About

The Ayrton Fund is a UK Government commitment to spend up to £1 billion of Official Development Assistance (ODA) on the Research, Development, and Demonstration (RD&D) of clean energy technologies and business models for developing countries, over the five-year period between April 2021 and March 2026. It is part of the wider UK International Climate Finance (ICF) commitment over the same period, and seeks to make clean energy options the most affordable, accessible, and attractive options in developing countries. It supports Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG13 (Climate Action) and the ambitions of important initiatives such as the COP26 Glasgow Breakthroughs and Green Grids Initiative.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) jointly manage the Ayrton Fund. They do this through a portfolio of ongoing, new, and scaled-up clean energy platforms programmes and projects, including thematic challenge programmes, and country and regional demonstrators.

Why has the Explorer Tool been developed?

The Ayrton Explorer Tool is an online search tool that enables clean energy innovators, entrepreneurs, academics, researchers, government staff and other stakeholders to navigate and identify relevant knowledge, initiatives, funding opportunities, and partnerships within the many programmes and projects funded by the Ayrton Fund.

Searches can be run according to need, interest, and geographic region. For example, an innovator looking for funding for an energy storage project in Africa, or a research report covering energy access in the Indo-Pacific, or training opportunities in South Asia, will be able to find relevant Ayrton Fund programmes or projects within these, including links to relevant websites and a contact e-mail in case they would like more information.