Innovation Funds

Request for Proposals (RFP)

The SoLAR Innovation Fund

The SoLAR Innovation Fund (IF) aims to support the development and testing of technological, financial and institutional innovations to address the constraints and challenges of scaling solar irrigation, with a special focus on the problems faced by small-scale, marginal, and women farmers in South Asia (specifically Bangladesh, Nepal, India and Pakistan). The IF will aim to support innovations and practices that can influence policy or be expanded and integrated into public, donor and private sector programs and practices with the support of additional funding sources. The objectives of the IF are as follows:

  • Support innovations that help to bridge the gaps that hamper the uptake of solar irrigation pumps in South Asia.
  • Support innovations targeted at reducing barriers for sustainable adoption and use of solar irrigation pumps by small-scale, marginal, and women farmers.
  • Support innovations that encourage the sustainable use of groundwater resources when using solar-based irrigation.
  • Support innovations that enhance climate-resilient livelihood options for small-scale, marginal, and women farmers in the region.

This is the second round of call for proposals for Innovation Funds. Five grants were awarded in the first round of the call. In this round, a maximum of four (04) grants will be awarded. The expected value of funding for each innovation will vary between CHF 40,000 and CHF 50,000 (converted to its equivalent USD value). Expected project duration is minimum 12 months and maximum 24 months from the date of start of the project.

Comments are closed.