FAQ on the funding call “Namibian Green Hydrogen and PTX Pilot Projects programme”

The coordinator of a consortium (for pilot projects, a company is expected to be the coordinator) submits the proposal. The necessary information on the individual partners must be included in the outline.

The submission of proposals for projects takes place exclusively via the coordinating institution SASSCAL in Namibia: https://jcoinamger.sasscal.org/pilot-projects/ and can be done via e-mail: jcoinam-ger.pp@sasscal.org
 

No. An additional submission to PtJ for information is not necessary.

All submissions must be in English. All submissions should not be more than 10 pages long. Proposals can take the form of a general business plan proposal with a technical and a financial offer, clearly stating the amount of funding needed. CVs of the key staff members can be added but are not required.

Applicants are encouraged as far as possible to already pair their Module 2 project to a Module 1 pilot project. However, stand alone Module 2 projects will be accepted - but their qualification will depend on availability and suitability with a selected stand alone Module 1 project.

Applications may be submitted by:

• legally registered private sector entities of the partner countries
• universities (of applied sciences) and research institutions
• Non-governmental organizations

Only a consortium that is made up of at least one Namibian and at least one German company or institution qualifies for funding.

Grants will be awarded to consortiums based in Namibia guided by the following broad legislative and policy framework.

• Namibia Energy Policy
• Namibia Integrated National Energy Masterplan
• Namibia Renewable Energy Legislation
• Namibia Funding guidelines and regulations for Renewable Energy Projects
• Electricity Act
• National Independent Power Producer Policy
• Modified Single Buyer Model
• Namibia Energy Regulatory Authority Bill
• Namibia Water Act
• Public Private Partnership Act
• Public Procurement Act
• Development Partnership Coordination
• Namibia Funding guidelines and regulations for Research and Innovation
• Road Traffic and Transportation Act 22 of 1999 and its Regulations

The funding for any Namibian based entity will be disbursed by The Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management (SASSCAL).

The funding for any Germany based entity will be provided directly by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) according to the regulations stated in the “call for the funding of grants within the framework of the 7th Energy Research Programme of the Federal Government "Innovations for the energy transition” by BMBF of 6th February 2019.

Specific information for German partners can be found here: https://portaldev.staging-c.ptj.de/projektfoerderung/anwendungsorientierte-grundlagenforschung-energie/deutsch-namibische-wasserstoff-partnerschaft

For pilot projects companies are expected to be in the lead. Accompanying F&E projects can be done by scientific partners and/or partners from social society.

There are no expectations or restrictions. The partners should cover all necessary expertise. For pilot projects, at least one company (on the German or Namibian side) must be involved. It should be noted that preference will be given to small and medium-sized enterprises.

Purely academic consortia are permitted for accompanying R&D projects. These are encouraged to already be integrated into the Module 1 pilot project. Stand alone projects will however still be accepted.

Additional partners without funding (so-called associated partners) can be involved in principle. The proposal should clearly indicate the participation in terms of content.

This funding is restricted to Namibian and German institutions.

A minimum funding amount per project is not specified. The maximum amount to be allocated per project that includes both module 1 and 2 is €15 million.

The funding will be awarded to a German/Namibian consortium that will be setup in Namibia. A funding quota for collaborative projects is not specified. The parties or partners in any consortium can share and or divide the responsibility between themselves as strategically desired.

However, it is expected that the majority of the funding will benefit Namibia, either through direct funding to Namibian partners or some form of added value on Namibian ground.

There is no limit on the duration of the project. The objective of this programme is to provide funding that propels the Namibian/German consortium into the Namibian Green Hydrogen economy. As a pilot project that results in the development of a commercialized company.

This pilot programme will work closely with awarded consortiums for up to 5 years.

Projects should be in a position to start by the 3rd quarter of the 2022 calendar year at the latest.

To be considered in the selection process, a consortium must:

• Submit the project proposal to the Namibian side (SASSCAL) only. Proposals sent to the German side (BMBF/PtJ) will not be considered.
• Be made up of at least one Namibian and one German partner (1+1) but more partners on either side are possible
• must contain at least one German or Namibian company in case of a pilot project proposal
• plan for respective EI(S)A as part of the project work in case of a pilot project proposal

All proposals will be evaluated by German and Namibian experts from the Technical Working Group, which was established within the framework of the JCoI, according to the criteria defined.

The objectives of the grant funding programme are:

• To provide support for the necessary market ramp-up for Green hydrogen industry;
• To facilitate the creation of an international market for Namibian Green hydrogen products through international partnerships;
• To promote the research and development of the Green Hydrogen industry; and
• To facilitate the creation of local employment in the Green Hydrogen industry.

As such, applications should speak to the above objectives, as these will be used during the selection process.

Further evaluation criteria are:

• Scientific and technical quality, innovativeness, and knowledge on the Green Hydrogen economy
• Methodology and quality of project construction, feasibility, and appropriateness of the project
• Quality, competence, and complementarity of the consortia to address the objectives of the project including the active involvement and commitment of the respective Namibian and German companies/institutions.
• Added value of the bilateral cooperation and expected benefit for both the Namibian and the German side and the balance of the cooperation.
• Overall impact of the project, including scientific, technological, economic, and social aspects
• Appropriateness of resources and funding requested
• Inclusion of a clear R&D component in the consortia’s pilot project

None are stipulated. The selection committee will take a holistic approach when assessing applications to determine the best use of the allocated funding.
For German partners, the restrictions listed in the BMBF call for the 7th Energy Research Programme apply: https://www.bmbf.de/bmbf/shareddocs/bekanntmachungen/de/2019/02/2337_bekanntmachung.html