Call for Expressions of Interest

Sustainable agriculture: project proposals focused on promoting sustainable agriculture through initiatives such as soil conservation, regenerative agricultural practices, and the development or deployment of drought-resistant crops. Projects should aim to enhance agricultural resilience, improve long-term soil health, and support food security in the face of climate change. Priority will be given to concepts that demonstrate environmental sustainability, scalability, and strong engagement with local farming communities.
Water resource management: project proposals that address sustainable water resource management, including efficient water use, conservation, and protection of water sources. Eligible activities may include watershed restoration, smart irrigation systems, rainwater harvesting, and integrated water planning. Projects should aim to enhance water security, build resilience to climate-induced water stress, and support ecosystem health and community livelihoods.
Afforestation: project proposals that focus on afforestation initiatives aimed at restoring degraded landscapes, enhancing biodiversity, and mitigating climate change. Proposed activities may include the planting of native and climate-resilient tree species, community-led forest development, and long-term forest management strategies. Projects should demonstrate environmental impact, community involvement, and alignment with sustainable land use practices.
Early warning and monitoring systems for drought: project proposals that aim to develop or strengthen early warning and monitoring systems for drought preparedness and response. Eligible initiatives may include the use of remote sensing, climate data modeling, real-time monitoring technologies, and community-based alert systems. Projects should enhance the ability of communities, institutions, and policymakers to anticipate, plan for, and mitigate the impacts of drought through timely and accurate information.
Green finance frameworks to crowd in financial resources: project proposals that focus on the development and implementation of green finance frameworks designed to attract and mobilize public and private financial resources for climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable initiatives. Eligible projects may include the creation of green bonds, climate finance strategies, sustainable investment platforms and professional events, or policy tools that enable greater capital flow into green sectors. Proposals should demonstrate potential for scalability, investor engagement, and alignment with international climate and ESG standards.

Project Concept Notes written in English should articulate a clear need and value added for DPI support for the design or launch of an innovative project.

Sustainable agriculture

Water resource management

Afforestation

Early warning and monitoring systems for drought

Green finance frameworks to crowd in financial resources

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this call for expressions of interest is to frame mature sustainability concepts to be initiated by legal entities active in the OTS member states to fight drought and to build a pipeline of projects in the region that potentially could be supported by the various instruments to be made available through DPI’s project generation efforts.

The purpose is to enable DPI to leverage its convening power and capacities to mobilize partnerships and financing for demand-driven projects to be selected for potential implementation. The DPI Project Application Window aims to demonstrate the potential of funding from OTS members and the international development community to catalyze drought prevention solutions at scale.

Participation in this call does not constitute any legal relationship between the applicant and the DPI, and there is no guarantee of financial support as a result of this call.

Types of Project Concept Notes expected from stakeholders active in the OTS members’ region

1. Feasibility Study and Capacity Building

Project Concept Notes under this category should propose feasible investment or technical assistance solutions. These proposals must:

(i) Present a sound concept focused on drought prevention aligned with DPI’s Thematic Focus Areas, including a preliminary financing structure; and

(ii) Demonstrate initial engagement with potential technical partners, co-financiers, and other relevant stakeholders.

Examples of activities may include a combination of or individual actions from the following:

1.1. Investment Solutions

Conducting technical scoping exercises and stakeholder consultations;
Completing impact analyses, covering economic, social, and environmental dimensions;
Evaluating the bankability and investment-readiness of the concept;
Designing appropriate financial and legal frameworks.

1.2. Technical Assistance

Implementing capacity-building initiatives to promote sustainable and innovative scientific, technical, and financial approaches.

2. Proof-Of-Concept

Project Concept Notes in this category should:

(i) Demonstrate interest or, preferably, commitment from technical partners, co-financiers, and relevant stakeholders in supporting an existing project concept; and

(ii) Present a financial model for the project’s implementation.

Examples of activities include:

Identifying and selecting technical and implementation partners;
Engaging in fundraising and outreach efforts with potential investors;
Finalizing the project’s financial structure and model;
Completing the legal structure and producing key documentation required for investment project launch;
Developing an impact assessment framework and a corresponding action plan, building on prior feasibility analysis.

Assessment Criteria

Project Concepts will be evaluated based on a completed Applicant’s Zone and the uploaded Project Concept Note against various strategy, development impact and financial level criteria including development impact, additionality, demonstration effect, scalability, maturity of the concept, the level of stakeholder engagement, the likelihood to achieve financial close in case of an investment project, risk profile and the professional track record and references of applicant. Applicants will be scored as part of a fair assessment process on a scale of 0-92, and 0-100 in case of an investment project; score allocations are shown in the Concept Note template under the respective evaluation criteria. All information submitted will be treated confidentially and used for the purposes of evaluating the proposals.

Please be advised that the submission of a project concept will be assessed if the applicant has included a letter of support (or letters of support if applicable) in English from the relevant public body or agency expressing support in principle for the project concept, outlining the relevance of the project in the context of the policies and strategies that are implemented or supported by the issuing organization. Beyond the above content, the letter of support must include the name of the issuing organization, its full address, an authorized representative (name and function), and a contact person (name and function) with his/her e-mail address, date, and place, and the signature of the authorized representative.

Eligibility criteria

Geographical focus: projects in one or more (regional level) Member States of the Organization of Turkic States (Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye, Üzbekistan).
Lead Applicant: Project Concept Notes written in English will be accepted from legal entities of organizations domiciled in the Member States of the OTS and/or Hungary. Additional legal entities domiciled in the Member States of the OTS and the European Union might join the Lead Applicant as partners. Proof of incorporation and financial statements for the previous fiscal year, as well as commitment letters to perform co-financing requirements, will be requested by DPI in case of a positive evaluation to conduct further due diligence. Applicants are expected to submit applications by filling out mandatory parts of the application as well as uploading the completed DPI Project Concept template and the Letter(s) of Support.
Thematic Focus: Project Concepts must address one or more of the DPI Thematic Focus Areas.
Proposed project budget: Project concepts must demonstrate a realistic project budget and timeline starting not earlier than Q3 2026, while meeting a total planned budget criterion of USD 100,000 to USD 10,000,000, including own resources to be performed by the project promoter of at least 15% of the total project cost.

Deadlines

Deadline: This call was communicated at the 4th Meeting of the Ministers of Agriculture of the Organization of Turkic States in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan on 25 June 2025 and is officialy launched in Budapest on 3 July 2025. Applications for submission to the DPI portal are expected until 12:00 (CET) on 31 October 2025. Project concept notes will be reviewed as they are received; thus, we recommend applying early.
Requests for clarifications: Applicants may submit requests for clarification in writing (English) to dpi@hepa.hu up to 15 days prior to the deadline of this call. Clarifications will be published on the DPI website regularly. DPI reserves the right to adjust the Call. Eligible participants will receive feedback on their concept notes within 60 working days following the submission of their proposals. Notifications on the outcome of the evaluation will be sent to the e-mail address provided as contact in the Applicant’s Zone.

Scope