Applications open for uYilo Kick Start Fund (South Africa)

The uYilo e-Mobility Programme was initiated by Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) in March 2013 and is hosted by the Nelson Mandela University (NMU). The programme serves as a national multistakeholder collaborative programme focused on enabling, facilitating and mobilising the electric mobility (e-Mobility) ecosystem in South Africa. uYilo has been made available to the entire e-Mobility innovation value chain that includes original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), automotive component suppliers, small medium micro enterprises (SMMEs), entrepreneurs, science councils and higher education institutes (HEIs).

To support applied research and development activities in the field of e-Mobility, the uYilo “Kick Start” fund provides an agile mechanism to support strategic projects in the sector. The funding is not intended to initiate fundamental or basic research but is focused on applied research that will accelerate Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) and lead to the creation of products, process or services that can be commercialised to advance the South African e-Mobility agenda. Industry service delivery and public transport related projects are encouraged.

Funding Information

• Two categories are defined:
  • Individual projects that only have one participant in the project and;
  • Collaborative project that has multiple participants.
• Individual projects will be limited to R 500,000 (Five hundred thousand Rand) of funding from the Kick Start Fund. Preference will be given to projects that provide co-funding.
• In the case where collaborative projects provide matched co-funding (equal to that of the Kick Start Fund) the limit will be R 1,000,000 (One million Rand). For collaborative projects that do not provide matched co-funding the limit will be R 500,000 (Five hundred thousand Rand).

Hurdle Criteria

• All successful projects must meet the following three hurdle criteria.
  • Within TIA’s Mandate: The project must fall within TIA’s mandate as outlined in the Technology Innovation Agency Act (No. 26 of 2008)
  • Within uYilo’s focus: The project must fall within the strategic focus of the uYilo Programme which includes:
    • Energy Storage Technologies;
    • Electric Vehicle Systems;
    • Charging Infrastructure within Smart Grids;
    • Connected Car
  • Relevance to the industry: The project must positively contribute to the advancing of the eMobility sector in the country and related applied R&D activities. Therefore, projects should:
    • Lead to the creation of e-Mobility products, processes or services that can be commercialised; or
    • Solve a critical problem that is a barrier to the development of the e-Mobility industry; or
    • Show potential for further investment

Project Adjudication Criteria

• Projects submitted will be adjudicated using the following criteria:
  • Stage of Technology Development: The project must be of an applied research and/or a developmental nature; fundamental or basic research will not be funded. The technology must be at least TRL3 (Technology Readiness Level 3) as defined by the TRL Guidelines provided with the application form. The proposed offering must have passed the initial proof of concept stage. Specific technologies are expected to provide a step change in efficiency, operational cost or improved performance when compared with today’s solutions.
  • Technology Viability: Technical viability of the solution (process, product or service) and/or technology must be established by an expert in the field. External consultants may be used if uYilo does not have the in-house capability to assess the technology.
  • Technology Development: The project must advance the technology to a stage where it can be further funded, commercialised and/or utilised. There must be a clear indication of the change in TRL level that is expected during the project. Not advancing the TRL will not disqualify the project, but significant progress must be shown.
  • Team: The project team must comprise the relevant resources who have the requisite skills/experience to execute the project. Demographics of the team members should be socially inclusive
  • Market: The project proposal must show that there is a reasonable market in terms of volume or price.
  • Project Plan: The project plan must include focused activities with clear deliverables/outcomes and timelines and at least one deliverable must be a viable proposal/business plan for taking the idea forward
  • Budget: The budget should be reasonable for the scope of work to be undertaken and should correlate with the proposed activities. The request for funding should not exceed prescribed limit and co-funding of activities will be considered positively. All other funding received for this project must be declared and projects may be rejected if already funded by TIA or by other government departments and/or agencies. Budget items must fit within the fundable activities which are:
    • Proving technology functionality
    • Prototype development or improvement
    • Production of market samples o Refining and implementing designs
    • Support of certification activities
    • Piloting and scale-up and techno-economic evaluation

For more information, visit TIA.