e-Asia and Knowledge Partnership Fund

Eligibility and Criteria

Country Eligibility. Projects from all DMCs of ADB will be eligible for funding from the Fund.

Basic Principles. Projects under both programs are encouraged to take the following approaches:

• discussions with key country stakeholders take place as early in the project life cycle as possible;
• to the extent possible, expertise from the Asia and Pacific region is used (The Government will make accessible to ADB information on expertise available in Korea and assist in identifying suitable consultants, consulting firms or suppliers of consulting services);
• contributions, either in kind or in cash, from DMCs benefiting from activities financed from the Fund are encouraged;
• collaboration with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, the United Nations Development Programme, the International Telecommunications Union, and/or the Asia Pacific Telecommunity is encouraged;
• projects are implemented in the most cost-effective way; and
• in cases when the Fund is used for preparing investment projects, cofinancing opportunities with the Republic of Korea, private sector and other funding agencies, are explored.

Project Criteria

e-Asia Program

To be eligible for financing under the e-Asia program of the Fund, projects should:

• be conceptually, programmatically, and procedurally aligned with the ADB country strategy and program (CSP) or its annual updates (CSPUs) and with the regional cooperation strategy and program (RCSP) or its annual updates (RCSPUs); or
• be in line with the regional action plan toward an information society in Asia and Pacific region, support the implementation of WSIS Plan of Action, and contribute towards the MDGs pertaining to ICT.

• bridge the digital divide and strengthen capacity for poverty reduction;
• support the construction of a fair information society/region and ICT infrastructure;
• enhance regional cooperation and innovation with respect to ICT; or
• pilot innovative approaches to promote ICT.

• studies, research, and analytical work;
• capacity building and developing human resources through education and training; and
• disseminating, networking, and cross-learning (e.g., policy consultations, seminars and workshops, conferences, publications, and websites).

Knowledge Partnership Program

To be eligible for financing under the knowledge partnership program of the Fund, projects should:

• be conceptually, programmatically, and procedurally aligned with the ADB CSP or its annual CSPUs and with the RCSP or its annual RCSPUs; or
• contribute to the attainment of the MDGs.

• strengthen institutional and human capacity for poverty reduction;
• increase the efficiency and productivity of DMCs’ development; or
• enhance regional cooperation and innovation through the establishment of benchmarks in poverty reduction and economic and social development.

2. Projects should support the following activities:

• policy advice/dialogue and TA involving the use of experts on economic development and capacity building;
• capacity building and institutional development in DMCs, including training workshops, vocational training, and long and short training and learning courses;
• publications that will disseminate successful development knowledge to developing countries in the region;
• studies, research, and analytical work;
• projects on reforming government, improving governance in the business and financial sectors, and privatizing state-owned enterprises; and
• disseminating, networking, and cross-learning (e.g., policy consultations, seminars and workshops, conferences)