By Rehman Rafiq, Associate Director

Energy Catalyst is one of the UK’s most important innovation funding programmes for organisations developing deployable clean energy solutions for emerging and developing markets in low and middle income countries. With Round 11 currently live and closing on 25 March, the programme continues to support innovations that move beyond research and pilots into real-world delivery at scale.

Delivered by Innovate UK, with funding from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), the International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) and the Ayrton Fund, Energy Catalyst targets innovative solutions that address energy poverty while contributing to climate mitigation and resilience.

By bringing together UK organisations, SMEs, NGOs, researchers, and partners in low and middle income countries, the programme bridges the gap between early-stage innovation and large-scale deployment. It helps projects achieve tangible impact while contributing to SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG 13 (Climate Action).

Who this is a strong fit for?

Energy Catalyst is particularly relevant for organisations with solutions that are technically credible and ready to prove impact in real operating environments, including:

• clean energy technology companies and UK SMEs scaling products into LMIC markets
• off-grid and weak-grid solution providers, including microgrid developers and integrators
• storage, power electronics, controls, metering, and demand-side management innovators
• organisations replacing diesel generation with reliable, affordable hybrid systems
• NGOs, delivery partners, and implementers with strong local presence and impact capability
• research-led teams with proven prototypes and a clear route to deployment and scale

Competition Scope

Energy Catalyst supports innovations that:

• expand access to modern energy services for underserved populations
• drive inclusive and equitable clean energy transitions
• reduce reliance on fossil fuels
• deliver measurable social, economic, and environmental benefits

Eligible projects must deliver impact in low and middle income countries, including sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, the Indo-Pacific, and Latin America.

Projects in the following areas are likely to have strong chances:

• Energy storage (battery, thermal and long-duration storage)
• Off-grid and weak-grid energy systems
• Hybrid power systems and diesel or generator displacement
• Clean energy access solutions with measurable social and economic impact

Strong applications are expected to demonstrate affordability, reliability and low-carbon performance, underpinned by realistic delivery and commercialisation strategies.

What assessors tend to look for in strong Energy Catalyst bids:

In addition to a compelling technical proposition, successful proposals typically show strength in the areas below:

• Clear ODA alignment and development impact: a strong case for why the project benefits target communities and supports sustainable development, not only UK commercial benefit.
• Evidence-led problem definition: credible market context, customer needs, and clear justification for target geographies and beneficiaries.
• Deployment realism: a delivery plan that reflects real-world constraints in LMIC settings, including supply chain, skills, operations and maintenance, access, safety, and grid conditions.
• Scalability and replication: a credible route from demonstration to wider rollout, including partnerships, unit economics, and what unlocks follow-on funding or investment.
• Strong consortium and local capability: partners who are essential to delivery, especially in-country organisations that strengthen implementation, adoption, and long-term sustainability.
• Value for money: a budget that is realistic, proportionate, and clearly linked to work packages, outcomes, and measurable results.
• Monitoring, evaluation and learning: a practical plan to measure outcomes and learn what works, including social and environmental metrics where relevant.
• Risk and mitigation: honest technical and delivery risks, with credible mitigations, rather than generic statements.

Competition Strands

Round 11 has a total budget of £7 million, split across three strands aligned to different stages of innovation maturity:

1. Early Stage – Pre-commercial projects focusing on feasibility, proof-of-concept and early pilots.
2. Mid Stage – Innovations that have passed feasibility and are ready for validation in real-world contexts, with a strong emphasis on partnerships and scalability.
3. Late Stage – Solutions close to market, supporting advanced demonstration and deployment to unlock follow-on investment and commercial rollout.

Eligibility Criteria

Applications must be submitted by an international consortium, with:

• a UK-registered organisation as the administrative lead
• at least one UK SME claiming grant funding
• at least one partner from low and middle income countries to support delivery and impact

How Streets Innovation Can Support

Streets Innovation is a specialist grant funding and proposal writing consultancy, providing comprehensive end-to-end support for Energy Catalyst Round 11 applicants.

We support applicants at every stage of the process, including:

• eligibility assessment and selecting the most suitable strand
• consortium structuring, partner alignment, and role clarity
• drafting and refining the proposal narrative
• strengthening impact logic, ODA alignment, and benefits realisation
• developing budgets, work packages, deliverables and resourcing plans
• aligning commercialisation and scale strategy to the strand requirements
• managing submission via the Innovation Funding Service

Energy Catalyst is a highly competitive programme. With the 25 March deadline approaching, early engagement is critical.

If you would like to arrange a meeting to discuss Energy Catalyst Round 11 or any other Grant Funding services that we offer, please see the link below for the team’s Calendly. https://calendly.com/streets-innovation/grant-funding-both-uk-eu-discovery-call