Hindu Kush Himalaya Innovation Challenge for Entrepreneurs 2026 (up to $25,000) – YOA

Deadline: January 16, 2026

Applications are open for the Hindu Kush Himalaya Innovation Challenge for Entrepreneurs 2026. The second spherical of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) Innovation Challenge for Entrepreneurs (HKH-ICE 2.0) is calling on entrepreneurs from Bhutan, Bangladesh (Chittagong Hill Tracts solely), India (Indian Himalayan Region), and Nepal to develop scalable, market-prepared, and ecologically grounded enterprise options that may remodel the resilience of mountain communities.

The Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) are happy to launch the second spherical of the HKH ICE problem seeks to speed up regionally led, market prepared improvements that strengthen local weather resilience throughout one of many world’s most fragile and strategically important mountain methods.

Call Focus

They are wanting for modern, scalable options that improve resilience for communities and ecosystems throughout the Hindu Kush Himalaya area. For instance, initiatives can concentrate on (however usually are not restricted to):

• Resilient Agriculture Innovations for Nature: Solutions that scale back the vulnerability of mountain agriculture to local weather impacts, improve biodiversity, enhance rural incomes, and create market linkages for excessive-worth area of interest merchandise and non-timber forest merchandise (NTFPs).
• Water Security and Resilience: Initiatives that handle water shortage, enhance water administration and companies, and mitigate the results of glacial soften, floods, droughts, and urbanisation.
• Climate-Resilient Sustainable Tourism: Models that promote sustainable ecotourism, benefiting native communities whereas preserving and restoring fragile mountain ecosystems. 
• Climate Risk and Community Resilience: Solutions that scale back vulnerability to local weather hazards in mountain areas via local weather-resilient housing, improved danger-knowledgeable settlement planning, and inclusive assist for local weather-affected cell or displaced populations.

Benefits

• Winners will obtain tailor-made mentoring, management growth, communications, MEL, and useful resource mobilisation assist.
• Additionally, they may obtain prizes starting from USD $5,000 to $25,000 to additional develop and scale their options.

Eligibility

• Open to for-profit organisations, native entrepreneurs and innovators looking for to implement tasks in Bhutan, Bangladesh (Chittagong Hill Tracts), India (Himalayan states), and Nepal.
• HKH ICE 1.0 winners usually are not eligible to apply for HKH ICE 2.0.

Application

Applications are due by 23:59 GMT on 16 January 2026. Shortlisted candidates will likely be notified in February 2026.

Click here to apply

For extra data, go to HKH-ICE 2.0.