IKI Country Call Brazil’s Ideas Competition

Deadline: 28-May-24

Prior to funding or commissioning projects through the IKI Country Call Brazil, an ideas competition is held as a preliminary step. This competition invites participation from both German and international grant recipients, as well as implementing organizations affiliated with the German Federal Government.

To participate in the ideas competition of the Country Call Brazil, interested implementing organisations are invited to submit a project outline responding to one of the three thematic priorities listed below.

Thematic Priorities

The following thematic priorities are available:

• Thematic priority 1: Decarbonisation of emission-intensive industrial sectors
  • Intended effects of the envisioned project
    • The envisioned project should contribute to the following overarching goal: The steel and cement industries in Brazil have decarbonised, advancing in the reduction of greenhouse gas – GHG emissions, in line with the climate priorities and targets established in Brazil’s NDC, its Sectoral Climate Change Plan for Industry and the National Climate Change Strategy (under elaboration). Quantifiable private sector investments and reductions of GHG emissions resulting from specific project activities are particularly welcome.
  • Possible target groups/sectors
    • National government
    • Private sector, in particular emission-intensive companies,
    • Industry associations,
    • Chambers of commerce
    • Finance institutions
    • Research institutions, think tanks and universities
  • Project components/content of the project
    • The envisaged project should address the decarbonisation of the cement and steel industry through several components and implement activities aligned with Brazil’s climate change policies and plans aimed at reducing GHG emissions and increasing private sector investments. The piloting of decarbonisation measures should consider all relevant safeguard standards in order to avoid undesirable social and environmental impacts and should actively include women and other disadvantaged groups.
  • Geographical focus
    • The envisioned project shall take a bilateral approach and be implemented in Brazil.
• Thematic priority 2: Combating deforestation in the Brazilian biomes Cerrado, Caatinga,Pantanal, Atlantic Rainforest and Pampa
• Intended effects of the envisioned project
  • The planned project should contribute to the following overarching goal:
    • The increasing deforestation in the Brazilian biomes Cerrado, Atlantic Forest, Pantanal, Caatinga and Pampa is reduced or halted, thereby conserving biodiversity, preserving carbon sinks in the respective biomes and contributing to social and economic sustainability. To achieve this, the objective of the envisioned project is to support the implementation of Brazil‘s PPCDs in the Brazilian biomes Cerrado, Atlantic Forest, Pantanal, Caatinga and Pampa.
  • In doing so, this project should contribute to the following three objectives in the respective biomes:
    • financial incentives for biodiversity conservation and climate protection have been developed and the implementation of existing financing instruments is supported;
    • socio-biodiversity product chains are strengthened and promoted;
    • protected areas have been consolidated and expanded, and are managed better
• Possible target groups/sectors of the project
  • Small and medium-sized producers in the respective biomes (balanced by gender)
  • Financial institutions
  • Collective territories such as rural settlements (assentamentos), indigenous lands,
  • sustainable use conservation units and quilombola lands
  • National and subnational governments
  • Protected area authorities
  • Research institutions, academia
• Project components/content of the project
  • Component 1. Financial incentives for conservation
  • Component 2: Promoting socio-biodiversity product chains
  • Component 3: Consolidation and expansion of protected areas
• Geographical focus
  • The envisioned project shall take a bilateral approach and be implemented in the following Brazilian biomes: Cerrado, Caatinga, Pantanal, Atlantic Rainforest and Pampa.
• Thematic priority 3: Climate change adaptation in vulnerable urban territories: Cooperating with communities and strengthening local governments
• Intended effects of the envisioned project
  • The project to be selected in this country call should contribute to the following overarching goal:
    • Local community-oriented adaptation actions and measures to strengthen local governments in the face of climate change have improved the living conditions and resilience of local communities living in areas of high socioeconomic and environmental vulnerability, including marginalised groups. They also increase the resilience of urban infrastructure and service systems, leading to greater climate justice.
  • To achieve this, the objectives of the envisioned project are:
    • The adaptation capacities to face negative climate change effects of the urban population are strengthened, especially in underserved vulnerable urban areas.
    • The resilience of strategic urban systems and the network of intelligent urban infrastructure and services is strengthened to ensure full functionality in the event of extreme weather events and natural disasters in pilot municipalities.
    • Community-oriented climate adaptation practices are promoted through social mobilisation and integrated into urban planning instruments and urban adaptation processes.
    • Public management at municipal, state, and federal level is strengthened through institutional development initiatives to increase the capacity for planning and implementation of resilient urban development projects
• Possible target groups/sectors of the project
  • Most critical municipalities in terms of climate risk and occurrence of natural disasters.
  • Local communities, inhabitants, such as homeowners, tenants, business owners, start-ups and civil society groups (including women’s organisations).
  • National and sub-national governments, relevant sector agencies in the field of urban development and fields related to urban resilience.
  • Research institutions, think tanks and academia.
• Project components/content of the project
  • Component I: Co-creation and piloting of solutions for urban adaptation at municipal level
  • Component II: Co-creation and piloting of open-access digital climate service products
  • Component III: Capacity building and mobilisation of finance
• Geographic focus
  • Municipality selection shall be based on the following criteria:
    • Municipalities most susceptible to the occurrence of landslides, flash floods and floods,
    • according to the list of the Special Secretariat for Articulation and Monitoring of the
    • Presidency of the Republic (Casa Civil), available at:
      • Municipalities with the highest percentage of population in risk areas.
      • The project outlines should prioritise municipalities with a population between 100,000 and 500,000 inhabitants.

Funding Information

• The funding volume provided by the IKI is a minimum of 8 million to a maximum of 30 million EUR per project. The specifications on the funding volumes as defined in the thematic priorities apply. Exceeding or falling short of the permissible funding volume will lead to the exclusion of the project outline.
• The maximum duration of funding is eight years. A minimum duration is not specified.
• Thematic priority 1: Decarbonisation of emission-intensive industrial sectors IKI funding volume: Min. EUR 20 million to max. EUR 25 million
• Thematic priority 2: Combating deforestation in the Brazilian biomes Cerrado, Caatinga, Pantanal, Atlantic Rainforest and Pampa IKI funding volume: Min. EUR 25 million to max. EUR 30 million
• Thematic priority 3: Climate change adaptation in vulnerable urban territories: Cooperating with communities and strengthening local governments IKI funding volume: Min. EUR 8 million to max. EUR 10 million.

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligible organisations
  • The following organisations are welcome to apply:
    • Non-governmental organisations,
    • Universities and research institutions,
    • International intergovernmental organisations and institutions (such as development banks),
    • Organisations and programmes of the United Nations
    • Private sector companies.
  • Governments of the partner countries are not eligible to apply for IKI funding.
  • Organisations against which the EU has imposed sanctions are excluded form IKI-funding. In particular, the following are excluded from funding:
    • persons, organisations, or bodies specifically mentioned in the legal acts imposing these sanctions
    • companies owned or controlled by persons, organisations, or bodies subject to EU sanctions
    • Companies operating in sectors subject to EU sanctions insofar as the aid would undermine the objectives of the sanctions in question.

For more information, visit IKI.