Officially inaugurated on September 28th, the Palestine CleanTech Acceleration Program is currently engaging with entrepreneurs and startups of 32 ideas admitted into the 12-week journey of full-time coaching and mentorship. MOUSTADAMA’s experts, coaches, and mentors are working closely by the candidates’ side, supporting them for both the business and the technical finalization of the solutions, offering dedicated entrepreneurial advice and aiming to facilitate contact with potential investors in the next phases of the Program. At the end of this path, up to three finalists will receive a prize of up to 25,000 euros each to be destined to conduct further R&D and solidify the developed propositions.
“Developed from UNIDO's pioneering experience in the cleantech field, the Palestine CleanTech Innovation Program’s Accelerator aims to inspire a new generation of Palestinian entrepreneurs and startups in the field of clean technologies”, says Ahmed ElFarra, UNIDO’s Senior Programme Officer in Palestine. “Our goal is to support the startups to identify and finalize innovative solutions for industry that can offer a concrete answer to the environmental challenges of our time, but also make possible the creation of skilled jobs in this nascent industry that is strategically central to the energy independence and competitiveness of the Palestinian private sector”, he continues.
“Bringing international experience to the local dimension, the Palestine CleanTech Acceleration Program has been structured with clear rules, methodologies, and also limits: cleantech applications are usually very broad, yet we are working only with potential solutions that are strictly aimed to the industrial world, so that the energy challenges that affect the Palestinian industries can be tackled”, says Taysir Shaqlaih, UNIDO Palestine’s CleanTech Innovation and Entrepreneurship Consultant in the Gaza Strip together with Abdallah Salameh, in Jerusalem and West Bank. “In other Programs, mentors touch base with the candidates on a regular basis. However, in the UNIDO’s Program, the international and local experts are constantly involved to assure a proper guidance on both the business and technical sides. Additionally, the Program is conducting a training of the trainers to equip a group of coaches with knowledge and tools to provide the sound support needed for the entrepreneurs and startups. The training approach implemented by UNIDO favors a combination of direct engagement with the beneficiaries and an integrated skills development to the targeted audience while implementing the designed Program and support”, he adds.
“Our goal is to support the startups to identify and finalize innovative solutions for industry that can offer a concrete answer to the environmental challenges of our time, but also make possible the creation of skilled jobs".
Ahmed ElFarra, UNIDO’s Senior Programme Officer in Palestine
During the acceleration process, the participants are having access to a comprehensive set of tools and resources, services and dedicated coaching activities that include business clinics, webinars, mock judging, technical support, and a final pitching event. The workshops are taking place at the three CleanTech Hubs of the Palestine CleanTech Innovation Program, which are hosted respectively at the Palestine Technopark in Birzeit, at the AbuDis Campus of the AlQuds University, and at the Gaza University.
Selected among the 92 eligible submissions received through the Palestine Cleantech Innovation Competition – 1st Edition 2021, the shortlisted candidates have been officially disclosed during the Acceleration Program launching event, which took place on September 28th with the participation of high-level government partners and representatives from the donor community and UNIDO, which included H.E. the Minister of National Economy (MoNE), a key partner of UNIDO in Palestine, as well as H.E. the Minister of Entrepreneurship and Empowerment and H.E. the Chairman of the Palestine Energy and Natural Resources Authority (PENRA), together with H.E. the Ambassador Representative of the European Union in Jerusalem, and institutional partners and friends from local and international communities.
