Fonds pour la Science, la Technologie et l'Innovation

What Fonds pour la Science, la Technologie et l'Innovation does

Fonds pour la Science, la Technologie et l'Innovation (FONSTI) is Côte d'Ivoire's national research funding organization, created by ordinance N°2018-593 of June 27, 2018 and modeled on the Swiss National Science Foundation. It operates under the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and is governed by a Board of Directors, a Scientific Council, and a Secretary General (currently Dr Yaya Sangaré). FONSTI does not develop proprietary technology; its core offering is the competitive disbursement of research grants across five categories — fundamental research, applied research, experimental development, innovation and entrepreneurship, and infrastructure and equipment — supplemented by capacity-building workshops, scientific conferences, and publications.

The organization runs a project submission portal (portail.fonsti.org), manages scientific journals (RSS-PASRES, REB-PASRES) in partnership with PASRES, and operates a virtual appointment system. Since effective operations commenced, FONSTI has financed 62 research and innovation projects, with individual grant sizes ranging from 3.4 million FCFA in QIST prizes to 35 million FCFA in single-project awards, and a major 540 million FCFA disbursement through the FONSTI-SDG 2024 call. Its go-to-market is event- and call-driven: competitive calls for proposals, scientific colloquia, training workshops, and project launch ceremonies targeting academic researchers and research institutions primarily in Côte d'Ivoire, with cross-border collaboration in Burkina Faso.

FONSTI does not generate commercial revenue; it operates through Ivorian government budgetary allocations and international donor partnerships (including PASRES/Switzerland, IDRC/Canada, NRF/South Africa, SGCI, ACTS). Its strategic partnerships span IP protection (OIPI), marine sciences (CRO), regional scientific cooperation (FONRID), international research council membership (GRC), and university-level agreements (UJLoG, Université Polytechnique de San Pedro, UPGC). Customer segments include researchers, women researchers (via dedicated calls), students and secondary schools (outreach), and innovation/entrepreneurship applicants.

Name

Fonds pour la Science, la Technologie et l'Innovation

Legal name

Fonds pour la Science, la Technologie et l'Innovation

Website

https://fonsti.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FONSTI is Côte d'Ivoire's national research funding organization, established in 2018, that disburses competitive grants and provides capacity building across fundamental, applied, and innovation research to Ivorian researchers and institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Research Funding Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAKAI

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

SECONDARYBPAGAKAH

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

SECONDARYBPADACAC

National Development Banks & State Development Finance Institutions (DFIs)

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/International Financial Institutions & Development Banks

Keywords

• Research grant funding
• Science technology innovation
• Competitive research calls
• Research capacity building
• Scientific project financing

Headquarters

HQ city

Cocody

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Research Project Funding: FONSTI provides grant funding to researchers and institutions in Côte d'Ivoire. The organization does not generate commercial revenue but operates through government budgetary allocations and international donor partnerships to finance scientific research and innovation projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

FONSTI is the national research and innovation funding agency of Côte d'Ivoire, providing competitive grant financing to researchers, universities, and research institutions across five project categories: fundamental research, applied research, experimental development, innovation/entrepreneurship, and infrastructure/equipment. It administers the funding lifecycle through an online Project Submission Portal, publishes two scientific journals (RSS-PASRES, REB-PASRES), and supports capacity building through workshops, conferences, and partnership programs. Since creation in 2020, it has financed 62 research and innovation projects.

Product overview

FONSTI operates as a research funding organization offering a unified platform for financing scientific research and technological innovation in Côte d'Ivoire. The core offering consists of the Project Submission Portal for funding applications, complemented by scientific journal publications (RSS-PASRES, REB-PASRES), virtual appointment scheduling services, and organized scientific events. Modeled after the Swiss National Science Foundation, FONSTI provides funding across five main project categories: Fundamental Research, Applied Research, Experimental Development, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Infrastructure and Equipment. The organization also facilitates capacity building through workshops, seminars, and partnership programs at national, regional, and international levels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Project Financing Programs (Calls for Proposals) Competitive grant funding programs covering five project categories: Fundamental Research, Applied Research, Experimental Development, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Infrastructure and Equipment. Targets academic researchers, university professors, and research scientists at Ivorian institutions.
• Project Submission Portal

