PURE Distribution Innovation Lab

PURE Distribution Innovation Lab
Thank you for your interest in the PURE Distribution Innovation Lab! The programme is designed to support last mile distributors (LMDs) to strengthen and scale their sales of productive use of renewable energy (PURE) appliances - specifically, solar water pumps.

Through the programme, the Global Distributors Collective (GDC) and Energy Saving Trust (EST), co-secretariat of Efficiency for Access, will provide targeted technical assistance, alongside grant funding of up to £25k per distributor, to a small cohort of GDC members that are already selling solar water pumps (SWP) to underserved customers at the last mile. The ultimate aim of the programme is to enable this cohort of distributors to improve operational performance, address key constraints, and scale their offerings more effectively.

In addition, the programme will:
- Develop and share best practices for customer feedback collection: Co-create a standardised consumer questionnaire and field-testing methodology that distributors can use to validate PURE technology-market fit in their own contexts.
- Strengthen distributor - manufactuere relationships: Showcase collaborative projects and practical learnings between last mile distributors and their suppliers, encouraging more manufacturers to pursue mutually beneficial partnerships with LMDs.
What selected companies will receive
1. Grant funding of up to £25k to support agreed field-testing and operational improvements aligned with the programme objectives.
2. Targeted technical assistance (TA) to strengthen after-sales services, repairability, manufacturer engagement, and business practices.
3. Structured field-testing support, including guidance on data and customer feedback collection.
4. Peer learning opportunities and manufacturer roundtables to strengthen distributor–manufacturer linkages and share practical insights across the sector.
Selected companies will be expected to:
1. Demonstrate senior leadership commitment and allocate sufficient staff time to the programme.
2. Implement agreed field-testing activities and operational improvements.
3. Collect and share relevant data and insights, including participation in learning sessions and dissemination activities.
4. Comply with agreed reporting requirements, including timely submission of relevant data and project updates, in order to help the GDC and EST demonstrate programme impact.
5. Be available for the programme duration, from March to October 2026.
To be considered for selection, your company must:
- Be an approved GDC member with 12 months of operational experience.
- Already be selling solar water pumps for income-generating purposes, to underserved consumers and have sold at least 10 units in the past 12 months.
- Have guaranteed access to stock OR access to working capital to purchase new stock.
- Be operating in Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania and/or Nigeria.
If you feel you meet the eligibility criteria and would like to participate, please complete this application form below. The deadline for applications is 9th March 2026.

Note: If you are a last mile distributor of solar water pumps and would like to participate but you are NOT already a GDC member, you are welcome to continue to complete this application form and the GDC team will be in touch with you directly to discuss you signing up to become a GDC member, which is a prerequisite to be considered for this programme.

This project is delivered in partnership between the Global Distributors Collective (GDC) and Energy Saving Trust, co-secretariat of Efficiency for Access, with funding from IKEA Foundation and the UK government through the Transforming Energy Access platform.

If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch with us here.

The information you provide will be kept confidential, but may be shared with our partners at Bopinc, CLASP, and EST for the purposes of assessing your application. By continuing with this application, you are agreeing to us sharing your data this way.

Section 1: About you (primary contact)
Name*

First NameLast Name
Job title*
Email address (please double-check that you have input the correct details)*
example@example.com
What is your mobile/ WhatsApp number?*
Please include your country code e.g. from Uganda +256, from the UK +44.
What is your country of residence?*
City of residence*
Are you comfortable communicating and working in English?*

YesNo

Section 5: Interest and capacity for field testing
Why is your organisation interested in participating in the PURE Distribution Innovation Lab? (Describe what you hope to gain from the programme. Please be as specific as possible, to help us assess your application).*
Please explain what are the top two to three challenges your company currently faces in selling or enabling customers to use solar water pumps? (e.g. repairability, spare parts access, customer affordability, consumer trust, manufacturer terms, other) *
What types of technical assistance would be most valuable to your company through this programme? (Select up to three).*

Repairability and after-sales systemsBusiness model testingEngagement with manufacturers/suppliersConsumer financing modelsSales and marketingSales agent trainingEnd-user data collection and field testingProduct selection and procurementOther
If selected to participate in the programme, how do you plan to use the grant funding (up to £25,000)? Briefly outline the main activities or costs you would prioritise and how you would approach them (e.g. field testing, after-sales and repair systems, data collection, staff time and operational cost, customer and manufacturer engagement).*

Additional information
Is your company currently receiving support from any other solar water pump or PURE programmes?*

YesNoOther
Please briefly describe.*
Is there any additional information you would like to share, to help us assess your suitability for this programme?

Declaration
I confirm that the information provided in this application is accurate to the best of my knowledge.
Name*

First NameLast Name
Job title*
Date*
Signature*

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PURE Distribution Innovation Lab

Section 1: About you (primary contact)

Section 2: About your company

Section 3: Product sales and supply chain information

Section 4: After-sales service and technical capacity

Section 5: Interest and capacity for field testing

Additional information

Declaration