Project Description

Type of project: The Efficiency for Access Coalition (EforA), supported by UK Aid and the IKEA Foundation, will invest funding into Research and Development (R&D) projects with the aim to accelerate the availability, affordability, efficiency and performance of a range of
low energy inclusive appliances that are particularly suited to developing country contexts and promote social inclusion. R&D projects must meet the following two criteria: 1) Focus on the development of an innovative electrical appliance technology or product for delivery via inclusive business models in off- and weak-grid settings in developing countries; 2) Focus on at least one of the thematic areas of Inclusivity (projects focused on vulnerable and disadvantaged groups – Gender (women and girls); Persons with physical or mental disabilities; Other vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, including older people, children, stateless and displaced persons, and people in slums or informal settlements); or Interoperability which refers to the ability of systems and components to work together in the same environment, including the exchange of information. See EforA’s Interoperability Roadmap here.
Location: Worldwide. However, an additional ~8% in score will be given to projects that implement at least part of the project in a UK Aid priority country. Such countries include: Afghanistan, Angola, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Iraq, Kenya, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Tanzania, The Occupied Palestinian Territories, Togo, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Eligibility: Applicants must be a legally registered and physically established business, academic organisation, non-profit, public sector organisation, or research and technology organisation from anywhere in the world. Partnerships are also welcome.
Grant size: £50,000 – £300,000 per organisation
Closing date: 15 March
Apply: https://efficiencyforaccess.org/enabling-technologies-call