Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) is a public institution established by an Act of Parliament No. 7 of 1986. It is the principal mandate to advise the Government on matters related to science, technology and innovation in Tanzania. Also, Part V of the Act established the National Fund for the Advancement of Science and Technology (NFAST) with the purpose of financing research and technology development by a way of grant or loan. NFAST has been supporting research and innovation through grant financing guided by research and innovation grants manual. The credit financing initiative has come in order to accommodate recent developments in the innovation ecosystem which demands investment for market penetration of innovation products developed by Tanzanians, especially those developed to as minimum viable products and market ready products. There have been inadequate funds to de-risk innovators who cannot access conventional finances from existing fund schemes and financial institutions. Also, there is insufficient funds to facilitate the improvement of all innovation products, services and processes to the level that can compete in the market. Therefore, the window is open to facilitate the market penetration of Tanzania Innovations to enable their competitiveness.
Download Details and Eligibility

The scheme is open to Tanzanian innovation startups who meets the following criteria; -
(i) Has Minimum viable product or market fit product for their innovation
(ii) A locally registered business entity emanating from innovation or research activities, majority owned by Tanzanian citizens and with main office in the United Republic of Tanzania;
(iii) Has a viable business dealing with production, processing, manufacturing, technology development or any other identified value addition business, provided that it has undergone a thorough COSTECH and Partner Financial Institution credit assessment and qualifies
(iv) The business has a potential of creating employment, generating tax revenue thus contributing to the country’s economic growth
(v) Can offer any enforceable collateral including personal guarantee and third-party guarantee
(vi) Must have positive credit score
(vii) Has potential to attract commercial funding once the innovation is de-risked
(viii) Has demonstrated traction
Download Application Form
NB: Download application form fill as required and submit as pdf attachment with your application in the system