CALL FOR PROPOSALS

WASCAL’s Innovative Ideas Competition for Sustainable Energy (WISE)

First Edition 2025

Organisation: WASCAL

Period:  1^st November to 31^th December 2025

Value: Maximum grant Amount is 20,000 Euro Per Project

Geographical Scope:  West African Countries

1. Introduction.

The West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) is a large-scale research-focused and capacity-building Climate Service Centre designed to help tackle the climate change challenge by enhancing the resilience of human and environmental systems to climate change and increasing variability. Its mission is to provide information and knowledge to its West African member countries from the local to the regional level. This is in response to the impacts of climate change by building up resilient and productive socio-ecological landscapes.

In the scope to become one of Africa’s leading science-based institutions in providing climate services in and for West Africa, WASCAL’s actions are driven by its ambition to combat climate change, improve livelihoods and promote renewable energy and green hydrogen.

Through its Renewable and Green Hydrogen Coordination, WASCAL has stepped up and championed in the development and deployment of renewable energy and green Hydrogen in terms of policies, capacity building, and demonstrative projects implementation as well as technical studies.

Some of the initiatives are the H2Atlas Africa Project, the development of the ECOWAS Green Hydrogen policy and ECOWAS Green Hydrogen Strategy and Action Plan, and the implementation of the International Master Program in Energy and Green Hydrogen. There are also demonstrative, pilot and study projects such as, the Waste-to-energy project in Ghana which is an outstanding pilot hybrid plant for demonstration technologies of energy production from waste and sustainable business model for duplication in West Africa, the PV2H project which aims to optimizing large scale solar plants in the perspective of green hydrogen production in West Africa, the BIO2H project in Burkina Faso which investigates the bioenergy potential for green hydrogen production, the NIGERIA4H study in Nigeria which analyses the potentials, infrastructure, and other enabling framework conditions for green hydrogen-to-fertilizer production in Nigeria, the REPGam Project in the Gambia,  which is a pilot project for development of different usage of solar installations  for villages, the biogas lab project in Togo which is establishing a high standard lab for biogas characterization and research and is to be recognised as a regional certification lab, and other projects that the WASCAL Renewable Energy and Green Hydrogen Coordination oversees across the West African region.    

West Africa is endowed with abundant renewable energy resources, including solar, wind, and hydroelectric power, but it still relies mostly on fossil fuels, which contribute to climate change. To assist West African countries in transitioning their energy sectors, WASCAL initiates studies and projects aimed at creating impactful scientific knowledge. and developing sustainable, green solutions for reliable and affordable energy access for their populations.

To further increase the socioeconomic, environmental and scientific impacts in West Africa, WASCAL Renewable Energy and Green Hydrogen Coordination aims to catalyse innovation in renewable energy and green hydrogen technologies through a competitive platform that brings together academics, researchers, entrepreneurs, and policymakers from across West Africa. Therefore, WASCAL Renewable Energy and Green Hydrogen Coordination elaborated an initiative named WASCAL’s Innovative Ideas Competition for Sustainable Energy, “WISE”. This initiative serves as an opportunity for individuals and groups of people to showcase their projects and research ideas related to renewable energy and green hydrogen, contributing to the advancement of energy access and usage, climate change adaptation, and economic development growth in the region.

With the financial support of the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), WASCAL seeks to identify and support groundbreaking short-term projects and development & research ideas that demonstrate the potential of renewable energy and green hydrogen to address the region’s energy challenges while promoting sustainable development.

• Call for Proposals: Objectives

Overall objective: This call aims to foster and support the implementation of innovative projects and development & research ideas regarding renewable energy (RE) and green hydrogen (GH2) in West Africa.

