Program Description
The International Renewable Energy Agency is launching the IRENA NewGen Renewable Energy Accelerator (NewGen) for the fourth year in a row with the support of the government of the UAE and in partnership with other organizations. Youth-led start-ups, scale-ups, and growth businesses active in Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, Clean technology can be supported by IRENA to foster their growth and business acceleration. This four-month hybrid acceleration programme allows participants to work closely with technical and business experts to consolidate their business model, widen their customer base, and enhance their investment readiness.
Benefits
Accelerator participants will benefit from:
- Access to pitching events and investment matchmaking
- Tailored acceleration programme in renewable energy and climate technology
- Webinars, workshops, and dedicated mentorship by IRENA
Eligibility Criteria
- Call for applications is open to young entrepreneurs between 18 and 35 years old from all over the world.
- At least one founder of the start-up must be below the age of 35.
- By entering the selection process, participants guarantee that the submitted documentation is an original work created solely by the applicants and that it does not infringe on copyrights, trademarks, and the rights of privacy, publicity, or intellectual property rights of any person or entity.
- At least two of the start-up founders must be committed to attending the accelerator sessions for at least 16 hours each month.
Business Categories
Start-up main business line should be in the following categories:
- Renewable Energy technologies (solar, wind, hydropower, green hydrogen, geothermal, and bio energy)
- Climate adaptation technologies (water, agriculture, livestock, extreme weather events, early warning system)
- Climate Mitigation technologies (transportation, decarbonization, circular economy, energy efficiency, energy transformation, and smart grids)
Application Process and Timeline
- Application open: 6 April - 3 May
- Screening applications and selecting participants: 4 May - 18 May
- Announcing selected cohort: 18 May
- NewGen Training programme: 1 June - 30 August
- Business Linkage IRENA Youth Award Post-Acceleration Engagement: 3 September - 30 September
Application Deadline
3 May 2026
Grant Atlas