Assessor application form – Energy Catalyst
Innovate UK is looking for assessors for the Energy Catalyst programme who can bring skills and experience in commercialising energy access innovations.
Energy Catalyst’s mission is to accelerate the innovation and business models needed to meet Sustainable Development Goal 7 – ‘Affordable and clean energy’ by providing financial and advisory support to innovators. The programme helps create strategic partnerships, uncover insights and develop technologies and business models to improve lives in Africa, Asia and the Indo-pacific region.
Energy Catalyst is an Innovate UK programme, part of UK Research and Innovation, with co-funding from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Global Challenges Research Fund, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Department for Science Innovation and Technology, and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. This programme is funded with UK aid from the UK Government via the Ayrton Fund.
Energy Catalyst is a grant funding competition providing UK aid funding to innovative energy projects in official development assistance (ODA) eligible countries. Therefore, Innovate UK is seeking assessors with an understanding of the following:
- Gender equality and social inclusion barriers, challenges and opportunities, in particular in emerging economies
- The challenges of commercialising early-stage technologies and business models
- Innovation project management
- International development
- Diesel or petrol generator replacement
- The Ayrton Challenge thematic challenges:
- Next generation solar: enabling new, locally manufacturable, cost-effective alternatives
- Sustainable cooling: to help meet growing global cooling demand in a warming world, in a sustainable way
- Modern cooking: unlocking the transition from biomass to genuinely clean cooking, delivering major health and environmental benefits
- Efficient appliances: improving the efficiency, performance, availability, and affordability of end use domestic and productive appliances
- Energy storage: enabling higher renewable energy penetration and improving access in unserved areas
- Clean hydrogen: developing technologies and value chains to bring forward zero carbon hydrogen fuels
- Inclusive energy & leave no-one behind: 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
- Smart energy: including mini and main grid related technologies
- Diesel/petrol generator replacement: technologies which drive a transition from fossil fuel generators to renewable, cleaner and more cost effective solutions
- Other energy access areas: business models or technologies which enable clean energy access
Role of assessors
The role of the assessor is to ensure projects with the most impact and commercialisation potential in the eligible country are selected for funding.
To ensure a diverse assessor pool so we are particularly encouraging applicants from a broad background, including women and those based in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia or the Indo-Pacific regions.
Dates for the upcoming assessment
The next assessment opportunity is for Energy Catalyst Round 10 which is open for applications from innovators now, and assessors will be required to review applications between the 17th – 25th July 2023. Once accepted into the pool of assessors you may be tasked with assessing bids for Energy Catalyst Round 10 and future funding rounds. Assessors will be paid for each application they review. Note that accepted assessors are not guaranteed assessments. Training will be provided to assessors which will take the form of ~1 hour induction online and ~1 hour on the specific competition.
How to apply
In order to apply, complete this form which includes a section where you will be asked to upload your CV, up to two sides of A4.