Consultancy Services for Evaluation of Project Proposals under Innovation Matching Grants Program

PMCG and the Baltic Innovation Agency (BIA) are implementing the “Consultancy Services for Evaluating Project Proposals under the Innovation Matching Grants Program.” The initiative is financed by the World Bank Group as part of the Georgia National Innovation Ecosystem Project (GENIE). 

The project’s primary goal is to support GENIE’s Component 3 (Innovation Financing), aimed at facilitating the implementation of innovation matching grants (IMGs) for private enterprises in Georgia. Relatedly, PMCG and the BIA provide technical assistance to Georgia’s Innovation and Technology Agency (GITA) throughout the IMG program’s execution. 

Moreover, PMCG and the BIA are working on developing a comprehensive evaluation methodology and, with the collaboration of a team of skilled peer-reviewers and Investment Committee (IC) members, providing recommendations for funding throughout the 2.5-year project implementation period. More specifically, PMCG and the BIA are completing the following activities:

• Peer-review evaluation – Each application that passes a desk review conducted by GITA goes through a peer-review evaluation. At this stage, project applications are assessed individually by two unbiased international peer-reviewers with skills and expertise in scientific or business fields in line with the proposal being evaluated;
• Final evaluation by the Investment Committee (IC) – Composed of three unbiased international experts with prominent expertise in innovation, financing, and business. The IC reviews the applications and the evaluation conducted by peer reviewers. Based on these reviews, the IC invites some applicants for an interview and makes an investment decision;
• Conducting interviews with applicants – These are held after the IC reviews the work of the peer reviewers; and
• Preparing written evaluation reports – These are completed for every project application, summarizing the entire evaluation process and its results.

The project stimulates alternative forms of innovation financing, supporting the growth of innovative micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Georgia and their participation in the digital economy. This is expected to make a sustainable contribution towards enhancing Georgia’s national innovation ecosystem.