Established in 2013, the Energy Catalyst programme supports UK-based businesses to develop innovative, market-focused energy technologies. The programme enabled them to commercialise sustainable energy solutions faster than they normally would. Energy sustainability is based on pillars of the energy trilemma – low cost, low carbon and secure supply.
Sensor IT was selected to get involved in the mission, with 16 other participants, after a UK-wide competitive process run by the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF). This GCRF-led too project into account the value proposition the company could offer to the mission, which took place from July 14th-July 18th of 2019, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The mission involved several high-level presentations with government officials, such as the Ethiopian Minister for Water, Irrigation and Energy (MOWIE) and the Ethiopian Energy Authority (EEA), amongst others.
The mission was designed to be a preparation for the Innovate UK Energy Catalyst Round 7, assisting companies to establish a commercial relationship in emerging economies to enable them to participate in the funding competition.