Deadline: March 24, 2026.

Are you working to grow your local ecosystem of entrepreneurship and innovation? Do you believe in bold thinking and cross-sector collaboration? Then Impact Pioneers MENA is for you. Connect with leaders and experts from across the Middle East and North Africa and gain first-hand insights from Sweden’s most successful entrepreneurship environments.

Impact Pioneers ’26 MENA will give you:  

• A unique opportunity for collaboration and exchange with a regional community of peers, fostering a strong and enduring professional network.
• Support and inspiration by new insights from the climate entrepreneurship and innovation forefront, such as practical cases, tools and frameworks.
• First-hand experience of the entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem in Stockholm and Sweden, recognised as one of the leading ecosystems in the impact entrepreneurship domain.
• A chance to build long-term relations with Swedish foreign missions as well as Swedish entrepreneurs and organisations.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

The application is open to entrepreneurship ecosystem leaders and practitioners who work in organisations and networks that want to develop their support for climate entrepreneurship and innovation (e.g. in areas such as water, energy, food production, circularity, waste, infrastructure , and transportation). Applicants should hold strategic, decision-influencing, or system-shaping roles within their organisation.

Applicants could for example be:   

• Founders and managers of startup hubs, accelerators, or incubators 
• Founders and managers of technology and innovation hubs 
• Representatives of business support organisations and networks 
• University ecosystem leaders working to bridge research and entrepreneurship, e.g., at innovation offices, research centres, or commercialisation units 
• Investors actively engaged in activities that support climate entrepreneurship and innovation *
• Public sector professionals involved in initiatives that advance climate entrepreneurship and innovation at the level of national, regional or municipal government*.   

In 2026, the application is open to seven programme countries. Applicants must be a citizen and resident of one of them: Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia. 

BENEFITS

Participation in Impact Pioneers is free of charge. The Swedish Institute arranges and covers costs related to: 

• Learning programme 
• Your flights to and from Stockholm    
• Your accommodation and meals in Stockholm during the on-site meeting in Sweden 
• Your insurance during the on-site meeting in Sweden    
• All training materials online and on site  

APPLICATION

These are the steps you need to go through to submit your application  

1. Register your profile in our application portal Dream Apply.
2. Select what programme you would like to apply for (Impact Pioneers ’26 MENA is available 17 February – 24 March 2026).
3. Answer all the questions for the different sections in the application portal (found in the left-hand menu).  
4. Upload your CV under the document section and a short pre-recorded video as per the instructions in the portal.  
5. After you’ve submitted your application, you’ll receive a confirmation to your inbox in Dream Apply.  

Find more information on the OFFICIAL WEBSITE