The call for proposals launched by iCS marked a significant step in expanding its operational model and creating more opportunities to advance the climate agenda in Brazil. Out of the 13 selected projects, 12 organizations are new grantees, and 5 are based in the Northeast region. With 210 initial registrations, the process demonstrated strong interest from civil society and the institutional readiness of Brazilian organizations to tackle energy and industrial transition issues.
This was the first call for proposals conducted by iCS and aimed at identifying impactful solutions that support the energy transition as a driver of local development. The call focused on green, just, and sustainable industrial value chains, energy regulation, and policy improvements. The first three thematic lines focused on the Northeast, while the remaining topics were national in scope.
The thematic areas included pricing of electric energy in the Northeast to ensure affordability and support renewable energy, and the development of energy storage hubs to boost the critical minerals value chain. Other themes involved fostering low-carbon industries in the Northeast, improving models for energy storage under water scarcity conditions, analyzing the economic impacts of reducing dependence on oil and gas revenues, exploring fiscal models for a green economy, and advancing the decarbonization of long-distance transport using ethanol and biomethane.
The selected projects are expected to generate new knowledge and evidence to strengthen both national and regional decision-making processes. They also aim to foster cross-sectoral engagement and coordinated actions.
Although many high-quality proposals were not selected in this round, iCS acknowledged the strong technical capacity of many participating organizations. Some of these organizations may be invited to submit proposals in the future if additional funding becomes available, further contributing to iCS’s climate-related mission.
