Innovate UK is seeking applications for its 9th Early Stage Energy Catalyst Round.

The aim of this competition is to accelerate the innovations needed to create new or improved access to clean energy in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia or the Indo-Pacific regions. This will create a just and inclusive energy transition and extend the benefits of clean energy to all to fulfil Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 7 'Affordable and clean energy' and 13 'Climate action'.

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will work with the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) as part of the Ayrton Fund to invest up to £20 million in innovation projects.

Application focus

Your proposal should focus on:

• Improving access to energy in countries eligible for official development assistance (ODA) in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and the Indo-Pacific regions
• Having an affordable, reliable and low-carbon technology or business model
• Consider the role of gender equality and social inclusion (GESI)

Financing information:

• The total costs of your project should be between £50,000 and £300,000.
• Start by 1st April 2023
• End by 31 March 2026
• Lasts between 3 months and 12 months

Eligibility Criteria

Your project must:

• Contribute to helping provide access to clean energy in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia or the Indo-Pacific
• Include a UK-registered administrative leader
• If you are an international organisation, partner with a British management board and involve at least one micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) from anywhere in the world
• Your project can also involve organisations from any country.
• You should only include the eligible costs of the project in your application.

Project Lead Organisation / Application

There are two types of lead in the energy catalyst, an administrative lead, which will start the application, and a technological lead.

An administrative lead is there to act as the recipient of the award and will distribute the funding to all the other partners. This is known as a "hub and spoke" model when there is an international partner in the consortium. The administrative lead will manage and be responsible for the project's finances, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the award.

The administrative line manager must:

• Be registered in the UK
• Apply for funding through this competition
• A technology leader will lead the development of the scope, work packages within the project and other work from a technical perspective.

The technological vanguard:

• can be from anywhere in the world
• must apply for grant funding through this competition
• can be an SME, RTO or academic institution

Organisations registered in the UK can be either the administrative or technical lead if the criteria are met for both types of lead.

For more information, visit this site.