Cleantech Innovation Competition

The Cleantech Innovation Competition is a joint initiative by the Embassy of Switzerland-Nairobi, SICPA and KCIC. The purpose of the competition is to support early-stage businesses in the cleantech sector that focus on solving environmental problems. The Cleantech Innovation Competition is an initiative aimed at providing a platform for higher education students in Kenya to showcase their innovative cleantech ideas and technologies that can be used to address local environmental issues. The competition is in line with the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs). Through strategic partnerships, KCIC will work to influence the creation of enabling legal and regulatory frameworks for clean tech businesses as well as the mainstreaming of the green growth and climate change agenda into the Kenyan economy. KCIC is engaged in five sectors: water; renewable energy and energy efficiency (RE & EE); agriculture; commercial forestry and waste management. By focusing on these sectors, KCIC (and its clients) will directly and indirectly contribute to the achievement of SDG 1 (no poverty); SDG 2 (no hunger); SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation), SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy), and SDG 13 (climate action). Others are SDG 15 (life on land); SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth) and SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production). The Kenya Climate Innovation Center, which is the implementing partner, is placing a call for applications to enrol cleantech technologies and related business ideas into the competition. The competition will address key challenges that hinder cleantech technologies and related innovative business ideas from tapping into the immense potential in the cleantech sector. The applications can be submitted online through the KCIC website. The call for applications will run from 10 th July 2026 to 10 th August

1. Thereafter, evaluation of theapplications will be done and responses to the applicants will be communicated by KCIC by 15 th September 2026.