Research & Innovation for Climate (RICH) Hub 2026: Climate AI Innovation Support and Potential Grants of Up to $200,000

The Research & Innovation for Climate (RICH) Hub is inviting expressions of interest from innovators developing artificial intelligence (AI) and data-driven technologies that address climate change and strengthen climate resilience across Africa. The initiative seeks promising solutions that have progressed beyond the idea stage and are already being tested in real-world settings.

Through this opportunity, selected innovations may receive technical and innovation support, research and piloting opportunities, connections with implementation partners, knowledge exchange, greater visibility, and potential scaling grants of up to US$200,000. The level and type of support will depend on eligibility, assessment outcomes, available resources, and the needs of each innovation.

Expressions of Interest are accepted on a rolling basis, meaning there is no fixed closing date stated in the current announcement. Interested innovators can review the official call and submit their information through the RICH Hub application page.

About the Research & Innovation for Climate (RICH) Hub

The Research & Innovation for Climate Hub is an initiative focused on connecting climate innovation with practical research, technical expertise, and opportunities for implementation and growth. The Hub aims to identify promising AI-enabled and data-driven solutions that can help African communities, institutions, and ecosystems respond to climate-related challenges.

The initiative recognises that artificial intelligence can support climate action by helping people analyse environmental information, identify emerging risks, improve forecasting, and make better-informed decisions. However, developing a technology is only one part of the process. Solutions also need to be tested, adapted to local conditions, adopted by intended users, and supported as they expand.

The RICH Hub seeks to help address these barriers by building a pipeline of climate AI innovations with the potential to achieve meaningful results in African contexts. Through research partnerships, technical guidance, knowledge exchange, and potential financial support, the initiative aims to help suitable innovations progress towards wider implementation.

What Is the RICH Hub Climate AI Innovation Opportunity?

The RICH Hub Climate AI Innovation opportunity is an invitation to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) for potential collaboration and support.

An Expression of Interest allows innovators to introduce their solutions, explain the problems they address, describe their current stage of development, and indicate how further assistance could help them achieve greater impact.

Unlike a conventional funding call that guarantees a defined grant to every successful applicant, this opportunity provides a route for innovations to be considered for different forms of support. Depending on the assessment and available resources, an innovation may be considered for technical assistance, research collaboration, piloting, partnerships, visibility, or potential scaling finance.

A key feature of the call is its focus on solutions that have already reached the pilot stage or beyond. This means the Hub is interested in technologies with evidence of real-world testing or use, rather than proposals that exist only as ideas or untested concepts.

By connecting innovations with relevant expertise and potential collaborators, the RICH Hub aims to strengthen the pathway from practical experimentation to broader climate impact.

Potential Funding of Up to US$200,000 for Climate AI Innovation

One of the main opportunities associated with the RICH Hub is the possibility of accessing scaling grants of up to US$200,000.

This potential financial support could help suitable innovations expand their operations, improve their technologies, conduct further testing, or extend their reach to additional communities and implementation settings.

For example, an AI-based climate solution that has demonstrated promising results in one location might need additional resources to validate its performance in other environments. A scaling grant could potentially support activities required for wider implementation, subject to the programme’s assessment and funding conditions.

Similarly, an innovation that uses environmental data to support climate-related decisions may require further development, field testing, or collaboration with organisations that can help put its findings into practice.

However, the advertised amount should not be interpreted as guaranteed funding. The RICH Hub states that potential grants are subject to eligibility, assessment, and available resources. Submitting an Expression of Interest does not automatically qualify an innovation for a grant, and the announcement does not promise that every selected innovation will receive the maximum amount.

Applicants should therefore explain the specific support their innovation needs and how that support could contribute to further development, adoption, or scaling.

Benefits of the RICH Hub Climate AI Innovation Opportunity

Beyond potential financial assistance, the RICH Hub may provide several forms of support intended to help climate technologies become more effective, better connected, and more widely adopted.

1. Technical and Innovation Support

Selected innovations may receive technical assistance to strengthen their solutions and address challenges encountered during development or implementation.

