DPI Innovation Accelerator

🌍 About the DPI Innovation Accelerator

South Africa’s G20 Presidency is advancing discussions on the societal and economic value of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI). DPI is recognized as a key driver of innovation, digital inclusion, and improved public services. It has the potential to create dynamic economic and social impacts on development.

The DPI Innovation Accelerator is an initiative launched under South Africa’s G20 Presidency in partnership with the African Union (AU), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). This initiative aims to:

• Foster knowledge exchange.
• Highlight practical use cases.
• Support the scaling of secure, interoperable, people-centered, and rights-based DPI.

By showcasing promising initiatives, the DPI Innovation Accelerator seeks to unlock new opportunities for collaboration and support across governments, funders, and ecosystem partners.

📅 Opportunity Details

• Date Published: May 29, 2025
• Application Deadline: Ongoing
• Category: Entrepreneurs

🎁 Benefits of the DPI Innovation Accelerator

Selected submissions will receive the following benefits:

• Showcasing Opportunities:

  • Featured at high-level events, including the G20 Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG) meetings throughout 2025.
  • Presented at the Global DPI Summit in November 2025 in Cape Town, South Africa.

• Recognition:

  • Up to five submissions will be showcased at the G20 Digital Economy Ministerial.

• DemoDay Participation:

  • Existing DPI submissions will participate in the DemoDay at the Global DPI Summit, showcasing features to a global DPI ecosystem audience.

• Support for New Innovations:

  • New submissions will be matched with potential partners, funders, and other structured support as determined by the DPI Innovation Accelerator co-leads.

✅ Eligibility Criteria

Who Can Submit?

The call for submissions is open to all DPI implementers, including:

• Governments
• Civil society organizations
• Academia
• Private sector

Submissions can include existing DPI innovations or prototypes of DPI implementations.

Selection Criteria

1. Existing DPI Innovations:

   • Must demonstrate a clear approach (e.g., blueprints), measurable impact, and public value.
   • Should include insights on safeguards for building secure, rights-protecting ecosystems.
   • Must describe key metrics/KPIs used to measure impact.

2. New Submissions:

   • Should highlight the impact of coalitions involving government, private sector, civil society, and academia.
   • Must include blueprints, measured or anticipated impact, and insights on safeguards fostering trust.
   • Should demonstrate how interoperability and open standards enable ecosystem innovation.

Submission Requirements

Each submission must:

• Demonstrate how the DPI innovation or implementation can unlock public value.
• Show evidence of accelerating social and economic progress.
• Respond to the unique and diverse contexts of different countries and regions.
• Highlight examples of expanding access to services for women and young people, fostering innovation, and supporting inclusive economic growth.

🗓️ Application Dates and Process

Key Dates

• 8 April 2025: Call for Submissions launched.
• 4 June 2025: Submission cut-off ahead of the 3rd DEWG Meeting (10-12 June 2025).
• 15 August 2025: Submission cut-off ahead of the 4th DEWG Meeting (22-24 September 2025) & the DEWG Ministerial Meeting (25-26 September 2025).
• 3 October 2025: Submission cut-off ahead of the Global DPI Summit (4-6 November 2025).

How to Apply

• Visit the DPI Innovation Accelerator Application Form to complete your application.
• For detailed information, refer to the DPI Innovation Accelerator Overview.

🌟 About the Sponsor Organization

The Group of Twenty (G20) is the sponsor organization for this initiative. The G20 is committed to fostering global collaboration and innovation to address pressing societal and economic challenges.

Take this opportunity to showcase your DPI innovation and contribute to global digital transformation! 🌐

• Selected submissions will be showcased at high-level events, including the G20 Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG) meetings throughout 2025 and at the Global DPI Summit in November 2025 in Cape Town, South Africa.
• Up to five submissions will be featured at the G20 Digital Economy Ministerial.
• Existing DPI submissions selected will participate in the ‘DemoDay’ at the Global DPI Summit, with the opportunity to showcase features to a global DPI ecosystem audience.
• New innovation submissions selected will be matched with potential partners, funders, and other structured support to be determined by the co-leads of the DPI Innovation Accelerator.