Overview: Projects

We provide professional services to ICT projects, focusing on assistance in the deployment of ICTs, the creation of ICT enabling environments in developing countries, and policy and regulatory issues.

One of the primary objectives of SPIDER is to support ICT initiatives in developing countries. By linking stakeholders in developing countries to the most appropriate ICT resources in Sweden and/or elsewhere, SPIDER acts as a development facilitator.

There are three types of projects that SPIDER supports:

* Projects initiated by developing countries
* Projects initiated by Swedish Universities
* Sida funded bilateral ICT projects

Projects initiated by developing countries

These projects are based on specific needs in developing countries. Organizations/agencies/universities in developing countries present the ICT4D ideas to SPIDER for partial financing and SPIDER links them to appropriate counterparts in Sweden or in the region. If approved, SPIDER may also finance parts of the projects.

Projects initiated by Swedish Universities

SPIDER supports initiatives from Swedish partner universities to develop and implement innovative ideas in developing countries for improved deployment of ICTs. Applications submitted by Swedish Universities are reviewed by an International jury. This program runs only once every two to three years depending on for how long funds have been allocated by Sida to SPIDER.

Sida funded projects

Sida supports ICT related projects in developing countries within the framework of bilateral development cooperation. Sida has, in selected countries, entrusted SPIDER to be the Swedish counterpart for large infrastructure projects. Currently, there are four such projects: in Honduras, Bolivia, Burkina Faso and Sri Lanka. The projects aim to modernize and digitalize the universities to bring them to a high standard apt to support high quality research and higher education. The duration of these projects vary from three to five years.