Depending on the innovation’s needs, technical support could help teams assess their technology, identify areas for improvement, and determine what additional work may be needed before wider adoption.

For AI-powered climate technologies, technical development may involve improving the use of environmental data, evaluating model performance, refining analytical methods, or adapting a solution to the needs of its intended users.

The exact nature of assistance will depend on the support available and the requirements of the innovation.

2. Research and Piloting Opportunities

Research and piloting support may help innovators investigate how their technologies perform under real-world conditions.

Testing a climate AI solution outside a controlled development environment can reveal practical issues that are difficult to identify during early development. These may include differences in data quality, local environmental conditions, infrastructure, user needs, and the availability of technical resources.

Research collaborations can also help innovators evaluate results, gather evidence, and identify improvements before expanding their operations.

For solutions that have already been piloted, further research may help determine whether the technology can be adapted to other communities, ecosystems, or climate-related challenges.

3. Connections With Potential Collaborators and Implementation Partners

Partnerships can play an important role in the development and adoption of climate technologies.

An innovation may have strong technical foundations but still need access to research institutions, local organisations, public-sector stakeholders, or other partners capable of supporting implementation.

Through the RICH Hub, selected innovations may have opportunities to connect with potential collaborators and implementation partners.

These connections could help teams identify suitable settings for testing, explore joint research activities, understand the needs of intended users, and establish relationships that support future adoption.

Such partnerships may also help innovators understand the practical requirements of deploying their solutions in different African contexts.

4. Knowledge Exchange and Learning

Climate innovation often requires expertise from several disciplines, including artificial intelligence, environmental science, data analysis, research, and community development.

Knowledge exchange can give innovators opportunities to learn from other teams, discuss technical challenges, share experiences, and understand different approaches to climate resilience.

These interactions may help teams identify lessons from existing projects and apply them to their own work.

Learning from other innovations can also help developers understand the practical considerations involved in testing and expanding AI-powered solutions, particularly where local conditions vary significantly.

5. Increased Visibility for Climate AI Solutions

Visibility can help promising innovations reach people and organisations that might otherwise be unaware of their work.

Through the RICH Hub, selected innovations may gain greater exposure and opportunities to connect with potential partners and other stakeholders in the climate innovation ecosystem.

The Hub also provides an opportunity for innovators to consider having selected information about their solutions included in a potential public Climate AI Innovation Database. This could help showcase their work and facilitate connections with researchers, collaborators, funders, and implementation partners.

Consent to public database inclusion is voluntary and is not a requirement for consideration by the Hub. Applicants should review the relevant information and make their own decision about whether to consent.

6. Potential Scaling Partnerships

Moving a technology from pilot testing to broader implementation often requires more than financial support.

An innovation may need implementation partners, research collaborators, technical expertise, and organisations that can help introduce the solution to additional users.

The RICH Hub may provide opportunities to establish partnerships that support the next stage of an innovation’s development.

For example, a climate monitoring tool could benefit from collaboration with organisations that work directly with affected communities. A data-driven agricultural solution might need partners who understand local farming systems and can support testing with intended users.

These are illustrative examples rather than guaranteed activities under the programme. The partnerships available will depend on the innovation, the Hub’s objectives, and the opportunities that arise.

Areas of Climate AI Innovation Relevant to the Opportunity

The RICH Hub is interested in AI and data-driven technologies that address climate or environmental challenges relevant to African communities, ecosystems, institutions, or economies.

The announcement does not provide a closed list of eligible sectors. The following examples illustrate the kinds of problems that climate AI technologies may address, provided they meet the programme’s stated requirements.

Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience

Climate adaptation involves preparing for and responding to the effects of climate change. AI-enabled tools may help analyse environmental conditions, identify patterns in climate-related data, or support decisions about managing climate risks.

Examples could include technologies that help communities or institutions understand changing environmental conditions and plan appropriate responses.

