Welcome to the FiCS Lab
FiCS Lab Incubator: Cycle 2 Call for Submissions Are Now Open
FiCS Lab Incubator: Cycle 2 Call for Submissions Are Now Open
The FiCS Lab invites interested public development banks and their development partners to apply for Cycle 2 of the FiCS Lab Incubator. The Call for Proposals is now open through the FiCS Lab Incubator Submission Portal and will run from September 8 to December 5, 2025.
The Incubator is looking for proposals on financial instruments that target climate finance in emerging markets and developing economies, and that demonstrate innovation, actionability, and catalytic potential.
Interested applicants are encouraged to review the FiCS Lab Incubator Guidelines, which covers eligibility requirements, evaluation criteria, information on financial and technical support, and Incubator timeline. A PDF of the application is also available for reference.
Interested applicants also can find answers to frequently asked questions in the FiCS Lab FAQs, and are encouraged to reach out to the FiCS Lab Secretariat at ficslab@cpiglobal.org with any questions and to request a meeting with the team to discuss specific questions and/or concerns.
Additional information is available in a recent webinar, with the recording available here and the accompanying slide deck.
The application deadline for Cycle 2 is December 5, 2025 at 11:59 PM US Pacific Time.
Explore the FiCS Lab Incubators Cycle 1 Projects
Development Bank of Southern Africa
The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), in partnership with South-African based Promethium will conduct critical assessments to establish a voluntary carbon market platform in South Africa, addressing local needs with integrity and existing barriers to effective market development. Learn more here
Uganda Development Bank
The Uganda Development Bank (UDBL) is tackling currency risk challenges by partnering with researchers from the University of Leeds and City St George’s, University of London to develop a novel risk distribution instrument to reduce the risk of local currency lending through its Climate Finance Facility. Learn more here
Development Bank of Minas Gerais
The Development Bank of Minas Gerais (BDMG) is designing a guarantee facility to provide concessional capital to support regenerative agriculture (RA) uptake. Working with local partners GAAS, Sitawi, and WayCarbon, BDMG’s facility will include a credit line, credit guarantee fund, technical assistance, and an income support fund. Learn more here
FICS LAB WORKING GROUPS
FICS LAB WORKING GROUPS
FiCS Lab Working Groups provide a dedicated, PDB-led space for knowledge sharing and policy dialogue. Meeting virtually once a month, working groups hear insights from external experts, share their lessons learned, and develop guiding materials for the FiCS membership. Working groups for 2025 will cover:
To join a working group, please fill out this form or contact the FiCS Lab at FiCSLab@cpiglobal.org
WHAT IS THE FICS LAB?
WHAT IS THE FICS LAB?
The mission of the FiCS Lab is to foster innovation and collaboration among PDBs in accelerating climate finance efforts, particularly in emerging markets and developing economies.
To achieve this, the FiCS Lab focuses on three pillars:
- Pillar 1: Sharing and advancing knowledge and best practices on financial innovation gaps, initiatives, and implementation. This will be achieved by producing issues briefs, blogs, and disseminating knowledge products.
- Pillar 2: Facilitating structured dialogues to standardize or harmonize approaches by creating m workstreams, workplans and any relevant governance arrangements.
- Pillar 3: Supporting incubation of specific financial innovations in institutions that are ready to act but need technical and/or financial support.
