The 2026 Call
As part of the UNDP Plastics Innovation Programme (UPIP), which launched its Call for Proposals in 2025 and supported 11 innovations, UNDP would like to extend this call in 2026 to further identify and scale up innovative solutions to address plastic pollution challenge in Viet Nam.

The 2026 Call, funded by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Sub-Fund under the UN Peace and Development Fund (UNPDF) with contributions from the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), aims to pilot and promote initiatives that reduce plastic waste generation, encourage the production of sustainable alternatives, and improve circular economic practices in Viet Nam.

UNDP invites applications that offer novel solutions to plastic pollution, with particular focus on the following priority areas:

i. Developing models to reduce plastic waste generation and improve waste management in the tourism sector.

ii. Supporting effective implementation of national waste collection and sorting at source practices in specific locations or cities.
The applications may include a single initiative or integrate different initiatives across a wide range of innovation areas, including:

• Material innovation: Material innovations may include locally sourced, minimally processed plant-based products, such as edible spoons and bamboo straws, as well as various bio-based, biodegradable and compostable materials. To prevent regrettable substitutions, comprehensive lifecycle assessments should be conducted. The regeneration rate of such materials should be assessed to determine their ability to meet large-scale market demand.
• Design innovation: This focuses on redesigning products or services to reduce or eliminate plastic use, such as shifting from physical media to digital services. Proposals should assess lifecycle impacts to ensure that new designs do not generate unintended environmental impacts, including increased greenhouse gas emissions.
• Business model innovation: Innovations in product delivery or transitions from product-based to service-based models, such as reusable or refillable systems, can eliminate the need for single-use plastic packaging.
• Technological innovation: This category involves the use of technology to support pollution monitoring, data generation and improved plastic waste management. This may include technologies that support recycling systems and processes. This may advance safe and sound recycling of waste, enhance material circulation and extend product lifespans.
• Innovation in governance systems: This involves the development and implementation of novel regulatory, economic, voluntary and informational instruments that regulate/discourage behaviors that lead to pollution and/or promote/encourage pro-environmental behaviors. These may include novel corporate governance tools that advance green procurement and promote practices that reduce plastic pollution, resource efficiency, durability, repairability, and recyclability.
• Innovative financing instruments: This involves developing financial tools to channel financial flows into sustainable activities and mobilize funds to tackle plastic pollution. Some of these instruments and products include plastic Credits, Plastic Bond, Blue and Green Bonds, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), and
  Blended Finance. Some of these instruments require stakeholders to prepare national sustainable finance strategies and action plans, develop taxonomies of relevant activities, and guidelines on various products.

The selected projects will conduct their projects within 1 month after receiving the grant agreement and complete all project activities no later than 30 March 2027.

UNDP will provide grants of up to USD 40,000 per project for a maximum of 2 proposals as winners across the priority areas described in Section 1 of this call.

We are seeking applications who should meet the following eligibility:
• The team comes from NGOs, CBOs and national or international non-governmental organisations, including non-governmental academic or educational institutions, have demonstrated exceptional innovation and impact in the focal areas outlined and have legally established (evidence is required).
• The project team having at least 01 (one) female member (preferably a women-led organization); or youth applicants are strongly encouraged to apply.
• The team leaders who could communicate and present solutions in English are preferred.

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