In its ‘Delivering the Newton Fund in Latin America’ Programme Delivery report, covering 7 years of funding and financing over 350 projects, the British Council highlights the ‘Capabilities-led Energy Poverty Alleviation Via Innovative Community Solutions’ (CaPAS).
Poverty manifests in many shapes and has diverse consequences. Energy poverty, in particular, impedes individuals with limited resources from exercising their rights to education, health, and social participation. The CaPAS project, aimed at addressing energy poverty, received financing from the Newton Fund through a partnership between the British Council and Conacyt. The Mexico and UK project team worked together in communities within the States of Mexico, Morelos, Puebla, and Michoacán to address this issue.
The project was led by Dr Harriet Thomson at University of Birmingham with Prof Ian Hamilton and colleagues Dr Harsh Jatkar and Dr Julia Tomei at UCL Energy Institute, alongside co-lead Dr Karla Cedano and her colleagues Dr Miguel Robles, Dr Manuel Martínez, and Dr Omar Masera from the Institute of Renewable Energies at UNAM.
Prof Ian Hamilton said:
This project exemplifies the benefits of international research cooperation that brings together leading scientists from Mexico and the UK to mutually explore issues that expands methods and builds our knowledge around energy poverty as a lived experience. As a team we have learned a great deal from each other in our work together on this topic, both professionally and scientifically.
Created in 2014, the Newton Fund formed part of the UK’s Official Development Assistance Programme (ODA). The Newton Fund initially had an overall budget of £375 million (£75 million per year, throughout 5 years), which increased to a total available amount of £735 million by 2021.
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