Who was involved and what was the aim?

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) plays a critical role in advancing inclusive and sustainable industrial development across its Member States. Through its Technical Cooperation (TC) programmes, UNIDO works with governments, private sector actors, and civil society to deliver development interventions across a wide range of sectors and regions.

As UNIDO’s portfolio of grant-based interventions continues to grow, ensuring robust, consistent, and effective grant management practices has become essential to safeguarding accountability, efficiency, and development impact. To support this objective, UNIDO contracted MannionDaniels to deliver a comprehensive, consultancy programme focused on strengthening institutional grant management capacity.

What did we do?

We delivered a programme of tailored training to further strengthen and align understanding of grant management principles across UNIDO teams, supported by practical learning materials and sessions held both virtually and in Vienna. Building on insights from this work, we contributed to targeted revisions of the UNIDO Grants Manual and related guidance, enhancing both the technical content and overall usability. This included introducing a clearer structure, improved navigation, and visual elements such as interactive infographics to help users easily navigate key processes and requirements. The assignment concluded with a final report outlining actionable recommendations to further strengthen systems, processes, and future grant-funded programming.

Example screenshot of the interactive PDF supplied to support comprehension of the grants lifecycle process for UNIDO staff

Outcomes

The consultancy supported UNIDO to strengthen its grant management approach by enhancing staff understanding of key principles and providing practical recommendations to improve the clarity and usability of its grants manual.