Road to COP26’s Innovation Grant Programme features an incubator event followed by the opportunity to apply for an additional support package available only to incubator event participants with more than 75% attendance at the incubator event.
This application is for the package of additional support, running from May-Sep 2021. The additional support package is worth 1,500,000 rupees, to be used to develop your idea further and for tailored mentoring.
Depending on progress during the period of additional support, there will also be the opportunity for some grantees to showcase their learning journey and outcomes at events in Nepal (October 2021) and the UK (aligned with COP26 in November 2021).
Applicants should read the Programme Specification, including eligibility and selection criteria mentioned in the Grant FAQs before applying.
GRANT FAQs
Who is eligible for the grants?
Anyone who has participated in the Incubator event with 75% attendance (you attended 5 out of 6 days) are eligible to apply. Applicants can be individuals, teams or companies.
Do you have to be registered as a company to apply?
No, British Council can award independent individuals as well. For teams, we will require one representative to sign the contract.
Do I/we have to sign a contract?
Yes. Grantees will have to sign a standard grants contract with the British Council. It is British Council who is providing the grant award.
What is included in the grant terms?
Besides British Council’s standard terms and conditions, the contracts will include your inputs from the application, including the budget and timeline you will have filled out. There will also be a note on Data Processing.
The grantee will be additionally required to review and sign British Council’s Code of Conduct which covers child/adults-at-risk safeguarding
How much is the grant worth? How is it calculated?
The total value of the grant is 10,000 British Pounds. It is equivalent to 1,500,000 Nepali rupees (NPR). This has been calculated using British Council’s book keeping rates.
Are there any tax deductions on the grant amount?
No, British Council grants are not taxed. However once grant money is received and used, grantees should pay any applicable tax on their expenses. For example, short-term consultants (any human resource working on the activities but not full-time staff) rates should include 15% tax deduction at source, which should be submitted to the government in the name of the person (using their PAN no.) working on the grant.
What is the amount received by the grantees?
The grantees will receive 1,350,000 NPR. 10% or 150,000 NPR will be set aside to cover costs of the selected mentor.
Are we required to pay mentors?
Mentors will be contracted and paid directly by the British Council.
What is the payment schedule?
Payments will be made in three installments. First installment (33%) will be due when the contract is signed. Second (33%) and third installments (33%) will be due when progress reports are submitted 2 months after the mentoring begins and then in September when grantees finalize their exhibits respectively.
Why are installments needed?
This is a quality assurance measure. Each successive installment requires the submission of a progress report. This will help the programme organizers and the British Council confirm that the funding is being applied appropriately. We will be using the grant application form inputs to monitor progress against what is submitted in the report.
How will the money be received?
Once the contract is signed, British Council will create a vendor account in the name of the grantee. The following documents will be required to create such an account:
- PAN Card (for individuals only)
- PAN/VAT registration (for registered companies only)
- Void cheque (to confirm bank account information)
- Vendor Form (will be provided by British Council, contains question about bank account)
Once this is done, we will raise a memo for the grant installment. Depending on the date of the memo, the money will be transferred automatically from the British Council account to that of the grantee (same account included in the vendor form).
How long does it take to process grant payments?
It usually takes up to 7-10 business days to set up a vendor account. British Council pays all vendors on a 30-day cycle, meaning if the grant memo was raised on 30 April, the payment would be due on 30 May.
What can we use the grant money for?
The grant award is strictly to cover business development activities relevant to the idea you brought to the incubator event. You will be required to budget for the total funding in your grant application. Your completed budget sheet will be included in the contract for monitoring. We have already prefilled two costs: Project Management and Mentoring. Grantees are accountable to their submitted budgets.
What if our planned budget requires amendment?
Financial planning is a continuous process and requires keeping an up-to-date budget sheet. Small changes which are less than 10% of planned cost (not of the total budget amount) do not require any approval, however, grantees will be accountable to relaying any significant changes to their budget with the British Council, their mentors and the Innovation Grant Programme organisers. Written approval from the British Council should be recorded by the grantee as proof for such changes.
Do we need to submit bills as evidence of costs?
We will provide grantees with a format for the progress reports. This will include a section where you will be able to report on expenses. Essentially this is the budget sheet you submit in your application with an additional column titled Actuals. This will help you and us track your planned vs. actual costs. Bill are not necessary, but we recommend keeping records of your expenses – this is good practice.