The main working modality of the EEP is the periodic Call for Proposals, which is open to public and private entities, research institutions, universities, and civil society organisations. Annually, the programme has at least two Calls for Proposals from which innovative projects are selected for seed-funding in addition to the proponents own contribution. The focus areas of the Calls for Proposals are restricted to:

• Feasibility and pre-feasibility studies
• Pilot and demonstration projects

There are no fixed quotas for the Partner Countries in terms of the number of projects approved for each country and all the projects are approved based on merit. There is also no fixed total allocated amount for each Call for Proposals but the EEP Steering Committee decides on the allocated amount based on the quality of projects submitted and project funding remaining. The EEP contribution to any project selected is up to a maximum of EUR 200,000 depending on the type of project. The budget allocation for the First Call for Proposals was about 2.2 million Euros and the total budget for the EEP Programme for the first phase from 2010 to 2012 is 9.5 million Euros, including programme administration.

The project approval process has been detailed in the Application Guidelines which can be downloaded from this EEP website. The key criteria for project approval are: 1) A real developmental need for the proposed project activities and 2) a commitment to innovative, cost-effective and sustainable renewable energy and energy efficiency services 3) promotion of transfer of technology and cooperation between local project developers and the donor countries.

The Second Call for Proposals was announced on 27 September 2010 and the deadline for submission is 20 October 2010 at 13h00 South African Time.