1. Home
  2. Orange Corners Innovation Fund - OCIF

Orange Corners Innovation Fund - OCIF

Last checked on: 22 April 2026

Do you want to help startups that have innovative solutions to local challenges? Would you like to manage an investment fund for early-stage startups? Apply for a subsidy from the Orange Corners Innovation Fund (OCIF). This programme provides fund managers with capital to invest in early-stage startups.

Budget

Start date:
Monday 4 May 2026
09:00 hour (CEST)
End date:
Thursday 4 June 2026
23:59 hour (CEST)
Total budget:
€2,200,000

What is OCIF?

Funding for startups in Africa, Asia and the Middle East

The OCIF subsidy programme provides fund managers with capital to invest in early-stage startups. OCIF helps young, innovative entrepreneurs in Africa, Asia and the Middle East to scale their businesses and create jobs. OCIF also helps young entrepreneurs prepare for investment and attract commercial follow-up investments.

OCIF is an add-on to the Orange Corners Incubation and Acceleration Component (OCIAC). Orange Corners programmes give young entrepreneurs access to training, networks and facilities to start or scale their businesses.

For whom?

OCIF is for fund managers who want to:

  • Encourage young entrepreneurs in target locations to turn innovative solutions to local challenges into practical business plans;
  • Help young entrepreneurs in target locations prepare for investment;
  • Support young entrepreneurs in target locations to attract commercial follow-up investments;
  • Support medium- to long-term development of the private sector and business environment in target locations;
  • Tackle youth unemployment and promote economic growth by supporting startups.

OCIF applicants must be private companies or NGOs. A financial authority in the target location must legally authorise the applicant or its consortium partner to provide (interest-free) loans.

Budget

A total budget of €2.2 million is available for the current application round with target location Benin. The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) provides 1 subsidy per target location.

Subsidies will be awarded for no more than 95% of the eligible costs. Private companies or NGOs must provide an own contribution of at least 5% of the eligible costs. The maximum subsidy amount does not include the own contribution. 

The own contribution can be monetary or in-kind. In the case of an in-kind contribution, you must calculate the monetary value using the ‘Project budget calculation tool’ (see ‘Required documents’ below).

OCIF target locations

OCIF target locations include:

  • Algeria
  • Angola
  • Bangladesh
  • Benin*
  • Burundi
  • Central Iraq
  • Côte d'Ivoire  
  • The Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Egypt
  • Ghana
  • Jordan
  • Kurdistan region in Iraq
  • Mali
  • Morocco
  • Mozambique
  • Nigeria
  • Palestinian Territories
  • Senegal
  • South Africa
  • South Sudan
  • Sudan
  • Tunisia

* The current application round is open for this target location (Benin) only.

Application round 2026

For this fourth application round, we welcome applications for the target location Benin. The current application round opens on Monday 4 May 2026, 09:00 CEST. It closes on Thursday 4 June 2026, 23:59 CEST.

Projects can run for a minimum of 6 years and a maximum of 7 years. They must take place between 1 September 2026 and 31 August 2033. 

Application rounds 2023-2024

OCIF had 3 application rounds in 2023 and 2024. A total budget of €46.2 million was available. Fund managers could apply for a subsidy of up to €2.2 million per target location.

  • The first application round focused on Angola, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Morocco, Mozambique and Nigeria. It closed on 20 November 2023.
  • The second application round focused on Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Jordan, the Palestinian Territories, Senegal and South Africa. It closed on 1 April 2024.
  • The third application round focused on Bangladesh, Burundi, central Iraq, the Kurdistan region in Iraq, Mali, South Sudan, Sudan and Tunisia. It closed on 17 June 2024.

Responsible Business Conduct (RBC)

Your project must follow the international Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) guidelines. We take RBC into account when assessing your funding application. We ask you to:

  • follow OECD guidelines;
  • show how you conduct your operations following these OECD guidelines;
  • carry out a proper risk analysis of social and environmental risks;
  • state the measures to prevent and reduce these risks.

During the project, you must report on RBC risks and state the measures you are taking or plan to take to prevent and reduce these risks.

Dutch companies must complete an RBC self-assessment as part of the application process. The Dutch government uses this scan to check whether a company is aware of and follows the OECD guidelines. This assessment is a requirement for approval of your project.

On our website, you can read more about RBC and due diligence.

SEAH conditions

To be eligible for subsidies, SEAH conditions apply. RVO expects you to have your own integrity policy as well as procedures to implement this policy. In addition, you are required to report any incidents of (sexual) misconduct or abuse of power during RVO-funded projects. For further details, please visit Sexual misconduct and abuse of power | RVO.nl.

How to apply

Step 1. Submit a quick scan

To apply for this subsidy, you must first submit a mandatory quick scan. Based on your quick scan, you will receive a non-binding recommendation. You can then apply for an OCIF subsidy.

