Accelerate-to-Demonstrate (A2D) Facility: Call for Proposals

Background

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has published the first global call-for-proposals for the Accelerate-to-Demonstrate (A2D) Facility. The call will support catalytic and scalable pilot demonstration projects in developing countries in four thematic areas key for clean energy transitions:

• Critical minerals
• Clean hydrogen
• Smart energy (digitalization)
• Industrial decarbonization

The A2D Facility fills an important gap in the landscape of climate innovation funds that support developing countries through international climate finance and Official Development Assistance (ODA), as it targets the pilot demonstration phase of the climate innovation chain. The programme targets those projects that have a “lighthouse” effect and have the potential to have transformational impacts in supported countries. This complements the existing landscape by filling the gap between programmes supporting earlier-stage smaller projects and larger commercial-scale projects, and ensuring that pilot demonstration projects are integrated within a broader enabling environment within supported countries. The four initial thematic areas-of-focus (critical minerals, clean hydrogen, smart energy and industrial decarbonization) are key areas within clean energy transitions in developing countries where innovation support is most needed and where grant funding is limited. The A2D Facility is initially supported with GBP 65 million from the UK Government’s Department for Energy Security & Net Zero.

Eligibility

Proposals must come from applicants in one of the countries that are eligible to receive Official Development Assistance (ODA) – please see the list here.

The countries and territories on the DAC List of ODA Recipients consist of all low and middle income countries based on gross national income (GNI) per capita as published by the World Bank, with the exception of former G8 members, EU members, and countries with a firm date for entry into the EU. The list also includes all of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) as defined by the United Nations (UN).

Dates

This funding call opened on 8 July 2024 and runs until 19 August 2024 16:00 Vienna CET.

How to apply

For more information about the A2D Facility’s call-for-proposals, including the eligibility criteria and the application process, please visit the UNIDO Procurement Portal and the A2D Facility website.