Staff Reporter
A R5 million national prize pool is being offered to help scale South African clean-tech ventures globally as the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) and its partners launch the Gauteng instalment of the National CleanTech Innovation Challenge (NCIC) 2026, focused on smart mobility.
The challenge also includes a R1 million provincial prize that will be awarded to one winner in each of the nine provinces to support diffusion and piloting for regional economic development.
The national prize will go to the top challengers, with first prize set at R3 million and second prize at R2 million. In addition, 30 semi-finalists will receive advanced acceleration through a specialised UNIDO Global Cleantech Innovation Programme (GCIP)-aligned intervention across TIA’s regional Cleantech Hub network.
Organisers said a minimum of R5 million in direct blended funding would also be made available for real-world technology demonstrations and pilot programmes with corporate partners, supplemented by GCIP investment.
The TIA, in partnership with the NGIN, Start-Up Culture and Wits University’s Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct, said the Gauteng challenge invites South Africa-based innovators, entrepreneurs, SMMEs and university research teams to submit scalable clean-tech solutions aimed at transforming how Gauteng’s 15 million residents and the country’s freight move through the province.
Applications close on 21 April 2026.
Gauteng, South Africa’s economic heartland and busiest transport corridor, loses billions of rand each year to traffic congestion through lost productivity, increased fuel consumption and environmental degradation.
The NCIC 2026 Smart Mobility challenge supports the Gauteng provincial government’s Smart Mobility 2030 vision by seeking innovations that can move from pilot stage to real-world deployment.
The challenge covers electric and alternative-fuel vehicles, intelligent transport systems, last-mile delivery solutions, ride-sharing and multi-modal platforms, non-motorised transport, fleet management and logistics optimisation, transport data analytics, and commuter safety technologies.
“Gauteng’s transport challenges are immense, but so is the innovation potential in this province. NCIC 2026 is designed to find and accelerate the smart mobility solutions that can get Gauteng moving cleaner, faster, and more inclusively,” said Vusi Skosana, interim head of GCIP SA PMU.
NCIC is part of the Global Cleantech Innovation Programme, which is backed by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF). Organisers said the GCIP pipeline has supported a number of South African ventures through structured acceleration and post-acceleration support since 2014.
Other support for successful applicants includes project funding to advance their smart mobility solution, incubation services with dedicated technical and business mentors, access to investors and industry partners in the mobility and transport sector, intellectual property specialist guidance, and a pathway to pilot and deploy solutions on Gauteng’s roads.
The Gauteng Smart Mobility challenge is one of nine provincial NCIC 2026 challenges, each focused on a specific regional clean-tech priority. Other provinces are tackling issues including waste-to-value, regenerative agriculture, clean energy, mining land rehabilitation and clean port logistics.
“Gauteng is a high-density testing ground for the future of sustainable urban mobility. Through NCIC 2026, we are surfacing world-class cleantech solutions. From EV infrastructure to intelligent data analytics that address the universal challenge of decarbonising rapid urbanisation,” said Mark Harris, CEO of Wits University’s Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct.
“This challenge gives mobility innovators a structured pathway to go from idea to impact and from pilot to pavement, while also positioning South African ingenuity as a vital contributor to the global green economy,” he said.
Applicants must be South Africa-based and have scalable smart mobility solutions aligned to Gauteng’s transport priorities. Applications must be submitted online at https://ncic-sa.org/gauteng/ by 21 April.
