Innovation challenges solicit ideas and solutions to address development challenges. Innovation challenges: (a) often include stakeholders who are not necessarily affected by the development challenge, but well placed to develop solutions, including private sector actors; (b) typically limit themselves to the generation or testing of ideas, but not their implementation; (c) can be awarded directly by the head of office for grants up to $40,000 without further review. See the policy on innovation challenges. 29. Innovation challenges can be done in projects directly implemented by UNDP or when UNDP provides support services to national implementation (COS services). Low-value grants can be used in parallel to other engagement types with responsible parties or as part of a dedicated grant project.
UNDP defines low-value grants (also known as micro-capital grants) as cash awards - selected via programmatic decisions - to civil society and non-governmental partners intended to generate and solicit development solutions for which no repayment is typically required.
Any organization that is legally constituted and duly registered may become a responsible party for a UNDP project where UNDP is the implementing partner or providing country office support to the implementing partner (and that support involves contracting a responsible party for certain activities). This includes government agencies, intergovernmental organizations, private firms, other UN agencies, or civil society organizations, including non-governmental organizations, advocacy groups, state-owned enterprises and academia.
Any organization that is legally constituted and duly registered may become a responsible party for a UNDP project where UNDP is the implementing partner or providing country office support to the implementing partner (and that support involves contracting a responsible party for certain activities). This includes government agencies, intergovernmental organizations, private firms, other UN agencies, or civil society organizations, including non-governmental organizations, advocacy groups, state-owned enterprises and academia. The same policies and procedures for selecting civil society organizations as Responsible Parties are used for private and non-governmental academic institutions and foundations (notwithstanding their form of ownership, i.e., public or private) and state-owned enterprises.
UNDP may provide support services for any implementing partner, called Country Office Support (COS). These can include delivering specified outputs, implementing select project activities, contracting a responsible party on behalf of the implementing partner, or providing procurement, recruitment, payment or other services. COS is specified and agreed between UNDP and the implementing partner through a signed letter of agreement.