Sustainable energy accelerator EIT InnoEnergy has issued a global call for start-ups across the entire sustainability value chain, to meet the challenge of decarbonisation.
Elena Bou, innovation director at EIT InnoEnergy commented, “We are at an environmental crossroads. Action needs to be taken today to ensure we reach our global carbon reduction targets – which is why we’ve expanded our call beyond Europe. Delhi has just declared an air pollution emergency and in the US, the number of polluting motor vehicles on the roads has grown steadily to more than 270,000. We are reaching a tipping point – we need to tackle climate change together, and through our trusted ecosystem of more than 460 partners, we can do just that.”
EIT InnoEnergy’s current call for start-ups will offer innovators worldwide the potential to improve conditions not only in Europe, but in their home countries too. The process will see the top 20 innovators receiving business support to accelerate commercialisation, with the winner receiving €100,000. Start-ups from Asia and the US are of particular interest, where clean air and vast internal combustion engine vehicle uptake are causing a noticeable impact on society.
Bou added: “The US and Asia are facing their own climate challenges, but they are also hot beds of innovation. We want to access these great minds to accelerate the energy transition across the globe. From clean tech hubs like San Francisco and Boston in the US, to leaders in renewable energy like Singapore, we know their start-ups are on the cusp of monumental break-throughs. We are ready to partner with these innovators to lead the charge to change our energy landscape for the better.”
EIT InnoEnergy predicts the attention of innovators to be clearly on heat and transport in 2020. The two sectors have proved harder to decarbonise, with both contributing to growing issues around clean air in countries like India, the US and mainland China.
To find out more and apply, click here. Applications close on 19 December 2019.