The Moldova Sandbox Innovation Challenge is open to innovators from the Republic of Moldova or those who clearly demonstrate an intention to implement their solution or project in the country. The competition is supported and funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark and implemented by UNDP Moldova.

Innovators are sought who align with at least one of the following areas of activity:

Collective Self-Consumption and Energy Communities – solutions promoting shared generation and local use of electricity, regulatory frameworks, grid integration, and more.

Electromobility – development of infrastructure for electric vehicles, smart charging solutions, and vehicle-to-grid integration to optimize energy consumption and support the transition to clean transport, among others.

Flexibility and Balancing Services – innovations that improve grid stability through demand response mechanisms, battery storage solutions, real-time energy trading, and more.

Integration of Renewable Energy Sources and Biogas/Biomethane Production – transforming agricultural waste into biogas, expanding renewable energy capacities in solar, wind, and other sectors.

Smart Grids – infrastructure development, modernization, integration of renewable sources, balancing solutions, and more.

Selected winners must also be approved by the Commission for Innovative Testing Spaces in Energy Regulation and by the Government of the Republic of Moldova for implementation within the Sandbox mechanism. If a selected project is not approved by the Government, the contract will be awarded to the next highest-ranked projects.

The Moldova Sandbox Innovation Challenge is designed to identify, implement, and scale innovative projects related to energy efficiency and renewable energy, with potential for deployment within the Moldova Energy Sandbox environment.

The Sandbox mechanism, established under the regulatory framework adopted by Parliament and the Government in 2024–2025 (Law No. 225/2024 and Government Decision No. 66/2025), allows for controlled testing of emerging technologies, with clear rules regarding safety, data protection, and cooperation with regulatory authorities.

Moldova has become the first country in Central and Eastern Europe to introduce a regulatory sandbox framework to stimulate innovation in the energy sector. The mechanism became operational after the Government approved, on 12 February 2025, the regulations on the operation of innovative testing spaces in the energy field.

Sandboxes are experimental regulatory spaces in the energy sector that allow companies and individuals to test innovations in a flexible yet well-controlled and defined environment. The mechanism provides for temporary legislative exemptions from the current legal framework for a period of seven years, with a possible justified extension for another five years. Thus, sandboxes support companies and research institutions wishing to test new technologies, as well as the state, which aims to ensure proper regulation of innovation and consumer protection.

Selected companies will receive financial support of up to USD 40,000 for the implementation of winning projects. The deadline for submitting applications is 24 October 2025, 16:30 (local time).

Participation announcement and further details are available here:
https://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_negotiation.cfm?nego_id=38806