Energy Catalyst Virtual Brokerage 

Join the virtual brokerage to find partners for your Innovate UK Energy Catalyst Round 10 application.

From May 2022 through to June 2023, this website will host a series of webinars and 1:1 virtual meetings to discuss project opportunities and facilitate introductions between organisations to help provide clean, affordable and secure energy in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and the Indo-Pacific Region.

The aim of these webinars and the virtual Marketplace is to help organisations gain an understanding of the energy access issues in a particular country and to develop equitable partnerships leading to a collaborative application for Energy Catalyst Round 9 and 10.

Energy Catalyst Round 9 is now closed. Energy Catalyst Round 10 opens 27 February 2023, with further information availbable via this link: https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/1460/overview

Energy Catalyst Round 10 makes available up to £10m to support businesses to develop highly innovative, sustainable energy technologies and business models, which are accelerating the clean energy transition in developing and emerging economies. A particular focus is on addressing the clean energy access challenge in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and the Indo-Pacific Region.

Launch and brokerage events for Round 10 will take place in London on 21 Feb and in Edinburgh on 28 Feb 2023. The recording can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/live/dyl3pENvmEU?feature=share

Energy Catalyst is open to both UK and international participants, please review the page on Eligibility for further details.

Energy Catalyst Programme

The following key criteria must be met by Energy Catalyst projects:

1) Energy access needs of sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and the Indo-Pacific Region

Your project must aim to speed up access to affordable, clean energy services for poor households, enterprises and social institutions in official development assistance (ODA) eligible countries in sub-Saharan -Africa, the Indo-Pacific region, or South Asia. It must do this by supporting the development, testing or scale up of innovative technologies or business models.

A clear social or economic benefit in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia or the Indo-Pacific Region is required.

This can include:

• creating new energy access in unserved regions
• improving existing access to provide a more reliable service

2) All 3 areas of Clean Energy - low cost, low emissions, and security of supply / energy access

Your technology or business model must create clean energy which is:

• Affordable
• Reliable
• Low carbon

While any technology which meets the above criteria is in scope, priority will be given to the following Ayrton Challenge priority areas:

• next generation solar technologies and business models: enabling new, locally manufacturable, cost effective alternatives
• smart green grids: including mini and main grid related technologies
• energy storage: enabling higher intermittent renewable energy penetrations on the grid, and improving access in areas unserved, or poorly served, by the grid
• green hydrogen: developing relevant technologies and value chains to bring forward zero carbon hydrogen fuels
• modern cooking: unlocking the transition from biomass to genuinely clean cooking, delivering major health and environmental benefits
• low energy inclusive appliances: improving the efficiency, performance, availability, and affordability of end use domestic and productive appliances adapted to developing country needs
• leave no one behind, specifically technologies and business models: ensuring the benefits of the clean energy revolution reach the poorest and most marginalised, including women, those with disabilities, people in humanitarian contexts, and those accessing healthcare in unelectrified clinics
• sustainable cooling: to help meet growing global cooling demand in a warming world, in a sustainable way

Question? 

Please contact: energycatalyst@iuk.ukri.org