The LEAP-RE programme aligns with and responds to specific objectives of the CCSE Roadmap. It seeks to create a long-term partnership of African and European stakeholders in a quadruple helix approach: government (programme owners and funding agencies), research and academia, private sector, and civil society. Impact will be sought by creating a framework, methodology, and cooperation model. The aim is to reduce fragmentation by aligning existing bilateral and multilateral frameworks. LEAP-RE establishes and jointly implements research, innovation, and capacitybuilding activities that respond to the Multi-Annual Roadmaps (MARs) developed in PRE-LEAP-RE.
The programme opted for a large-scale, inclusive consortium of 96 partners from 34 countries and 2 international organisations, to ensure a broad thematic, geographical and stakeholder coverage, and to demonstrate the feasibility of the collaboration and build trust in view of a long-term partnership addressing the post-2025 period.
LEAP-RE draws on the experience and partnership developed in PRE-LEAP-RE, which conceptualised and developed a framework for long-term, bi-regional cooperation in research, innovation, and capacity building in renewable energies. This partnership is further strengthened by previous collaboration between partners in other projects supporting the EU-Africa HLPD on STI, such as LEAP-Agri, ERAfrica, LEAP4FNSSA, RINEA, and CAAST-Net Plus. Furthermore, the proposal includes R&I partners around 8 individual projects (formalised as Work Packages), which were chosen among expressions of interest received in late 2019.
The ambition of LEAP-RE is to establish a long-lasting EU-AU research and innovation partnership on renewable energy. One of the most effective ways to support the transformative path toward sustainable, affordable and accessible energy is the promotion of joint research and innovation efforts. By building on the confidence initiated within the PRELEAP-RE consortium, this proposal seeks to demonstrate efficient project delivery of the LEAP-RE programme, building trust and creating momentum for a long-term partnership.