Please carefully read the Administrative Rules before completing your quick scan. You can find them in the 'Unofficial translation of the Administrative Rules’, listed under 'Publications' below.

Submit your quick scan at least 2 weeks before the application round deadline, as the advisory process may take up to 2 weeks. You can submit the quick scan via the online form. The deadline for quick scan submissions is Thursday 21 May 2026, 23:59 CEST. We recommend submitting your quick scan as early as possible.

Complete the quick scan

Step 2. Submit a subsidy application

You can only submit a subsidy application during an application round. The application round opens on Monday 4 May 2026, 09:00 CEST. The deadline for submitting a subsidy application is Thursday 4 June 2026, 23:59 CEST.

  • Please carefully read the 'Unofficial translation of the Administrative Rules’ listed under ‘Publications’ before you apply.
  • Include the annexes listed under ‘Required documents’ in your application.
  • Submit your subsidy application via the online form. 

Required documents

Please read and complete the documents below and upload them with your application.  

Publications

Previous publications

Administrative Rules that apply to previous OCIF application rounds are listed below.

After your application

We will inform you whether your application meets the subsidy criteria within 13 weeks of the closing date. We base our assessment on the criteria in the 'Unofficial translation of the Administrative Rules’ (see 'Publications' above).

We only assess complete applications that meet all conditions. The highest-scoring application will qualify first. The second-highest-scoring application will qualify next, and so on.

Frequently asked questions

Can a locally registered company apply in a consortium with an internationally registered company?

Yes. You can also apply with multiple organisations registered in different countries. The lead applicant must be registered in the target country. A consortium can also apply in multiple countries. In this case, you must submit a quick scan and subsidy application for each country.

Does the organisation authorised to provide (interest-free) loans have to be the lead applicant?

No. If you apply in a consortium, the lead applicant does not have to have authorisation to provide (interest-free) loans. Still, 1 organisation in the consortium must be legally authorised by a recognised authority in the target location to provide (interest-free) loans.

Can I submit supporting documents in French?

Yes. We will accept documents submitted in French or any other language. If you submit documents in a language other than English, you must also provide an English translation. This does not have to be a certified translation.

What is the relationship between OCIAC and OCIF Track I and II?

The OCIF programme is an add-on to the OCIAC programme. This means that the majority of supported entrepreneurs must come from the OCIAC programme.

In OCIF Track I, the fund can provide a maximum of €5,000 to each entrepreneur enrolled in the OCIAC programme. Entrepreneurs who have successfully completed the programme are then eligible to receive OCIF Track II funding. In the OCIF quick scan and subsidy application, applicants must explain how they will select Track II entrepreneurs.

If we approve your subsidy application, you have 3 months at the start of the programme to coordinate with the OCIAC implementing partner. This period is for aligning the OCIF approach with OCIAC.

Can I support other entrepreneurs who were not part of the OCIAC programme?

Yes. This is possible in Track II if these entrepreneurs have received support through other (Dutch-funded) entrepreneurship programmes. Please explain your reasoning and how you will select these entrepreneurs in your subsidy application.

Can I focus on a specific region, or are all programmes nationwide?

The focus region depends on the OCIAC implementing partner. In most cases, the programme focuses on the capital of a target country. In some cases, programmes are nationwide, mostly involving online training courses.

At the start of the programme, there is a 3-month period to align approaches and the programme design with the OCIAC implementing partner. This period is for coordinating the final approach.

How much can I invest in individual entrepreneurs?

As a fund manager, you can determine the minimum and maximum investment amounts. This needs to be within the range explained in the Administrative Rules.

For Track I, you can provide a maximum of €5,000 per entrepreneur. For Track II, you can provide a maximum of €50,000 per entrepreneur. OCIF Track II funding is usually part loan and part subsidy. In most cases, the interest rate charged on the loan varies between 0–10%. This often depends on the regulatory framework in the target location.

In your OCIF Track II funding application, you can propose your own loan-to-grant ratios. You must explain your chosen interest rate and loan-to-grant ratio.

Does OCIF cover loan loss from the lending institute?

OCIF is a subsidy, so the lending institute will not experience loan loss for loans provided under the OCIF programme.

What indicators do I need to report on in my application?

The expected indicators are provided and explained in the MEL guidelines. For example, you must clarify the number of supported entrepreneurs in your application. You should also include your targets in the detailed MEL plan. This is part of the subsidy application.

More information

RVO carries out OCIF on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For more information about OCIF, visit the Orange Corners website.

Questions about OCIF?

Commissioned by:
  • Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Find out more

Is this information useful?

Featured

View more

Project Database

Read more

Case Studies

Learn more

Responsible Business Conduct

Subscribe to our newsletter

Newsletter