3 May 2013: The Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Government of India have launched the GEF-UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Cleantech Programme for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) for India, also referred to as India Cleantech.

India Cleantech aims to support clean technology innovators and entrepreneurs in India, and build the national capacity for clean technologies. The project will also focus on uniting stakeholders to “find, fund, and foster” clean energy technology entrepreneurs, by, inter alia, connecting selected Indian cleantech entrepreneurs to potential partners in Malaysia, South Africa and around the world. In its first year of operation, the project will focus on energy efficiency, renewable energy and waste-to-energy technologies.

India Cleantech is funded by the GEF, administered by UNIDO, and co-financed by India’s Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME). It was launched under the GEF-UNIDO Global Cleantech Programme for SMEs, which works in participating countries to enhance their local entrepreneurial ecosystem and policy frameworks, and to promote emerging clean technology start-ups.

The programme builds national capacity for clean technologies through four activities, namely by providing training, mentoring, access to capital, and opportunities to showcase promising technologies. It will focus on eight specific technology categories, as follows: energy generation; energy distribution and storage; energy efficiency; chemicals and advanced materials; information and communications technologies (ICT); green building; transportation; and agriculture, water and waste. Applicants will be encouraged to use climate resiliency as a key design criterion.

The best start-ups from each participating country will attend the finals of the Global Competition in Silicon Valley, California, US, to compete for the global prize and to connect with potential partners, customers and investors from around the world. [UNIDO Press Release] [GEF Press Release] [Publication: Programme Brochure]