models, products, behavioral interventions, applied research, or replications of proven innovations in novel environments.

DIV’s approach is centered around our three core principles: evidence of impact, cost-effectiveness, and scale. DIV assesses each applicant through the lens of these principles commensurate to the stage or type of funding sought.

DIV uses a tiered-funding model to maximize impact per dollar spent. We invest small amounts in a variety of relatively unproven ideas and make large investments only in those ideas that demonstrate rigorous evidence of impact, cost-effectiveness, and the potential to scale and be sustained via the market or public sector.

Our funding is focused on outcomes, not inputs; this outcomes-based funding enables grantees to adapt and grow under changing circumstances to achieve the greatest impact. 

DIV provides funding in three-tiered stages and also provides funding for researchers seeking to generate rigorous evidence. Organizations should apply to the level that best matches their current scale and evidence base of impact and cost-effectiveness. Organizations may apply again for the same level of funding or another level of funding.

Stage 1 grants support innovation pilots in developing country contexts. Stage 1 innovations are early in their development and require testing to understand user demand, feasibility, impact, and financial viability. Innovations at this stage must be post-prototype or -ideation. While an approach to monitor impact is necessary at this stage, a rigorous impact evaluation methodology is not required.

Stage 2 grants support rigorous testing to determine impact or market viability. Public sector innovations at this stage should demonstrate rigorous evidence of causal impact and cost-effectiveness or use DIV funding to build such evidence. Stage 2 funding can support impact evaluations, further market testing, strengthening business or delivery models for scale, or operational expansion for innovations that have already conducted successful pilot testing.

Stage 3 grants transition proven approaches to widespread scaling in new contexts or new geographies. Applicants should have demonstrated evidence of commercial viability or rigorous evidence of impact and cost-effectiveness at the Stage 2 level and must leverage additional external funding or partnership.

Evidence Generation Grants: (Up to $1,500,000)
Evidence Generation grants support research and evaluations of widely-used development approaches that lack sufficient evidence of impact and cost-effectiveness. Evidence Generation awards support impact evaluations, including randomized controlled trials and, if appropriate, quasi-experimental methods.

This collaborative effort marks a significant achievement in the realm of innovation, as two influential organizations synergize their resources, expertise, and networks to instigate positive transformations on a global scale. IFIA, a leading advocate for inventors and innovators, aligns its strengths with USAID, renowned for its international development initiatives. Together, they are poised to make a substantial impact on global innovation ecosystems and entrepreneurship.
Having engaged in negotiations and efforts of the IFIA team for over a year, the fruitful outcome of this partnership is now evident, and today, IFIA members worldwide can benefit from a new service provided by IFIA through collaboration with USAID. This service is designed to be professional and conducted in English, enhancing the accessibility and utility of the offerings. The collaboration promises to empower IFIA members globally, allowing them to leverage these services for their innovation endeavors.