Specific Objectives

• Contribute to the electricity access by the development of innovative ideas in the RE and GH2 Sector
• Contribute to the development in rural and peri-urban areas through the integration of renewable energy and green hydrogen systems
• Develop innovative solutions for addressing renewable energy and green hydrogen issues
• Develop innovative solutions/approaches for renewable energy and green hydrogen integration in our communities
• Impact positively the livelihood of the communities
• Eligibility criteria

This call is addressed to

• young West Africans. Any individual or group of young people (Students, academics, practitioners, scientists, technologists, entrepreneurs, associations…) from a West African country (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo). Having a bank account is necessary.
• associations/organisations, being legally registered in a West African Country and having a local bank account in the name of the association/organisation

•  Proposal requirements

The project ideas/initiatives should be focused on the development of renewable energy and green hydrogen with possible links to the following non-exhaustive thematics:

• Renewable energy solutions
• Green Hydrogen technologies
• Green mobility
• Energy access and services through renewables
• Biomass/waste recovery and energy
• Energy-Water-Food Nexus Solutions
• Productive uses of renewable energy in rural areas
• Thematic Trainings/ Conferences/Workshops/ Raising awareness 
• Energy efficiency solutions
• Women’s and girls’ empowerment in the renewable energies sector
• Renewable energy in Socio-economic development and increasing the added value in rural areas
• Innovative business plan models for energy technologies and services

The focus in the proposals can be on developing a product or process, a service, a business model, or a scientific study etc.

• Grant requirements

The maximum amount of grant allocated for each project is 20 000€ and the duration should not exceed 15 months

The categories of expenses considered as eligible and non-eligible are indicated below. Note that the eligible expenses must be based on real costs, based on supporting documents. Expenses that do not appear realistic may be rejected.

It is, therefore, in the applicant’s interest to provide a realistic and cost-effective budget in Euros based on the currency exchange rates at the time of proposal submission.

• Eligible Expenses

Eligible expenses concern the Direct costs, namely the Project Implementation Costs:

• Operational expenses like supplies, utilities, and rents.
  • Travel and transportation costs
  • Procurement of goods and services necessary for project implementation.
  • Training and capacity-building activities directly linked to the project.

They must also be reasonable, justified, and compliant with sound financial management principles. They must be directly verifiable and traceable to the activities being implemented.

• Illegible Expenses

Illegible expenses concern:

• Administrative costs
  • Bonuses, Provisions, and Reserves
  • Duties, Taxes, and Charges
  • Return of Capital, Debts, and Debt Service Charges
  • In-Kind Contributions
  • Currency exchange losses
  • Purchases of land or buildings
  • Institutional overheads

The funds transfer will be done by WASCAL under the following terms:

• Fund Transfer terms

The applicants should have a bank account for the funds transfer. They should provide the schedule and share of transfers based on the implementation roadmap, which is part of the proposal.

According to the specificity of the project, direct payments may be applied to specific expenses. The first grant transfer will be done after the contract signature. The following transfers will always be done after the applicants submit technical and financial reports with proof of expenses based on the implementation roadmap. 

Application process

• Proposal Preparation:

Eligible applicants are expected to prepare their own proposals. Joint multi-applicants’ submissions are permitted and encouraged. If an eligible applicant participates in a multi-applicant proposal, it cannot then also submit a single proposal. Also, any eligible applicant who submits a single proposal is not allowed to participate in a multi-applicant proposal. Applicants have to submit a full project proposal.

Incomplete applications will be rejected. Proposals received after the deadline will not be considered.

• Proposal Template:

Applicants must complete the application form. All sections must be completed for the Selection Committee to be able to make an informed decision on the selection.

Each project has a maximum implementation period of 15 months.

• Supporting Documents:

The submission package is composed of:

• The filed and signed application form
• Endorsement letter from the institution/organization of the applicant
• CV of the applicants
• Certificate of registration for the associations and organizations.

• Engagement with Project Participants and WASCAL: Proposals must demonstrate interest in WASCAL activities.

• Proposal Submission

The proposal should be a full version. It should be sent via email to: application.wise@wascal.org. Submission of documents must be in PDF format. WISE proposals and related document are required to be in English or French. Submissions must be received by 11:59 pm (GMT+00), 31^th December 2025.

