Ref.
2026/TAETSTGOTAAS/15496
Job offer type
Experts
Type of contract
Fixed-term contract (CDD)
Activity sectors
Climate and Agriculture ; Technological Innovation
Deadline date
2026/06/03 23:59
Contract
Freelancer
Duration
10 months
Technical assistance through international experts to support the growth of the Armenia’s AgriTech sector (M/W)
Departement Economie Durable et Inclusive - EDIN > Pôle Entreprenariat et Innovation
Published on : 2026/05/20
CONTINENTAL EUROPE
ARMENIA
Mission description
General objective
The objective is to accelerate the growth of in Armenia’s AgriTech sector as a center of excellence for research, education, and industry collaboration to support investment and innovation. This will be achieved through strategic partnerships with leading European AgriTech innovation agencies, clusters, and companies, with activities focused on three key directions:
- Incubation Program – Support a local ecosystem player in developing and running a sector-specific incubation program dedicated to the AgriTech field.
- Strategy Development – Assist public and private stakeholders in defining a shared vision for the AgriTech field and in formulating a practical action plan for its implementation.
- Expanding Collaborative Initiatives – Build and strengthen cross-border collaborations and knowledge-exchange mechanisms with European partners, especially in the following three fields:
a. Digital transformation in agriculture
b. Robotics in agriculture
c. Drones in agriculture (the common ground with the Aerospace sector)
Specific objectives
1. Leverage Armenia’s growing capabilities in artificial intelligence (AI) to create downstream innovation in agricultural technologies and services.
2. Advance applied research and development at the intersection of AI, high-performance computing (HPC), and agriculture systems, fostering breakthroughs in AgriTech.
3. Support industry-relevant R&D by fostering partnerships between academia and private-sector actors to align technological innovation with market demand.
4. Establish strong, sustainable links between the Armenian innovation ecosystem and European AgriTech industries, enabling cross-border knowledge exchange and collaboration.
Description of the assignment
Planned activities
The selected consultant will work in close collaboration with the EU4Innovation East project team to implement the following activities aimed at accelerating the growth of the overall AgriTech industry in Armenia and laying the groundwork for Armenia’s future AgriTech Innovation Hub.
Activities
Facilitation of Strategic Partnerships between Armenia and European AgriTech Innovation Ecosystems
This activity aims to initiate and support the establishment of a collaborative partnership between Armenian stakeholders—including ecosystem builders, academic institutions, and industry representatives from private and public sectors—and one or more leading European AgriTech innovation agencies, clusters and companies. The goal is to transfer knowledge, co-develop innovation models, and lay the foundation for the creation of an AgriTech Innovation Hub in Armenia.
Sub-Activities:
1. Advisory Support for Developing a Sector-Specific Incubation Program
· Study and analysis of the AgriTech scene in Armenia and preparing an inception report
· Contribute to the selection process of the consortium responsible for initiating the AgriTech-focused incubation program by providing technical and strategic input.
· Support the selected local ecosystem player in designing, structuring, and operationalizing the incubation program in line with international best practices.
2. Advisory Support for Developing a National AgriTech Strategy
· Provide tailored advisory services to Armenian stakeholders for drafting a comprehensive and innovation-oriented National AgriTech Strategy.
· Facilitate structured knowledge exchange with European counterparts through workshops, peer reviews, and case-sharing sessions.
· Ensure the strategy integrates European best practices on governance, cross-sector coordination, and links to broader EU digital transformation initiatives.
3. Organization and Facilitation of a Targeted Study Visit for the Armenian Delegation
· Plan and execute at least one high-impact study visit to European AgriTech innovation hubs.
· Curate meetings and site visits with relevant institutions, including agencies, research labs, incubators, accelerators, and university innovation centers.
· Support the delegation in drawing comparisons between models, identifying transferable practices, and synthesizing insights to inform Armenia’s strategy.
