WHO WE ARE
PISCES (Policy Innovation Systems for Clean Energy Security) is a new 5-year Energy Research Programme Consortium (RPC) initiative funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DfID) that is aimed at contributing to innovation and providing new policy-relevant knowledge in the energy sector - leading to better practices and ultimately impacts in helping the poor in developing countries.
The RPC is co-ordinated by the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS). The executive director of ACTS, Prof. Judi Wakhungu, is the lead director of PISCES. DfID has entered into a contractual agreement with ACTS and the following partners:
• University of Edinburgh (UoE), UK;
• M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), India;
• Practical Action UK (PAC UK), East Africa (PAC EA) and South Asia (PAC SA); and
• The University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), Tanzania.
PISCES will integrate research on water, food and energy security by focussing on the pivotal issue of bioenergy in increasing energy access and the security of livelihoods for the poor in Africa and Asia. These issues require the development of robust technologies, the upscaling of proven technologies, and policies promoting service delivery that give an appropriate role to local entrepreneurship. PISCES will establish a networked centre of expertise to translate the widespread but disparate work and experience of accessible energy technology and services into policy interventions at all levels - and therefore increase access to energy for rural and urban poor in the target countries of Kenya, Tanzania, India and Sri Lanka. |
