Earlier this yr, greater than 60 cleantech ecosystem representatives from 11 nations got here collectively in an internet workshop to debate, consider, and share learnings from their collective ecosystem constructing efforts. The eleven low- and middle-income nations are all companions in UNIDO’s International Cleantech Innovation Programme, which goals to advertise cleantech innovation and entrepreneurship to handle pressing environmental challenges.
The outcomes reveal uneven however encouraging momentum, formed by regional linkages, advancing coverage frameworks, and, in some instances, resilience within the face of adversity.
Momentum Accelerators: Who Is Advancing the Most, and Why
- A standout performer was Cambodia, which improved throughout 7 out of the 15 metrics. Progress was pushed by new inclusion and engagement applications, notably involving the Ministry of Financial system and Finance, the Ministry of Setting, and companions resembling Techo Startup Heart. Extra assist got here from expanded worldwide cooperation and government-led incubation for early-stage cleantech ventures. Cambodia’s transition from casual assist to structured institutional coordination has helped set up it as a rising cleantech hub in Southeast Asia.
- Kazakhstan additionally progressed in eight metrics and has seen cleantech exercise develop in Astana and Almaty. This was supported by nationwide technique enhancements by the Ministry of Ecology, businesses just like the Worldwide Inexperienced Applied sciences and Funding Heart (IGTIC) and better cooperation with nations throughout Central Asia. Though funding and commercialization mechanisms are nonetheless creating, the nation is changing into a key bridge inside the Eurasian cleantech panorama.
- Moldova is constructed on applications resembling Tech Ladies and She’s Subsequent, and strengthened coverage alignment by the Vitality Effectivity Company. The ecosystem is increasing entry to capital and mentoring providers, though assist for firms looking for early development and the event of regional innovation clusters outdoors Chisinau stays restricted. Latest pilot initiatives just like the Eco-Industrial Parks, led by UNIDO and the EU, as a part of the EU4Environment Programme, have begun laying the muse for brand spanking new native start-up accelerators.
- Türkiye, already having a comparatively developed ecosystem in 2023, superior throughout 5 further indicators. It has expanded early-stage assist methods together with TUBITAK start-up grants and energetic participation in EU applications like Horizon Europe. Regional hubs resembling Izmir, strengthened by the EU-funded BEST For Vitality mission, proceed to increase worldwide collaboration. Efforts to shut the hole between firms and start-ups are gaining traction by demonstration funding and government-supported know-how switch applications.
- Morocco gained additional momentum by extending cleantech exercise to cities like Tangier and Agadir. Key initiatives and clusters embody Cluster EnR, which helps the creation of the inexperienced tech sector, and Inexperienced Vitality Park, which offers R&D and experimentation areas for renewable power applied sciences. New reforms by the Moroccan Ministry of Vitality Transition intention to ease administrative obstacles round procurement and allowing. But, continued enhancements are wanted in areas like tailor-made monetary devices for growth-stage ventures and coordination throughout authorities ministries.
Battle and Realignment: Innovation Beneath Stress
Some ecosystems should discover methods to innovate throughout disaster. Ukraine, regardless of ongoing battle, confirmed robust efficiency throughout a number of ecosystem indicators. Whereas regulatory constructions stay beneath improvement and nationwide assist is constrained by warfare, the nation advantages from robust worldwide alliances, energetic diaspora involvement, and a dedicated civil society.
Organizations resembling Greencubator have stepped as much as lead nationwide innovation actions. Their work contains offering coaching, convening ecosystem gamers, and enabling world publicity for Ukrainian cleantech entrepreneurs. The nation’s innovation priorities have shifted towards sectors that improve resilience. These embody agricultural know-how, power self-sufficiency, and round textiles.
Exterior assist has additionally performed a job. EU-aligned applications and U.S.-supported transatlantic partnerships have given native entrepreneurs higher entry to financing, collaboration networks, and business alternatives. Ukraine’s evolving innovation strategy highlights a key perception–ecosystems working beneath excessive strain usually discover artistic momentum, not from central mandates, however by the decentralized dedication of their contributors.
