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Who we are 

History.

Introduction

MA’AN has been working on promoting entrepreneurship in Palestine applying gender-responsive and environmentally friendly strategies. In 2018, MA’AN has established its Hub for Entrepreneurship and Innovation as an institutional body working to spur innovation and entrepreneurship across the Gaza Strip. 

As a part of MAAN Development Center programs, the Hub fosters Innovation to address economic and environmental challenges, bringing together leading higher education institutions, research centers, and private industry firms to form dynamic partnerships enabling innovators and entrepreneurs and empowering them with access to local and regional markets. 

Maan Hub for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (HIE) operates a range of enterprise development, skills development and innovation enabling programs emphasizing green and sustainable practices with gender-transformative mechanisms. The Hub specially considers the agriculture sector through a dedicated agricultural incubator that works to create and promote areas of innovation for small and medium sized agri-businesses and environmental fields to support achieving a sustainable agricultural system. 

 

Vision: 

A creative and positive Palestinian society fostering innovation and entrepreneurship to enhance its resilience and to achieve sustainable economic development.

Mission: 

Through an institutional framework that supports innovation and entrepreneurship, the hub seeks to address the impediments to achieve a resilient economy and to make progress towards sustainable economic development.  The hub brings together innovators, entrepreneurs, research experts, industry, and innovation-focused enterprises to allow innovative ideas to emerge and become commercialized. Through an enabling and inspiring environment, the hub works to deploy technological and digital opportunities to support youth access to efficient economic opportunities. The hub mainstreams the principles of gender equality, empowerment, creative excellence, and professionalism.

Goals: 

Strengthening the innovation system in the Gaza Strip, including community, institutional, academic, research and market components.

Developing innovation and entrepreneurship skills for youth and adolescents.

Developing small, and medium-sized startups that contribute to creating jobs for youth.

Dedicating a special focus on the growth and sustainability of the agriculture sector via deploying innovative, entrepreneurial, and technology applications.

Enhancing the deployment of digital opportunities to generate employment for youth.

 

P.S. Special accreditation for the hub’s team who have facilitated and helped inform this strategy concept.

 

●      Innovate Palestine: 

Focusing on boosting the innovation and entrepreneurial culture in the palestine through the following: 

●      Spreading awareness of creativity and innovation community-wide.

●      Empowering and motivating entrepreneurs and youth to launch innovations.

●      Planting innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship in the children and youth.

●      Networking and mobilizing support for the innovation ecosystem.

●      Innovation Partnerships:

Providing a framework of partnership that brings together academic institutions, research centers, private sector companies and entrepreneurs, to work together towards:

●      Connect industry and universities and support for applied research addressing the markets’ key systematic constraints.

●      Establish a platform to facilitate the access of the entrepreneurs and private sector companies to the applied research, providing innovative viable solutions to problems that hinders investment opportunities .

●      Help inventors and entrepreneurs commercialize their innovations.

●      Manage for direct investment by the hub applying a social enterprise model. 

●      Business Incubation & Acceleration:

Supporting youth entrepreneurs to crystallize and grow entrepreneurial ideas through:

●      Training and coaching in the pre-incubation stage: Training and coaching on basic business and technical skills, reaching full business models for innovations.

●      Business incubation stage: Offering technical and financial support for the development of prototypes and business models reaching a fully-functional MVP.

●      Business acceleration stage: Advanced follow-up and support, and linking to networking services with financial/local lending institutions.

●      Digital Integration:

Promoting digital skills for young people and supporting youth access to economic opportunities through digital workspaces, training services, mentoring, and coaching.

 

·      employability program. 

 

·      Business Support Packages for the Private Sector program. 

Overview:
The aim of Business Support Packages for the Private Sector to strengthen the resilience, competitiveness, and inclusiveness of Palestinian enterprises. The program aims to boost private sector performance, drive innovation, and create sustainable employment opportunities—especially for women and youth.

Program Tracks:

Track 1 – Business Support Packages:
For existing businesses seeking to expand operations, enhance productivity, and strengthen internal systems.
Track 2 – Matching Grants for Innovation:
For growth-oriented businesses ready to pilot innovative, scalable investment models with potential for market expansion and job creation.
Target Sectors:

Agribusiness: plant production, livestock, food processing
Textile, Leather, and Garment industries
Support Provided:
Selected companies will receive technical and financial assistance tailored to their specific growth needs, including:

Upgrading operational efficiency and expanding production capacity
Accessing new markets and supply chains
Generating sustainable, decent jobs for women and youth
Conducting workplace audits and developing customized Business Improvement Plans to enhance inclusiveness and working conditions
Eligibility Criteria:
Eligible applicants are formally registered, medium to large-scale businesses that:

Possess financial and technical capacity for growth and co-investment
Demonstrate a commitment to inclusive employment and job creation
Operate within one of the identified priority sectors
Exhibit clear market potential and willingness to innovate
Women-led enterprises and businesses actively promoting gender inclusion and employment of persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
Co-Investment Model:
The program applies a risk-sharing investment model, covering 70% of total investment costs, while the participating business contributes 30%, ensuring ownership, sustainability, and long-term impact.

Application Process:
Applications are open through the MA’AN Hub Portal and MA’AN’s social media pages.
For further details, applicants may contact their local Chamber of Commerce, the Federation of Palestinian Industries, or the Businesswomen Forum.

Impact Vision:
By empowering enterprises to grow responsibly and inclusively, the program seeks to build a resilient, innovative, and equitable private sector in Palestine, capable of driving sustainable economic recovery and employment generation.

·      Innovation & Green Research and Development Program.

Green Research and Development Goals:

o   Addressing the markets’ key systematic constraints in the green economy.

o   Connect industry and universities and support applied research.

o   Help innovators and entrepreneurs commercialize innovation.

o   Activate a research fund pool to facilitate technology diffusion