Inmā Emirates launches pragmatic climate tech grant focusing on proven solutions and real-world impact

Inmā Emirates Holdings, a Dubai-based platform founded by Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum, has recently opened up applications for a global grant programme. This initiative is targeted at ventures working in areas like climate resilience, agriculture, energy access, and environmental adaptation.

The programme is being positioned as a way to support companies that have already moved beyond the initial experimentation phase and can showcase that their technologies are ready for practical use. According to Inmā, the focus isn’t just on technological innovation; it places significant importance on commercial viability and public benefit. The support is aimed at ventures capable of scaling under real-world conditions and delivering tangible, measurable results.

Sheikh Ahmed mentioned that the goal of this programme is to identify businesses that could help tackle urgent problems in regions facing increasing climate challenges. He also pointed out in a statement that promising climate solutions need more than just technical merit. They require a clear path to implementation, relevance to local contexts, and operational discipline if they’re to make a real difference for communities, governments, and markets alike.

The grant window opened on 2 June 2026, and submissions will be accepted until 31 August 2026 at 11:59 p.m. BST. Inmā expects to award support to one or more companies over the next 12 months, although the exact amounts will vary depending on the project.

It’s worth noting that this scheme is exclusive to private-sector companies and founder-led ventures. Non-profits, university incubators, or research labs aren’t eligible. That’s a notable difference from many climate innovation funds which often focus heavily on academic spin-outs or early-stage research. Instead, Inmā is seeking businesses that can demonstrate a working prototype, pilot deployment, proof of concept, or some form of technical validation.

The organisation has included a broad but practical list of priority sectors. These cover meteorology and weather monitoring, climate adaptation and mitigation, deforestation prevention and restoration, agri-tech, precision farming, food security, electric vehicles, solar power, renewable energy access, desert control, land restoration, water stress, and related technologies.

This list really reflects the kind of pressures many markets in the Gulf, and broader emerging economies, are already feeling , extreme heat, water shortages, changing rainfall patterns, and vulnerable food systems. For climate tech companies based in the UAE, these categories overlap with areas where local innovation is flourishing, from desalination and irrigation efficiency to weather modelling and decentralised energy solutions.

Inmā has said that applicants should be able to clearly explain the problem they’re tackling, why existing tools aren’t enough, and why this challenge is urgent now. The company is keen on ventures that can demonstrate who’s impacted and how their solution can create measurable value. Examples they’ve cited include forecasting heavy rainfall, preparing for droughts or floods, improving crop resilience, optimising irrigation, boosting grid reliability, and fighting desertification.

A key aspect of this programme is its focus on measuring impact. Applicants are expected to lay out the outcomes they hope to achieve and specify how these will be tracked. Suggested metrics include the number of farmers reached, improvements in weather forecast accuracy, reductions in crop losses, higher yields, water savings, energy produced or stored, jobs created, income increased, and better uptime for essential services.

In evaluating applicants, Inmā emphasises both innovation and execution. They’ll look at how well the project fits their mission, the scope of the problem, the strength of the technology, proof of deployment, market need, scalability, impact measurement, team credentials, cost efficiency, and sustainability. Essentially, they favour ventures that demonstrate a solid science backbone combined with sound commercial discipline.

A crucial part of the grant application is providing evidence of existing traction. Stronger applications will include details like current customers, pilot results, signed partnerships, early revenue, deployment data, field tests, and upcoming plans for expansion. The company stresses they want to fund businesses which have already tested their ideas in real operational environments, rather than early-stage concepts still at the design or development phase.

Applicants are asked to submit a PDF via email, containing several detailed materials. These include basic company info, founding year, headquarters, website, bios of founders and leadership, sector category, problem statement, product description, current stage of development, what makes it technically different, proof of deployment, current users or partners, business model, requested funding amount, intended use of funds, and a 12-month scaling plan. Inmā also wants a section covering main risks, mitigation strategies, and the impact metrics they are currently tracking or aim to track with grant support.

The programme aligns with Inmā Emirates Holdings’ broader strategy, which , well, at least in their own words , centres on private impact investment, sustainable development ventures, and large-scale projects across emerging markets. The platform was created to bring more structure and discipline into relationship-driven investing, with an emphasised focus on results and impact.

They describe their approach as guided by collaboration, foresight, responsibility, and adaptability. Their work spans infrastructure, technology, and real estate , all with an eye towards projects that strengthen critical services and foster long-term economic resilience.

Looking at the wider regional context, the UAE has already taken steps in climate and agricultural innovation, through efforts like AIM for Climate, a joint US-UAE initiative to boost investment in climate-smart agriculture and food systems. Against this backdrop, Inmā’s grant programme provides another route to support commercially driven ventures that can help meet food security, energy access, and adaptation needs.

For climate tech businesses in the UAE and beyond, this opportunity probably appeals most to those with field-tested solutions and a clear path towards scaling up. Inmā isn’t seeking ideas in the abstract , it wants technologies that can be deployed, measured, and expanded, particularly where climate stressors are already reshaping daily life and economic activity.