27 October 2014: Mexico’s Secretariat of Energy and the National Council on Science and Technology (CONACYT-SENER) Fund for Energy Sustainability (FSE) and the IDEAS Program of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) have issued a call for proposals for the ‘IDEAS V 2014 Energy Innovation Contest,’ which will fund innovative projects in the fields of renewable energy, energy efficiency and rural energy access in Mexico and the Latin American and Caribbean region.

The competition, open to organizations, consortia and individuals based in the 26 IDB member countries of the Latin America and the Caribbean region, aims to support applied research into technology in the areas of renewable energy, energy efficiency and rural energy access, including innovative business models promoting the sustainability of clean and efficient energy.

In particular, the 2014 FSE-IDEAS contest is targeted at proposals by consortia led by Mexican institutions in partnership with those from other countries in the region. Proposals from individuals in other IDB borrowing member countries are also welcomed.

Requests for funding can be up to US$200,000, and proposed activities must be completed within a maximum of 12 months. The deadline for submission of proposals is 15 January 2015.

The 2014 IDEAS competition is funded by the CONACYT-SENER-Fund for Sustainable Energy (FSE), IDB, the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) and the Government of the Republic of Korea.

The IDEAS competition was first launched in 2009, with 53 winners selected so far, from a total of more than 2,300 proposals from 28 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. [IDB Press Release] [IDEAS Website]