USAID’s Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion project (EDIP) is finding ways to put Palestinian ICT on the map, most recently by partnering with global conglomerate Cisco Systems to develop a capacity building and incubation program for Palestinian ICT firms. CNN recently covered this program:

EDIP, managed by CARANA, nominated several companies for this mentoring program, of which Cisco selected six. EDIP is now facilitating Cisco’s customized training in R&D expertise, project management, specialized software, and systems skill sets—creating cutting-edge ICT capacity and broadening outsourcing resources in the West Bank for Cisco and other multinationals.

The program will last 6–12 months, after which the West Bank companies will be linked to outsourcing contracts and projects to apply their newly acquired skills. EDIP will also continue to assist the companies through trade shows, B2B, and buyer-seller relationship-building.