Coop360 Innovations Award Download Application Form

Coop360 Innovations Award

Welcome to the 2nd Edition of the Coop360o Innovations Awards, powered by the Uhuru Institute for Social Development (TUI) in partnership with the Bank of Uganda, Stanbic Bank, NTV Uganda, Goldstone Consulting, Busara Centre for Behavioural Economics, The Cooperator Magazine amongst others.

The Coop360o Network Innovations Award is a prestigious award that identifies, documents, evalutates, amplifies, and rewards cooperatives that have improvised and adapt solutions that will enhance membership value, stabilise and leapfrog their business and communities towards competitiveness and sustainable resilience under the theme Cultivate, Invent, Impact.

Objectives of the award

Meaning of Keywords

Innovation: A new method, idea, product, or service intended to solve an existing problem, or improve the performance of a product of service e.g., mobile money innovations have increased access to affordable finance or locally produced organic fertilisers is ensuring marketability of farmer products, improve yields and earnings as well as preserving health.

Competitiveness: Doing business in ways that make you stand out from others hence giving you a chance for a better market and income.

Climate Smart: Doing business whether in construction, mining, agricultural production, energy, publishing etc in a manner that adapts to changing tides, mitigates risk, and cultivates positive environment outcomes.

Member Value: The sum of all individual perceived benefits to members of a cooperative due to their membership e.g., access to affordable credit, training and capacity building, networking and exposure spaces, entertainment and sports facilities, etc

Member Patronage: The act of doing business, supporting, and being a part of all the business and non-business activities of the cooperative.

This year's award targets to impact cooperatives across Uganda with existing innovations in the following thematic areas:

Cooperative Member Development for Improved Quality of Life:

For a cooperative to succeed, it ought to enable members to meet their welfare needs including but not limited to healthcare, housing, psychosocial support, entertainment and sports amongst others.

Climate Smart Cooperative Business Models for Development:

The growing climate crisis world over requires that every cooperative designs and adopts business models that address production, hygiene, construction and environmental conservation needs for a sustainably resilient future.

Leveraging Science and Technology for Business Efficiency and Competitiveness:

In the world of business today, efficiency and sustainability demand that science and technology in communications, production, manufacturing, marketing increases productivity, incomes, simplifies work and improves the quality of life of the businesspersons.

Solutions for Financial Inclusion:

People need financial services to help them manage their financial lives and meet their goals, from covering day to day expenses to saving for their future to protecting their families from shocks. These services include credit, housing finance, agricultural finance, savings, payment services, and other financial products.

We are therefore inviting all cooperatives that have innovations in any of the above areas to submit their interest for consideration.

Applicants must show clearly how their win will help enhance their existing innovation.

The Award Prizes

20M - OVERALL WINNER

  • Tourist weekend for 15 persons in support or promoting local tourism in Uganda
  • Mentorship and coaching for 3 months.

10M - FIRST RUNNER UP

  • ICT appliances, i.e computers, printers, and routers, valued at UGX 5,000,000.
  • Mentorship and coaching for 3 months.

5M - SECOND RUNNER UP

  • Mentorship and coaching for 3 months.

Who Qualifies?

All cooperatives with:

  1. A valid registration certificate from the Ministry of Trade Industry and Cooperatives.
  2. Evidence that the cooperative has held the AGM for the last financial year.
  3. Existence of a fully functional board, supervisory, and vetting committees.
  4. Institutional capital size of at least UGX 10 millions.
  5. Evidence of making at least UGX 20 millions in annual turnover in the previous year.
  6. Commitment by the board and management to fully participate in the Innovations awards

Cooperative Cluster Classification

Turnover Per Annum (UGX)

  • Small (20 – 100 millions)
  • Medium (100 -360 millions)
  • Large (361 – above)

Where does one find the application documents?

Online at www.uhuruinstitute.org/innovations-award Register and Submit your application to participate in the Innovation Awards.

How to Submit:

Email to: uhuru@uhuruinstitute.org

Deadline for Submission:

Deadline date – February 28, 2025

Need more help?

Email: uhuru@uhuruinstitute.org or Call: +256 752 684695 or +256 776 946572