4. Advisory Support for the Design of the Armenian AgriTech Innovation Hub
· Provide expert guidance to Armenian stakeholders in analyzing the models encountered during the study tour.
· Assist in designing a practical, phased approach for developing the Armenian hub, ensuring relevance to Armenia’s current ecosystem capacity and strategic goals.
· Facilitate collaborative design workshops and consultations to ensure multi-stakeholder ownership of the proposed model.
5. Facilitation of Bilateral Collaboration Agreements
· Actively support the negotiation process between Armenian stakeholders and selected European AgriTech innovation agencies, clusters and/or companies.
· Help define the terms and structure of win-win collaboration agreements, which may include joint R&D initiatives, infrastructure sharing, knowledge exchange, and talent mobility programs.
· Ensure the agreements align with EU co-funding frameworks and the strategic objectives of both Armenian and European partners.
Anticipated deliverables
|
Deliverables |
End date |
|
1. Advisory Support for Developing a Sector-Specific Incubation Program - Brief diagnosis report of the AgriTech scene in Armenia - Participation in the selection process of the consortium in case of any need. - Support the selected local ecosystem player in developing and running the incubation program. |
No later than T0* + 3 months (8 billable days) |
|
2. Advisory Support for Developing a National AgriTech Strategy - Organization of at least one facilitation workshop session - Written proposal for drafting a strategy - Report on integrity of the developed strategy with EU best practices |
No later than T0 + 6 months (8 billable days) |
|
3. Organization and Facilitation of a Targeted Study Visit for the Armenian Delegation - Visit’s itinerary - Visit’s descriptive guide, plan and rationale for the selection - Visit’s written and photo reports covering meetings notes and key insights |
No later than T0 + 7 months (8 billable days) |
|
4. Advisory Support for the Design of the Armenian AgriTech Innovation Hub - At least one consultation session with each delegation member - Personalized written suggestions for each delegation member - Written roadmap proposal for establishing an Armenian AgriTech Innovation Hub - Up to three workshop design to build alignment |
No later than T0 + 9 months (6 billable days) |
|
5. Facilitation of a Bilateral Collaboration Agreement - Situation analysis and written proposal on potential collaborations - Drafting the initiated collaborations agreements - At least two consultation sessions per each collaboration agreement - Final report and recommendations |
No later than T0 + 10 months (4 billable days) |
T0*= Notification date of the contract
Place, duration and terms of performance
1) Implementation period: 10 Month (tentatively from 10 June 2026 to 09 April 2027)
2) Effective duration of assignment: 34 billable days
3) Schedule/program:
|
Activity |
Place |
Period |
||
|
|
||||
|
1. Advisory Support for Developing a Sector-Specific Incubation Program |
Remote |
T0 – T0 + 3 months |
||
|
2. Advisory Support for Developing a National AgriTech Strategy |
Armenia & remote |
|
||
|
3. Organization and Facilitation of a Targeted Study Tour for the Armenian Delegation |
Europe & remote |
|
||
|
4. Advisory Support for the Design of the Armenian AgriTech Innovation Hub
|
Armenia & remote |
T0 + 5 months – T0 + 9 months |
||
|
5. Facilitation of a Bilateral Collaboration Agreement
|
Armenia, Europe & remote |
T0 + 7 months – T0 + 10 months |
Project or context description
The EU4innovation East (EU4IE) project aims at enhancing the competitiveness of the startup ecosystem within 5 countries of the Eastern Partnership (EaP) region: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. At the heart of the project is a strategy designed to nurture high-performance incubators, expand funding and market opportunities for startups, and provide tailored support to Ukraine’s emerging tech sector. Through strategic co-financing, skills development, regulatory assistance, and a strong commitment to gender inclusion, EU4Innovation East is laying the foundation for sustainable, long-term growth in the region, ensuring that innovation is both inclusive and impactful. The EU4Innovation East project is implemented by Expertise France, funded by the European Union and co-funded by the French government.
