Energy transition and industrial decarbonisation Call for Proposals Brazil-UK PACT

This call is now closed. The deadline for submitting proposals was on 28 August 2024 at 12:00 BRT/ 15:00 UTC.

Brazil ranks as the sixth largest climate polluter, contributing 3% to the global total. The country emitted 2.3 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases in 2022, measured in terms of global warming potential over a hundred years and following the guidelines of the Fifth Assessment Report of the IPCC (GWP-100 AR5).

Industrial activities emit greenhouse gases when they burn fuels to obtain energy. These emissions are then allocated to the energy sector. However, this is not the only form of emissions in industries. They also generate greenhouse gases due to physical-chemical transformations that occur during the manufacture of materials - such as steel or cement - or as a result of the use of products. Such emissions are allocated to the industrial processes and product use sector.

Reducing these emissions depends on new technologies that have not yet reached full market maturity, such as carbon capture and storage or steel production using hydrogen. However, there are alternatives that need to be on the radar of the actors involved, including investment in energy efficiency, recycling and the use of renewable fuels.

What are we looking for?
Following consultation with key government stakeholders, Brazil-UK PACT is now seeking to extend its support to the energy sector in Brazil, through technical assistance and capacity-building projects aimed at assisting the country’s Government in promoting a just and fair energy transition and accelerating industrial decarbonisation.

UK PACT will award grants for projects that can enhance the energy transition and industrial decarbonisation in Brazil. All projects should seek to assist key counterparts - Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) and Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services (MDIC).

The focus will be on five intervention areas:

Area 1: Access to credit for industrial decarbonisation in Brazil.
Area 2: Supporting the steel industry to achieve sectoral mitigation goals.
Area 3: Cement Industry Net Zero Roadmap - support for the development of decarbonisation strategies in (i) cement; and (ii) concrete & construction.
Area 4: Support the implementation of the National Policy of Energy Conservation and the National Program of Electricity Conservation within the industrial sector.
Area 5: Mapping current and future hydrogen demand and production in Brazil for the structuring of national low-carbon hydrogen “Hubs”.

MDIC is the key counterpart for intervention areas 1, 2 and 3, while 4 and 5 aim to assist MME.

Application specifications

How much should each project cost?
Successful projects will receive grants of up to £500,000 per year (UK financial year, 1st April – 31st March). Applicants should propose projects of up to 24 months in duration. Projects will be selected through a one-stage open and competitive call for proposals.

Applicants can submit proposals in different areas of intervention, with one proposal per intervention. Applicants are not permitted to apply more than once to the same intervention. All proposals must have a clear indication of outputs to be achieved in the first year. Subject to a performance evaluation at month 12, project continuity will be determined.

How long can each project be?
All projects should aim to last up to 24 months. The proposals must have a clear indication of the outcomes and impacts expected to be achieved in the first year of implementation, as well as in the second year of implementation.

Can a consortium apply?
Yes, we welcome applications from consortia. For-profit and non-for-profit organisations can apply as lead. All consortia must have at least one local partner. The local organisation does not need to be the consortium lead. A local partner is defined as an organisation that operates in Brazil under a National Register of Legal Entities (Cadastro Nacional de Pessoa Jurídica – CNPJ).

What type of organisations can apply?
All organisations that consider themselves capable of delivering the project activities presented may submit proposals, considering aspects such as cost-effectiveness, project management, impacts on GEDSI (Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion), technical capacity of the organisation or proposing consortium.

Government agencies and/or departments are not eligible to apply either as a lead organisation, or as a partner organisation within consortium.

What types of costs are eligible?
All projects must be delivered on a not-for-profit basis. Eligible costs will include:

Consultancy and/or staff time required to deliver activities;
Reasonable travel and subsistence costs;
Other costs directly related to activities and outputs (workshop, seminars, production of reports, translation etc.).

We cannot award funding for tangible assets e.g. computer and furniture. However, if such inputs are necessary for a project, then applications could include a co-founder to cover these elements.

Application timeline

The steps and indicative dates for each stage of the Call for Proposals in the energy transition and industrial decarbonisation sector are outlined below:

Brazil-UK PACT energy transition x industrial decarb v5

Market engagement event

Click here to watch the recording and view the slides from our market engagement event held on 10 June 2024.

Click here to read the market engagement event Q&A document.

Eligibility checker

Want to check if your project is eligible before applying? Use the quick check list below. You can find more about eligibility for this call, and for UK PACT funding in general, by reading our Applicant Handbook and Terms of Reference above.

Q. Is your project aligned with at least one of the scopes of the call?

Yes No

This indicates that your project may be eligible. Please proceed to the next question.

Unfortunately, this makes your project ineligible.

Q. Is the value of your project up to £500,000 per year and up to 2 years?

Yes No

This indicates that your project may be eligible. Please proceed to the next question.

Unfortunately, this makes your project ineligible.

Q. Is your organisation eligible to apply for UK PACT funding? Note that government agencies and/or departments are not eligible.

Yes No

This indicates that your project may be eligible. Please proceed to the next question.

Unfortunately, this makes your project ineligible.

Q. Are your project activities and costs eligible?
Please note: we cannot award funding for infrastructure projects or for tangible assets and profit is not eligible cost in UK PACT budgets, either as a direct cost or within overheads.

Yes No

This indicates that your project may be eligible.

Unfortunately, this makes your project ineligible.

Answering yes to all the questions above indicates that your project is eligible to apply for funding. Apply via the link above.

Answering no to any question above indicates that your organisation or project is not eligible for funding at this time. Please re-read our guidance documents carefully to find out how to design a UK PACT project.

Call for Proposals: energy transition and industrial decarbonisation

Eligibility checker

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