IRENA will collaborate closely with its partners to provide successful participants with access to funding opportunities, business networks, and other resources to help them bring their ideas to market. Additionally, in the road to COP 28 IRENA will launch the IRENA Youth Award to recognize the best solutions developed through the Accelerator Programme and provide winners with further support to scale up their ideas and solutions.
The programme comprises of a series of training, mentoring, and knowledge-sharing activities, along with market/investor linkages designed to scale business impact, boost youth climate/sustainable energy impact, and help them secure investments to implement their business plans and solutions. NewGen Renewable Energy Accelerator participants will benefit from:
- Webinars, workshops, and dedicated mentorship by IRENA experts
- Access to pitching events and investment matchmaking
- Dedicated Climate Impact forecasting workshop
- Tailored acceleration program in renewable energy and climate technology
The first edition of the IRENA NewGen Renewable Energy Accelerator programme will receive applications to select a maximum of 30 youth innovators and entrepreneurs who are motivated to engage with the renewable energy and climate technology markets through ideas, solutions, or novel innovations in their respective local, regional, or global communities.
Aim and Benefits of IRENA NewGen Renewable Energy Accelerator Programme
- The goal of the programme is to provide youth with the tools, knowledge, and support needed to develop and implement their ideas. Youth-led start-ups, scale-ups, and growth businesses now can be supported by IRENA to foster their growth and business acceleration.
Requirements for IRENA NewGen Renewable Energy Accelerator Programme Qualification
Eligible candidates must meet the following criteria:
- Call for applications is open to young people between 18 and 35 years old from all over the world.
- At least one founder of the start-up must be between 18 and 35 years old.
- Start-up main business line should be in the following categories:
- Renewable Energy technologies (solar, wind, hydropower, green hydrogen, geothermal and bio energy)
- Climate adaption technologies (water, agriculture, livestock, extreme weather events, early warning system)
- Climate Mitigation technologies (transportation, decarbonization, circular economy, energy efficiency, energy transformation and smart grids)
- Carbon Markets (carbon trading, carbon measurement, carbon credits and carbon offsetting)
- At least two of the start-up founders are committed by 16 hrs each month for attending the accelerator sessions.
- By entering the selection process, participants guarantee that the submitted documentation is an original work created solely by the applicants and that it does not infringe on copyrights, trademarks and the rights of privacy, publicity, or intellectual property rights of any person or entity.
Interview date, Process and Venue
Deadline for applications:
- First cut-off date: 9th June 2023 – 23:59 GST (Abu Dhabi Time)
- Second cut-off date: 8th July 2023 – 23:59 GST (Abu Dhabi Time)
NewGen Renewable Energy Accelerator participants will be announced on 21 July 2023.
How to Apply
Interested and qualified? Go to https://irena1.innovatealpha.org/ to apply
For more details,visit http://www.irena.org/Energy-Transition/Partnerships/Youth-Engagement/NewGen-Accelerator