Armenia’s AgriTech sector sits at the intersection of a traditionally important agricultural economy and a rapidly developing technology and innovation ecosystem. Agriculture remains a key contributor to employment and regional livelihoods, yet the sector continues to face structural challenges, including dominancy of traditional practices, fragmented land ownership, limited productivity, climate variability, water management issues, and constrained access to modern technologies and data-driven practices. While Armenia has demonstrated strong potential in tech field, including ICT, engineering, and applied sciences, the systematic integration of these capabilities into agriculture remains uneven and underdeveloped.
In this context, professional consultation and targeted intervention are essential to bridge the gap between technological potential and on-the-ground agricultural realities. Expert support is needed to assess ecosystem readiness, align AgriTech solutions with real farmer needs, design scalable pilot initiatives, and strengthen collaboration between farmers, startups, research institutions, policymakers and investors. Structured professional engagement can help avoid fragmented or technology-push approaches, ensure efficient use of public and donor resources, and accelerate the development of a sustainable, impact-driven AgriTech ecosystem in Armenia.
Although wine and viticulture often dominate AgriTech discussions in Armenia, it is important to pursue a more diversified approach. Armenia’s agricultural sector includes multiple subsectors—such as horticulture, livestock, greenhouse production, and precision farming—that also require innovation and support. Integrating these fields is essential to achieving broader impact, resilience, and inclusive growth across the AgriTech ecosystem.
Against this backdrop, the EU4Innovation East project is seeking a consultant to design and structure Euro-Armenian cooperation in the AgriTech field. The consultant will play a key role in establishing and strengthening links between ecosystem builders, universities, incubators, accelerators, and startups/spin-offs, with the objective of fostering sustainable growth, facilitating knowledge transfer, and supporting the integration of Armenian AgriTech actors into international value chains and markets.
Required profile
Qualifications and experience
The contracted provider should have a proven history in successfully providing similar services, as following:
· Proven experience of at least 10 years in AgriTech innovations development related field and years in organization of successful business matchmaking events in this field.
· Proven track record of successful projects implemented/ deals facilitated.
· A well-established network of French and European AgriTech clusters, academia, innovation hubs, accelerators/incubators and industry professionals to attract high-quality participants.
· Expertise in tech transfer, innovation acceleration, and academic-industry collaboration.
· Experience in facilitating access to international R&D infrastructure and funding.
· Understanding of intellectual property frameworks and commercialization pathways.
· Strong project management skills to handle logistics, timelines and experience in handling unexpected challenges during events, such as technical glitches or last-minute changes.
The application should include :
· Curriculum Vitae (CV), clearly indicating the candidate’s education, professional experience, and relevant assignments, including a description of the expert’s role and responsibilities. The CV should include specific references to assignments demonstrating relevant experience.
· Cover letter (maximum 1–2 pages), outlining the candidate’s suitability for the assignment, relevant experience in relation to the Terms of Reference, and motivation for applying as well as an indication of the expected daily fee rate (in EUR), inclusive of all costs.
· Proposed methodology and delivery plan, including the approach, workplan, stakeholder engagement methodology, and implementation timeline
· Financial offer indicating the daily fee rate (in EUR), inclusive of all costs.
· Applications shall be submitted in English.
· Only shortlisted candidates may be contacted for further assessment.
· The Contracting Authority reserves the right to request supporting documents and/or references for the verification of the information provided.
Deadline for application : 2026/06/03 23:59
Expertise France is the public agency for designing and implementing international technical cooperation projects. The agency operates around four key priorities :
- democratic, economic, and financial governance ;
- peace, stability, and security ;
- climate, agriculture, and sustainable development ;
- health and human development ;
In these areas, Expertise France conducts capacity-building initiatives and manages project implementation, leveraging technical expertise and acting as a project coordinator. This involves combining public sector expertise with private sector skills to drive impactful results.