Request for Expressions of Interest: Host Organization for a Capacity-Building Initiative in ICT Policy and Regulation for Eastern Europe & Central Asia (ECA) at infoDev

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Last Date: May 13, 2011

Request for Expressions of Interest: Host Organization for a Capacity-Building Initiative in ICT Policy and Regulation for Eastern Europe & Central Asia (ECA)

Published on April 4 2011. Close Date: May 13, 2011

infoDev, a donor-funded ICT for development agency hosted by the World Bank, has formed a public/private partnership with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and Nokia to undertake a joint program on Creating Sustainable Businesses for the Knowledge Economy, worth some €13 million, that will run from 2010 – 2012.

Through this request for expressions of interest (EOI), infoDev seeks to shortlist accredited organizations to act as a Host Organization for the delivery of capacity-building activities in ICT Policy and Regulation in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region. Potential Host Organizations may include universities, training centers or a related research center. infoDev and its partners shall select a Host Organization to receive a Grant worth US$ 250’000 (in two tranches) to enable it to provide cutting-edge skills and knowledge to policy-makers, regulators and students from the region to enable them to respond to emerging market and technology developments in ICT, with a focus on broadband internet and mobile applications. This activity is undertaken as part of the broader program on “Creating Sustainable Businesses in the Knowledge Economy”.

The Host Organisation shall build sustained capacity on ICT policy-making and regulation with a particular focus on two target audiences: (1) Public officials and regulators working in the ICT sector from countries included in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region; and (2) Students in existing academic programs in related fields, of at least the university that hosts or is affiliated with the Host. The Host will work under the supervision of a Program Management Team (PMT) to deliver this program between July 2011 and December 2012.

The target countries for the delivery of training are: the South Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia), Western CIS (Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova), and the Central Asian Republics (Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan). Countries from the elsewhere in the ECA region might be included in the program as additional funds become available.
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For the full terms of reference, please see:
Terms of Reference: Host Organization for a Capacity-Building Initiative in ICT Policy and Regulation for Eastern Europe & Central Asia (ECA)
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This bidding process is open to organizations physically located in the target countries, as listed above, or to organizations in other countries that have partners located in one or more of the target countries.

The proposed services to be offered by the Host Organization include:

• Establish and manage a Capacity Building Initiative in a sustainable manner;
• Undertake a capacity building needs assessment and strategy development;
• Develop required training content, drawing upon resources of infoDev and its partners, in particular the ICT Regulation Toolkit, and the forthcoming Broadband Strategies Toolkit;
• Deliver training programs aimed at (1) public officials and regulators working in the ICT sector; and (2) students enrolled in formal education programs at the hosting or affiliated university of the Host;
• Support the broader program on Creating Sustainable Businesses in its activities, notably on broadband competitiveness and mobile applications.

Based on responses to this EOI, a shortlist of candidate host organizations will be drawn up who will receive a more detailed request for proposals and a questionnaire. More background information on the broadband competitiveness program is available at : http://www.infodev.org/en/Project.121.html , and on the mobile applications program at: http://www.infodev.org/en/Project.116.html . A website where questions can be posed and responses posted on this EOI is available at: www.ictregulatorytraining.wikispaces.org .
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To respond to this EOI, please send a profile of your organisation and a covering letter by email to Siddhartha Raja, sraja2@worldbank.org with a copy to info@infodev.org no later than 11.59 pm EST on May 13, 2011.
Please include "EOI ECA Capacity Building Initiative" in the subject line.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Learn more: Creating Sustainable Businesses