Quantifiable outcome

• 62 research and innovation projects funded since 2020
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Centre de Recherches Océanologiques (CRO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 November 2025Strategic alliance for ocean and marine ecosystem research. Joint projects planned including marine science research, capacity building, and results valorization for public policy. Aims to strengthen Côte d'Ivoire's scientific sovereignty in marine sciences.
• Office Ivoirien de la Propriété Intellectuelle (OIPI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 April 2024Convention signed to promote innovation and intellectual property protection in Côte d'Ivoire. Supports researchers in patent filing, technology transfer, and intellectual property management. Includes training on patent mechanisms.
• Fonds National de la Recherche et de l'Innovation pour le Développement (FONRID) - Burkina FasocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 October 2023Strategic partnership for regional scientific cooperation. Signed protocol agreement on October 12, 2023. Supports joint research projects in sustainable food systems, renewable energy, environment, and natural resource management. Collaborative initiative with IOSRS/SGCI backing.
• Université Polytechnique de San PedrocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on AI research through international pluridisciplinary symposium on AI in Africa. Includes training activities for PhD students in AI applications.
• Programme d'Appui Stratégique à la Recherche Scientifique (PASRES)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPASRES was instrumental in the creation of FONSTI. Ongoing collaboration for research financing and capacity building. Swiss support through Ambassador Anne Lugon-Moulin facilitated transfer of PASRES funds to FONSTI.
• Université Félix Houphouët-BoignycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor partner university hosting multiple funded research projects. Collaborates on research result presentations to private sector, civil society, and press.
• Université Jean Lorougnon Guédé (UJLoG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership convention signed July 23, 2024 to promote science, technology, and innovation. Includes training activities, research project support, and infrastructure development (GeRProPhaT pole).
• Global Research Council (GRC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive member of the Global Research Council (World Council for Research). FONSTI hosted the GRC Executive Support Group meeting in September 2023. Co-organizing GRC 2024 with Swiss National Science Foundation.
• African Centre for Technological Studies (ACTS)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the Special Women's Call for Projects 2022, within the framework of IOSRS (Initiative of Subventionary Bodies for Scientific Research).
• National Research Foundation (NRF) - South AfricamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partner supporting IOSRS initiatives. Participant in SGCI activities and joint research funding programs.
• Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInitiative to strengthen capacities of African research funding institutions. FONSTI actively participates in SGCI symposia and regional meetings.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF): U.S. national research funding agency covering all non-medical STEM disciplines. Similar mandate to FONSTI's but at vastly greater scale and budget; relevant as the archetype of a multi-disciplinary public research funder with competitive calls and capacity-building programmes.
• International Development Research Centre (IDRC): Canadian Crown corporation that funds development-oriented research globally. It is a financial partner of FONSTI via SGCI/IOSRS, and its grantmaking model for development research closely parallels FONSTI's applied-research and innovation funding lines.
• National Research Foundation (NRF) South Africa: South Africa's national science funding agency and an established IOSRS/SGCI partner of FONSTI. It operates a much larger multi-program grantmaking portfolio but serves the same function of distributing public research funding through competitive calls.
• Wellcome Trust: Large charitable foundation funding research globally (including health). Comparable as a grantmaking foundation model, but with a far larger endowment and primarily health-and-biomedical focus rather than multi-disciplinary national STI funding like FONSTI.

Direct peers

• Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF): National research funding agency that is explicitly the model for FONSTI (per its founding ordinance). Both distribute competitive grants across fundamental and applied research and operate similar peer-review and capacity-building functions, making it the most direct functional peer.
• African Academy of Sciences (AAS): Pan-African science body that funds and coordinates research across the continent. While broader than FONSTI geographically, it plays a complementary role in distributing competitive research grants and shaping African STI policy alongside national councils such as FONSTI.
• Fonds National pour la Recherche et l'Innovation pour le Développement (FONRID): Burkina Faso's national research and innovation fund — a direct counterpart to FONSTI in mandate, structure, and ECOWAS-region STI grantmaking role, and FONSTI's formal regional partner via their 2023 MOU.

Others

• Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI): Multi-donor initiative that strengthens African science funding councils (including FONSTI). It is the coordinating ecosystem in which FONSTI operates and a key orchestrator of joint calls and capacity programmes, functioning as both a partner and indirect peer network.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FONSTI1
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCGRyBm95dqUiXv3622VLfUQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/FONSTI
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fonds-pour-la-science-la-technologie-et-l-innovation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Fonds pour la Science, la Technologie et l'Innovation