Applications are open for the 2026 GovTech Innovation Challenge, a global initiative led by the World Bank in collaboration with the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs and Trust Valley. The program invites startups, scale-ups, and SMEs to develop AI-powered solutions that improve public finance auditing and procurement oversight in Morocco.
Challenge Areas
Applicants may propose solutions for:
• Risk-based audit planning and team allocation.
• AI-assisted public procurement auditing.
• Automated compliance, ethics, and transparency controls.
• Multilingual document analysis in French and Arabic.
• Secure, on-premise deployment that meets data sovereignty requirements.
Eligibility Requirements
• Applicants must be legally incorporated startups, scale-ups, or SMEs.
• Companies may apply from any country.
• Applicants must have fewer than 75 employees and annual revenue below $5 million.
• Relevant expertise may include artificial intelligence, natural language processing, data analytics, document intelligence, or public-sector software.
• Applications may be submitted in English or French.
• At least one team member must be fluent in French.
Program Benefits
Selected companies will:
• Participate in a four-day GovTech capacity-building program.
• Work with Moroccan public institutions and the World Bank.
• Develop and test a functional Proof of Concept.
• Receive technical mentorship and networking opportunities.
• Join workshops, field visits, and public-sector engagement sessions.
• Gain international exposure through GovTech events in Morocco.
• Receive covered travel, accommodation, meals, and core participation costs.
Selection and Timeline
Applications will be evaluated based on technical feasibility, public-sector impact, team experience, scalability, security, and deployment readiness.
• Information sessions: July and August 2026.
• Application deadline: 21 August 2026.
• Selection announcement: September 2026.
• Program activities: November and December 2026.
Prospective applicants should visit the official GovTech Innovation Challenge website for full technical requirements and application instructions.