The United Nation Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have become a crucial blueprint for global development and represent a new ocean businesses cannot ignore when facing new situations and challenges. According to research by the Business and Sustainable Development Commission, the global sustainable business opportunities has increased to 12 trillion USD. Beyond developed markets, business opportunities at the Bottom of the Pyramid (BOP) should not be overlooked. The Global Bank Group has invested approximately 14 billion USD over ten years since 2006 to assist businesses in developing BOP business models, demonstrating that developing countries certainly yield win-win opportunities that can balance both development and business.
The International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) of Taiwan has been promoting the government's development aid for nearly 30 years. It is committed to helping partner countries enhance their social, economic, and environmental aspects. Focusing on six priority: agriculture, public health, ICT, education, environment, and SME development, ICDF collaborates with allied countries to work towards achieving SDGs. In 2021, for the first time, ICDF launched the "ICDF Development x Innovation x Sustainable Experiment Competition - Impact Frontier Lab (IF Lab)", establishing Taiwan's first "Innovative International Cooperation Development Accelerator". This successfully guided 4 corporate teams to develop sustainable business models in the Latin American region, connecting businesses and developing countries to create opportunities together. To promote participation, this year, the 2nd "ICDF Development x Innovation x Sustainable Experiment Competition - IF Lab" is being held, inviting Taiwanese enterprises and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to jointly demonstrate creativity, utilize innovative technology and service models to establish sustainable solutions with business models for allied countries.
The training structure of the Impact Frontier Lab (IF Lab) involves a people-centered design that guides teams in developing the ability to implement innovative international cooperation projects. Our aim is for the project to serve as a bridge between Taiwan’s private sector and its diplomatic allies through a process that is divided into three phases: innovative proposals, empowerment, and implementation.
The Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF) provides insights on international aid and the requirements of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies to organizations or enterprises through the Global Co-Lab. The goal is to create innovative solutions that respond to partner countries' development needs, embrace the innovative potential of public-private collaboration, and enhance Taiwan’s international influence!