Drought Monitoring and Prediction

Drought can affect water availability, agriculture, livestock, food security, and household livelihoods.

Data-driven technologies may help analyse rainfall patterns, soil moisture, temperature, and other environmental indicators to identify potential drought risks or improve monitoring.

Solutions in this area may be relevant where they have progressed beyond the idea stage and demonstrate real-world testing and potential for wider use.

Flood Monitoring and Early Warning

Flooding can damage homes, infrastructure, farmland, and essential services. AI-supported analysis of rainfall, river levels, terrain, and other relevant data may contribute to improved flood monitoring and risk assessment.

Solutions could help institutions and communities interpret changing conditions and make more informed decisions about preparedness and response.

Climate-Smart Agriculture and Food Security

Agriculture is closely linked to weather patterns, water availability, soil conditions, and other environmental factors.

AI-powered agricultural technologies may help farmers or agricultural organisations interpret climate information, assess environmental risks, or make better-informed decisions about crop production and resource use.

For example, a tested tool might combine weather and agricultural data to support decisions about planting periods or water management.

Environmental Monitoring and Natural Resource Management

AI and data analytics can support the monitoring of environmental conditions, ecosystems, land use, and natural resources.

Innovations in this area may help organisations interpret large datasets, identify changes over time, or support decisions related to environmental protection and climate resilience.

The suitability of a solution would depend on the specific problem it addresses, its development stage, and its potential to deliver practical results.

These examples are illustrative areas of application, not a formal list of programme priorities. Applicants should explain the precise climate or environmental challenge their innovation addresses and how AI or data-driven technology contributes to the solution.

Why Real-World Testing Matters for Climate AI Solutions

A central requirement of the RICH Hub opportunity is that innovations should have reached the pilot stage or beyond and be tested or used in real-world settings.

This requirement reflects the difference between a technology that appears promising in theory and one that has begun demonstrating its usefulness in practice.

A prototype may show that an AI model can process environmental data or produce a prediction. Real-world testing goes further by examining whether the technology works under actual operating conditions and whether it addresses the needs of its intended users.

Evidence from real-world use can help demonstrate:

• The specific climate or environmental problem the innovation addresses.

• How the solution uses AI or data-driven technology.

• The stage of development and implementation.

• Whether the solution has been tested with intended users, communities, or organisations.

• What has been learned from testing and what improvements remain necessary.

• How the innovation could be adapted, adopted, or expanded.

The announcement does not prescribe a particular evaluation method or minimum number of users. Nevertheless, innovators should be prepared to describe their experience of testing the solution and explain what has been learned.

Where available, relevant pilot findings, user feedback, performance indicators, or implementation records may help communicate the innovation’s current position. Applicants should provide accurate information that reflects the actual evidence available.

How to Prepare an Expression of Interest

The RICH Hub invites interested innovators to submit an Expression of Interest through its official climate AI innovation page.

Before submitting, it is useful to organise the information needed to explain the innovation clearly. The following preparation steps are practical recommendations rather than a confirmed exhaustive list of mandatory documents.

Step 1: Define the Climate or Environmental Problem

Begin by explaining the specific problem the solution is designed to address.

Describe the affected communities, ecosystems, institutions, or economic activities and explain why the problem matters in the relevant African context.

A clearly defined problem helps establish the purpose of the innovation and the need for the proposed approach.

Step 2: Explain How AI or Data-Driven Technology Is Used

Describe how artificial intelligence or data-driven methods contribute to solving the problem.

Rather than simply stating that a project uses AI, explain what the technology does, what information it uses, and how its outputs support a decision, process, or practical intervention.

This explanation should be understandable to readers who may not specialize in the technical aspects of the solution.

Step 3: Describe the Current Stage of Development

Explain whether the innovation is being piloted, actively used, or implemented beyond its initial pilot stage.

Describe the real-world setting in which testing or use has taken place and identify the intended users or organisations involved.

Since the opportunity targets innovations at the pilot stage or beyond, the development stage should be represented accurately.

