The Siemens Integrity Initiative is open to applications from all non-profit organizations, such as the following:
All applications must be in the name of a legal entity, private or public, that is able and willing to sign the Funding Agreement upon award of funds. Applicants will be asked to demonstrate experience in the field of anti-corruption and fraud and to confirm their capacity to implement projects of similar size; start-up organizations are eligible for funding if the individuals acting on behalf of such organizations can demonstrate that they have the relevant experience.
Applicants may hand in joint applications with other organizations, ...
Siemens in such cases retains the right to make any payouts subject to all partners to the project meeting the relevant milestones.
Individuals and for-profit organizations, organizations with no established legal entity, political and religious organizations as well as churches are not eligible for funding from the Siemens Integrity Initiative. Any organization pertaining or closely related to Siemens or institutions of the World Bank Group will not be considered for funding.
The Siemens Integrity Initiative seeks project proposals that
The quality of project proposals and the capacity of the applicant organization to perform the proposed activities will be assessed against a set of predefined selection criteria, which are outlined below. The assessment will be based on the information provided in the Expression of Interest form, and through further due diligence in the course of the selection process.
| Main objective | |
| Siemens Integritiy Initiative |
• Creating fair market conditions for all market participants • Fighting corruption and fraud through Collective Action and education and training |
| Category | Main objective |
| I. Collective Action | Raising compliance standards and creating awareness by establishing alliances between the public and the private sector |
| Projects in the Collective Action category can cover one, several or all sub-categories described hereunder. All the projects must be based on a collective approach. |
| Sub-categories | Type of project we support |
| a) Creating alliances | Establishment of platforms for ongoing dialogue between the public and the private sector on anti-corruption and fraud with the aim of • strengthening national legal systems and voluntary standards, • creation of incentives for good performers, • identification of the need for reforms and capacity building. |
| b) Strengthening the rule of law | Strong anti-corruption laws which follow internationally accepted frameworks such as the UN Convention Against Corruption and the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention help to create a level playing field. Projects will be supported • that help to strengthen and coordinate anti-corruption laws that relate to the private sector, • that provide incentives to the business community to cooperate with law-enforcement authorities, such as measures by governments to mitigate penalties for such cooperation and for adopting anti-corruption programs, • that support the inclusion of anti-corruption standards and the concept of Integrity Pacts into procurement laws. |
| c) Strengthening voluntary standards | • Strengthening of existing efforts to develop anti-corruption and compliance standards and promote coherence between standards; • Development of new industry-specific standards on anti-corruption and compliance; • Strengthening of standards for Integrity Pacts and their use in public procurement; • Development of monitoring and certification systems for voluntary standards. |
| d) Creating incentives for good performers | To encourage more companies to invest the time and resources in fully functioning anti-corruption and compliance systems, projects that work towards the creation of incentives for good performers will be supported, e.g. • Incorporation of anti-corruption standards in investment decisions and evaluation of companies by financial institutions; • Creation of tax incentives; • Consideration of corporate anti-corruption programs and compliance systems in bidding processes. |
| Category | Main objective |
| II. Education & Training | Build capacity, foster a culture of integrity and promote knowledge sharing between institutions and stakeholders |
| Projects in the category “Education & Training” should cover at least two sub-categories, take provisions for students from emerging markets and developing countries into account and, most importantly, aim to reach a maximum number of students. |
| Sub-categories | Type of project we support |
| a) Curricula development | • Development of curricula on measures to prevent, detect, investigate and prosecute corruption and fraud and measures to foster a culture of integrity, • Incorporation of such curricula in standard courses of academic educational institutions such as business, law and engineering schools. |
| b) Capacity building | Education and training of future and current managers, engineers, government officials and civil society leaders through short-term and long-term courses. |
| c) Platform for dialogue | Facilitation of an exchange of knowledge between practitioners from all sectors with the aim of advancing knowledge in the area of anti-corruption and of enriching curricula and training courses. |
| d) Knowledge sharing | • Support for students from emerging markets and developing countries or students from low-income backgrounds through the establishment of scholarship funds or special financing schemes to enable them to attend courses or studies related to anti-corruption; • Support of knowledge exchange and standardization of curricula between universities and training institutions |
| Selection Criteria | Description |
| Siemens business sectors and countries | Siemens will consider those projects that • have an impact on the business sectors Siemens is operating and • take into account Siemens’ presence worldwide |
| Impact on business environment | Projects • should have a clear impact on the business environment, and • aim to contribute to the creation of fair market conditions. |
| Selection Criteria | Description |
| Innovation | The approach and project • should demonstrate a new and innovative way of countering corruption and fraud • should go beyond existing efforts in its respective field • should take into account new technologies where possible |
| Sustainability | • Applicants must describe how they intend to achieve long-term financial and organizational sustainability beyond the funding received through the Siemens Integrity Initiative. • For organizational sustainability, proposals should outline how the organization’s capacity and the capacity of potential partner organizations will be built in order to sustain the results of the project. • For financial sustainability, projects should outline how they intend to attract additional funds or develop financing schemes to cover the future costs of the project; this should include a realistic strategy for sustaining the project’s results after termination of support from the Siemens Integrity Initiative. |
| Growth potential | A premium is put on projects • that have the potential to have a large scale impact, and • can be replicated in other areas and regions. |
| Objective & measureable results | • The project should have clear and measurable results that will have a direct impact on the business environment. • The expected results/outcomes should be achievable within the time frame of implementation of the funding from the Siemens Integrity Initiative. • The quality of proposed indicators to measure outcomes/results and project success will be examined. |
| Project design and organizational capacity | • The project should have a realistic plan with concrete steps/activities to achieve the project objective within the 3 to 5 years span of implementation. • The organization’s, and if applicable, its partner’s capacity to implement the project will be assessed. |
| Type of funding | • No indirect funding: Organizations that are interested in funding must apply directly for funds (no intermediaries) • The maximum amount an organization can apply for per project cannot exceed US$5 million per project. Proposals with lower funding requirements are welcome where funding is above a minimum of US$50,000 • For applicants introducing more than one project/application, Siemens may introduce a funding limit per organization in the course of the selection process • The Siemens Integrity Initiative seeks project proposals that include a portfolio of activities rather than one-off activities and proposals that foresee a time horizon of 3 to 5 years • Project proposals may not include funding of general expenses or general administration of entities, unless these are clearly linked to the project and do not exceed 10% of the total amount proposed for financing through the Siemens Integrity Initiative. |