The Lab is looking for six early-stage innovative finance solutions that can unlock climate investment in emerging markets. Apply here.

Lab African program expands to include East Africa.

New stream seeks ideas that advance gender equality through climate finance.

London, 24 Oct 2022 – Today, the Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance (the Lab) launched an open call for innovative solutions to address barriers to climate investments in emerging markets while supporting a net zero economy transition.  

The application deadline is 26 December 2022, at 17:00 PST, and the new class will be announced in March 2023. Submit your idea here. 

The selected ideas will receive over seven months of intensive instrument design, market analysis, and funder, investor and implementation partner networking support from high-level leaders from the public and private sectors and Climate Policy Initiative’s team of experts.  

This year, the Lab is introducing a Gender Equality stream and expanding its Africa program to include East Africa. In 2023, the Lab is looking for six climate finance ideas from two thematic streams and three regional programs, listed below. The Lab will also develop one climate finance idea that targets any climate-relevant sector in any developing country.  

• Climate Adaptation: innovative financial instruments that resolve market barriers and support scale-up of private finance for solutions that build climate resilience.
• Gender Equality: financial solutions that have both the advancement of gender equality and addressing climate change mitigation or adaptation as core objectives. 
• Open idea: new financial instruments that address barriers to sustainable investment in any climate-relevant sectors in emerging economies. 
• Brazil: finance solutions to drive funds for the country’s national climate priorities. 
• India: climate finance that supports infrastructure for renewable energy, energy transition, and other channels for green growth.  
• East and Southern Africa: innovative climate finance instruments that target any sector and will be implemented in any country, or group of countries, from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East Africa Community (EAC) regions. 

Submissions will be evaluated based on four criteria: actionability, innovation, catalytic potential, and financial sustainability, as well as their alignment with the Lab’s value-offering. Successful applications should present finance vehicles capable of offering returns for private investors, creating jobs and other local economic benefits, improving climate resilience, or decreasing emissions.  

On 29 November, the Lab is hosting a webinar (register here) covering the 2023 call for ideas’ application process. The session will present case studies from previous cycles and a Q&A segment. The Lab will also host a Portuguese webinar on 30 November (register here). 

“We are always keen to take on new challenges. We are thrilled about the new Gender Equality stream, which will allow the Lab network to further explore the intersectional nature of climate finance,” said Ben Broché, head of the Lab program. “We are also excited about expanding our Africa program to now include countries from the East African Community, leveraging existing local investors networks into the broader Lab program.”  

The Lab, an initiative of over 70 public and private investors and institutions, accelerates investment solutions to support sustainable development goals in emerging markets. Created in 2014, the Lab has launched 62 instruments that have collectively mobilized over USD 3.3 billion.  

The Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance identifies, develops, and launches innovative finance instruments that can drive billions in private investment to action on climate change and sustainable development. Climate Policy Initiative serves as Secretariat.  

Contact  

Júlio Lubianco
Senior Communications Associate
julio.lubianco@cpiglobal.org