Step 4: Present Available Evidence

Summarise the findings or experience gathered during testing.

Where appropriate, this may include observed performance, implementation lessons, feedback from intended users, or evidence that the technology addresses the identified problem.

Avoid presenting projected results as achieved outcomes. If further testing is needed, explain what remains to be established.

Step 5: Explain the Innovation’s Potential for Growth

Describe how the solution might reach additional users or operate in other settings.

This could involve expanding to other locations, improving the technology, working with additional implementation partners, or adapting the solution to different environmental conditions.

Applicants should explain the practical steps needed for expansion rather than relying solely on broad claims about future impact.

Step 6: Identify the Support Needed

Consider which forms of assistance would help the innovation progress.

For example, the team may need further technical development, research collaboration, piloting opportunities, implementation partnerships, or potential scaling finance.

The explanation should connect the requested support to specific needs and intended outcomes.

Step 7: Review and Submit the Official Expression of Interest

Visit the official RICH Hub Climate AI Innovation page, review the available instructions, and complete the Expression of Interest process.

Official application page: RICH Hub Climate AI Innovation.

Applicants should follow the current instructions on the official page and provide complete, accurate information. Any additional requirements should be confirmed directly from the application form rather than assumed from third-party summaries.

Application Deadline for the RICH Hub Climate AI Innovation Opportunity

The RICH Hub accepts Expressions of Interest on a rolling basis. The current announcement does not specify a fixed closing date.

A rolling process allows expressions of interest to be submitted on an ongoing basis for consideration as relevant opportunities arise.

Interested innovators should consult the official application page to confirm that the call remains open and to review any updated instructions before submitting.

Because the timing of support and funding opportunities may depend on assessment, eligibility, and available resources, applicants should not assume that submission will result in immediate selection or funding.

Important Considerations Before Applying

Before submitting an Expression of Interest, it is worth understanding several points about the opportunity.

First, the call is intended for developed innovations. Solutions should have reached the pilot stage or beyond and be tested or used in real-world settings. An idea without real-world testing may not fit the stated requirements.

Second, AI or data-driven technology should make a meaningful contribution. The innovation should clearly explain how its technology addresses a defined climate or environmental challenge.

Third, the financial support is not guaranteed. Scaling grants of up to US$200,000 are potential opportunities subject to eligibility, assessment, and available resources. The maximum advertised amount should not be treated as a guaranteed award.

Fourth, different innovations may need different types of support. Technical assistance, research, piloting, partnerships, visibility, and potential funding may be relevant in different ways depending on each solution’s development stage.

Finally, database participation is voluntary. Applicants may be offered the option to consent to having selected information about their innovation included in a potential public Climate AI Innovation Database. This consent is not required for consideration by the Hub.

How to Apply for the RICH Hub Climate AI Innovation Opportunity

Interested innovators can access the official call and submit an Expression of Interest through the following link:

Official application link: https://www.ai4d.ai/calls/rich-hub-climate-ai-innovation

Applicants should review the programme information, confirm that their innovation fits the stated development-stage and climate relevance requirements, and follow the instructions provided on the official page.

For enquiries, the RICH Hub announcement page also lists the contact email comms@developlocal.org.

Conclusion

The Research & Innovation for Climate Hub offers a potential route for climate AI innovations in Africa to access technical expertise, research opportunities, piloting support, knowledge exchange, partnerships, and greater visibility. Selected innovations may also be considered for scaling grants of up to US$200,000, depending on eligibility, assessment outcomes, and available resources.

The opportunity is particularly relevant to solutions that have moved beyond the concept stage and are already being tested or used in real-world settings. By focusing on practical implementation and potential for wider adoption, the Hub aims to help promising technologies address climate and environmental challenges across the continent.

Innovators interested in participating should prepare a clear explanation of the problem their solution addresses, how the technology works, what has been achieved during real-world testing, and what further support could help the innovation grow.

With Expressions of Interest accepted on a rolling basis, interested applicants can visit the official RICH Hub page to review the requirements and submit their information for consideration.