No exceptions will be made to the deadline or document formats. Incomplete applications and applications submitted after the deadline will be automatically rejected

Applicants are encouraged to submit a few days earlier than the deadline in case there are technical problems in the submission process.

Applicants will receive an acknowledgement email upon confirmation of receipt.

The subject line should read “WISE Proposal Application”.

Any request for clarification must be sent by e-mail address to the following email address at application.wise@wascal.org

• Evaluation Procedure:

A competent selection committee composed of independent sectoral experts in all the areas covered by the call will be set up by WASCAL. Following submission, eligible applicants’ proposals are reviewed by the Selection Committee, which will score the proposals and subsequently make recommendations to WASCAL for funding. Upon approval of a grant to an applicant, WASCAL will issue an award notification.

Technical and financial evaluation steps and criteria

Applications will be evaluated by the Selection Committee according to the following steps and criteria:

• Step one: Eligibility evaluation

The following will be evaluated:

• The submission deadline has been respected
  • The application form, including the budget table, is duly filled.
  • Requested documents are attached to the application.
  • The proposal meets the rest of the eligibility criteria as mentioned in section 3 above.

• Step two: Technical and financial assessment of full project proposals

The evaluation will be done by the Selection Committee. The quality of the project proposals will be assessed in accordance with the following key evaluation criteria:

• Technical aspect
• Relevance of the project/idea:

This criterion assesses the extent to which the project meets the objectives of the call and WASCAL’s overall mission. It assesses how realistic and feasible the project is.

• Originality/innovative degree

This criterion measures the novelty of the idea, the originality of the approaches or solutions proposed, and the ability of the project to bring about a significant change or improve the current state of knowledge or practice. It also assesses the creativity of the design and implementation.

• Impact and contribution of the project/idea

This criterion relates to the expected results and their scope. It involves estimating the tangible benefits that the project will generate, in both the short and long term, for the beneficiaries, the community, the environment or the area concerned. Impact also includes the contribution to wider objectives, such as sustainable development, social cohesion or economic growth. The evaluation considers the project’s capacity to produce measurable and significant effects.

• Sustainability of the project/idea

Sustainability refers to the project’s ability to continue after the funding period or to ensure a lasting impact. The strategies put in place to maintain or replicate the results, medium and long-term financial viability, and the integration of the project into existing structures or solid partnerships are evaluated.

• Eligibility and Qualifications of the applicants

This criterion checks that applicants meet the requirements mentioned. It also assesses the skills, experience and capacity of the project promoters to complete the proposal within the proposed time period successfully. The quality of the team, its technical expertise and its management capacity are essential to ensure the success of the project.

• Financial aspect

The budget should be detailed, complete, rational, and realistic and must not exceed the equivalent of 20 000 Euro per project to be implemented. It should follow the financial requirements mentioned previously.

• Project implementation process

• Project Preparation (for successful applicants):

The selected applicants will receive a notification letter, conveying them for clarification meetings. The applicants will be informed of WASCAL’s rules and terms regarding the project implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Applicants may give some clarification on their applications if needed.

After these meetings, award notification letters are sent to the successful applicants with a draft of MoUs and a contract for signature, following WASCAL policies and procedures.  

A launch ceremony for the grant award will be organised with all the selected applicants present.

• Monitoring and evaluating

WASCAL will ensure the monitoring and evaluation.

• Follow-up meetings will be organised periodically
• Site visits and supervisions will be organised to witness the progress of the implementation on the ground.
• Progress technical and financial reports will be sent periodically or based on the implementation timeline

• Deliverables

Successful applicants must provide the following deliverables:

• Reports (technical and financial) of the activities after each milestone of the implementation
• Technical construction sheet of the Prototype/technology if applicable
• Model and all kinds of results, whether it is a process, a service, a business model, or a research study.
• Final report (technical and financial) of the project results
• In case the project generates papers or any scientific production, WASCAL and BMFTR should be acknowledged
• Patent

In the event that the project implementation results in a patent, ownership shall be shared between the applicant and WASCAL.