Call for Innovators: Innovating for Clean Air programme in India

Energy Systems Catapult, Connected Places Catapult and Satellite Applications Catapult are running a joint programme to harness private sector and academic expertise from India and the UK to support the development of EV integration and clean air innovation.

The next stage of the programme will see the Catapults invite UK companies to apply for this urban innovation programme to build partnerships and showcase their expertise in India as they develop innovative air quality and EV integration solutions.

Through this open call, successful applicants will have the opportunity deploy their innovative products and services in a real-life urban testbed in Bengaluru, India and create exciting collaboration opportunities for UK and Indian innovators.

About the Programme

The IfCA urban innovation programme is a two-year UK-India joint initiative supporting UK and Indian innovators in Bengaluru to promote best practice innovation and technology exchange, improve the local business ecosystem, and create a sustainable platform for ongoing UK-India government and industry cooperation.

There are two main workstreams:

The Air Quality Innovation stream

Supporting promising innovations with the potential to improve air quality and tackle pollution at source, we are especially looking to explore:

• Innovative ways to measure and visualise air pollution
• Solutions promoting active mobility (walking and cycling)
• Smart waste management
• Clean cooking and heating, and
• Ways to promote and empower behaviour change.

The EV Innovation stream

Supporting the uptake and integration of EVs in Bengaluru and India as a whole, within this urban innovation programme, we are especially looking to explore technology, business models and consumer approaches for:

• Charging infrastructure solutions
• Grid management
• Renewable energy integration, and
• Electric mobility (all aspects, including battery management systems).

Who should apply

UK companies interested in entering the Indian market that can tackle the above challenges outlined and have developed innovative products or services that can be deployed in the Bengaluru testbed are encouraged to submit a proposal.

Five to ten companies will be selected by an expert panel to deploy their solutions in Bengaluru and develop tangible collaboration activities for a trial period between March and December 2020.

The Prize

Successful applicants will receive a range of support from the Catapults, including:

• Access to the testbed in Bengaluru
• Support from the Catapults’ expert teams and local representative
• Personal introductions to potential Indian partner firms
• Financial support for travel to India and/or setup costs (such as shipping and transport, materials supply, maintaining operations).

In addition, qualifying candidates that fall within the scope of the outlined challenges will be included in an Innovating for Clean Air Pitchbook. This portfolio of companies will be disseminated to industry partners and decision-makers in India with the aim of stimulating future collaborations and business development opportunities.

How to apply

• SMEs innovating in the Air Quality space, please click here to apply

The closing date for the receipt of applications to the IfCA urban innovation programme is midnight, 5 January 2020.