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The Service Innovation Fund (SIF)
The Service Innovation Fund (SIF) is an initiative that funds innovative digital projects in Bangladesh.
What are the main aims and objectives?
The central aim of the SIF is to foster innovation in public service delivery and digital transformation. The main objectives of the initiative include:
- To encourage and support innovative solutions that improve public service delivery and simplify citizens' lives.
- To address challenges in Bangladesh's public service delivery system, such as long queues, inefficient processes, lack of information for citizens, and high administrative costs.
- To provide funding and support for innovative projects that reduce time, cost, travel, or number of visits required to obtain services, as well as improve service quality.
- To foster innovation from a wide range of participants, including government agencies, development organizations, NGOs, academic institutions, private companies, and individuals.
- To facilitate linkages between innovators and relevant government ministries/sectors that can contribute to scaling up or replicating successful innovations at the national level.
- To nurture innovation across the country and bring sustainable solutions to citizen-centric problems in line with national development targets and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- To provide a conducive environment for experimentation with potential solutions to improve accessibility and affordability of services.
How does the program work?
The SIF provides funding and support for innovative projects aimed at improving public services through digital means. It is open to a wide range of participants, including government agencies, development organizations, NGOs, academic institutions, private companies, and individuals. Anyone can submit innovative ideas and apply for funding at any time throughout the year through an online system.
The fund defines innovation as any idea or initiative that eliminates unnecessary steps in accessing services, leverages technology to improve services, reduces time, cost, travel or number of visits required to obtain services, or improves the quality of services. The maximum funding amount per innovative project is USD 32,000, which serves as seed money to conduct pilots in specific regions to test feasibility and assess potential for wider adoption.
When evaluating proposals, the SIF looks for ideas that align with its priority areas, which include service decentralization, delivery improvements, and innovations that can simplify citizens' lives. The funding process involves multiple stages of review, including initial screening by the SIF team, evaluation by expert groups, and final approval based on the project's potential impact and feasibility.
Once approved, innovators receive not only financial support but also guidance from experts and mentors in relevant fields to refine and improve their solutions. The SIF team also facilitates connections between innovators and relevant government ministries or sectors that could potentially scale up or replicate successful innovations at the national level.
What is the overall cost?
The overall cost of the SIF is not currently available.
How was it implemented?
The Service Innovation Fund (SIF) was created in 2013 as part of the Access to Information (a2i) Programme of the Prime Minister's Office. It was established as a strategic initiative to address several challenges in Bangladesh's public service delivery system, including long queues, inefficient processes, lack of information for citizens, and high administrative costs due to paper-based manual processes. The SIF was designed to encourage and support innovative solutions that improve public service delivery and simplify citizens' lives by providing a funding mechanism and incentives for promoting innovative ideas among civil servants and other stakeholders.
The Access to Information (a2i) Programme is a multinational transformational catalyst launched in 2007 with funding from UNDP, the Gates Foundation, USAID, and the Government of Bangladesh. It aims to simplify public service delivery through digital transformation and innovation. In 2023, a2i was institutionalized as a National Innovation Agency with an international wing to support Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The program serves as a catalyst for digital governance, disrupting traditional bureaucratic mindsets to instill a culture of inclusive, citizen-centric public service innovation. It fosters an adaptive national system for collective strategizing, planning, action, and learning to catalyze transformations in public service delivery. A2i works through a 'whole-of-government' approach, supporting the integration of new, mission-oriented innovation policy and whole-of-society approaches to achieve the SDGs.
What impact has been measured?
The SIF has supported the creation of over 150 innovations through its funding mechanism. As of March 2018, a total of 208 projects had received pilot seed funding, with 20 of those prepared for national scale-up
The fund contributes to a2i's overall impact, which has reportedly saved citizens in Bangladesh more than $30 billion, nearly 20 billion workdays, and 13 billion visits in the last decade due to more efficient public service delivery.
