Submit Applications for Energy Catalyst Round 8: Clean Energy Access, Feasibility Projects

Deadline: 16-Sep-2020

Innovate UK is seeking applications for the Energy Catalyst Round 8 for Clean Energy Access, Feasibility Projects with an aim to support highly innovative, market-focused energy solutions in any technology or sector.

Your project must encourage the development of products and services that help countries in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, South East Asia or multiple regions access secure, low cost and low carbon energy. They must be targeted at people, public services and local enterprises who are unable to afford or access existing solutions, or who lack the time or expertise to successfully use those solutions.

Your proposal must also address all 3 elements of the energy ‘trilemma’:

cost
emissions
security of supply and energy access

There are 3 options to apply into this competition. These are referred to as strands and will be run in parallel. The strands are dependent on the stage your project is at:

Early stage for feasibility studies (this strand).
Mid-stage for industrial research.
Late stage for experimental development.

This is the early stage competition for feasibility studies. It is your responsibility to make sure you submit your application for the correct stage.

Funding Information

Your early stage project’s total eligible costs must be between £50,000 and £300,000 as part of a feasibility study.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for funding you can be from any country. If you are an international organisation you must partner with a UK administrative lead and must be one of the following types of organisation:

business
research technology organisation (RTO)
academic organisation
charity
public sector organisation
International organisations must partner with a UK registered administrative lead. If you are a UK SME, you can apply on your own.
Your project must involve a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME), from anywhere in the world, either as a technical lead or consortium member.

Your project must:

have total eligible costs between £50,000 and £300,000
start by 1 April 2021
end by 31 March 2022
last up to 12 months
intend to use the results to help deliver clean energy access in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and/or South East Asia
include a UK registered administrative lead
involve at least one small or medium-sized enterprise (SME), from anywhere in the world

They use the EU definition of an SME to determine company size for both EU and international companies.

Lead applicants

To lead an application in this competition strand you must be an SME, academic organisation, or RTO.
The administrative lead:
- must be registered in the UK
- will be the recipient of the award and will distribute funding to the international partners (known as a ‘hub and spoke’ model)
- must be a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME), academic organisation or RTO
- will manage and be accountable for the finances of the project in accordance with the terms and conditions of the award
- must claim grant funding through this competition
The technical lead:
- can be from anywhere in the world
- will lead on the development of the scope, work packages within the project and other work from a technical perspective
- can be an SME, academic organisation, or RTO
- must claim grant funding through this competition
UK registered SMEs, academic organisations or RTOs can be both the administrative and technical lead.
If you are a UK SME you can apply without collaborators as you can be both the administrative and technical lead.
If you are an SME from outside the UK you cannot apply on your own as there must be a UK administrative lead.