First-Time Assessed: Constructing Sturdy Foundations
Amongst new contributors, Namibia and Senegal confirmed creating ecosystems with promising entry factors.
Namibia is attracting consideration by worldwide initiatives, resembling Hyphen Hydrogen Vitality, and by creating cleantech applications that target ladies and youth from entities just like the Ministry of Gender Equality. Nonetheless, fragmented coverage constructions and restricted entry to blended finance choices proceed to hinder wider deployment efforts.
Senegal can also be advancing by its evolving local weather innovation agenda, supported by public establishments such because the Path du Climat and private-sector actors like Baobab Sénégal, which issued the nation’s first inexperienced, social, and sustainable bond in 2024. Nonetheless, most cleantech exercise stay centered in Dakar, underscoring the necessity to strengthen gender inclusion and higher interact casual entrepreneurs throughout the nation.
5 Systemic Takeaways
- Exterior connectivity fuels ecosystem development
Exterior linkages play a decisive position in ecosystem improvement. Kazakhstan and Türkiye profit from commerce and expertise flows tied to close by markets, whereas Ukraine and Moldova have tapped into world partnerships and diaspora assist. To totally exploit their potential, these advantages must be matched by native coverage alignment and ecosystem readiness.
_ - Battle realigns priorities
In Ukraine, innovation is not solely about development. The main focus now contains crucial wants resembling meals safety, home manufacturing, power independence, and round economic system options. Related shifts might happen in any area dealing with disruption, the place innovation turns into a software for resilience as a lot as financial improvement.
- Inclusion is a development lever
Packages that assist the participation of girls and younger folks, resembling these in Cambodia, Namibia, and Morocco, reveal that inclusion fuels broader ecosystem engagement. These initiatives diversify management, increase expertise swimming pools, and generate extra equitable innovation outcomes, significantly when embedded inside nationwide methods and entrepreneurial assist methods.
_ - Coverage nonetheless lags funding ambitions
South Africa illustrates a typical problem. Dynamic start-up exercise might emerge, however coverage misalignment, restricted entry to growth-stage capital, and weak demand stimulation mechanisms usually stall progress. Ecosystems require not simply entrepreneurial power, but additionally enabling insurance policies and public instruments to maneuver from pilot to scale.
_ - Native Ecosystem Champions Speed up Progress
Native stewards such because the Path du Climat in Senegal, Techo Startup Heart in Cambodia, or Greencubator in Ukraine, play a significant position convening, connecting, and main. Their capacity to translate coverage into motion and maintain collaboration throughout sectors usually decide whether or not ecosystems advance meaningfully or stay fragmented.
Trying Forward
Every ecosystem is a singular community of organisations, constructing on completely different industrial strengths, partnerships, skillsets and cultural cloth. Due to this fact, similar to innovation, cleantech ecosystem constructing is just not linear. Historical past, geopolitics, and accessible assets all play a component.
GCIP wraps up in 2026, and as associate nations look to construct sustainable initiatives past the programme, three priorities stand out:
- Strengthen ecosystem coordination mechanisms that hyperlink coverage, capital, and entrepreneurship beneath a shared nationwide long-term imaginative and prescient
- Spend money on late-stage and demand-side assist together with cleantech procurement, scale-up financing, and market incentives
- Empower native ecosystem champions throughout ministries, cities, universities, and civil society with the mandate, instruments, and funding to steer transformation
The objective forward isn’t just to increase what GCIP began, however to embed cleantech capability within the establishments and economies of associate nations. That can require built-in methods, daring experimentation, and a brand new stage of ambition. In cleantech, capability isn’t just constructed—it’s shared, supported, and scaled.
Cleantech Group’s cleantech ecosystem analysis methodology was developed in collaboration with UNIDO. The objective is to supply a standardized but adaptable technique for evaluating nationwide readiness to scale cleantech innovation.
The framework examines nation ecosystems throughout three core areas:
- Innovation Coverage and Ecosystem Assist
- Cleantech Innovation Cluster Growth
- Engagement of Ecosystem Actors
