The Honourable Harsh Vardhan, India’s Minister of Science and Technology, welcomed delegates.

MI is working to accelerate the research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) of clean energy technologies through eight Innovation Challenges (ICs). The work of each IC is advanced by a voluntary coalition of MI members, under the leadership of country co-leads and with coordinating support from members of the Analysis and Joint Research (AJR) Sub-group.

In November 2019, representatives from the eight ICs, AJR, and collaborating organizations met in Delhi, India for the second annual IC Face-to-Face Meetings. The meetings presented an opportunity for officials to present IC achievements to-date, share best practices, and discuss activities for the coming year. The meetings also allowed for discussion around future challenges and opportunities for international collaboration on clean energy RD&D – particularly as officials contemplate options for a second potential phase of MI, beyond 2020.

Highlights from the meetings included:

• India’s Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Harsh Vardan, delivered opening remarks and hosted an award ceremony for the national MI Champions from India.
• Varun Sivaram, Chief Technology Officer at ReNew Power, delivered a keynote talk in which he offered a corporate perspective on clean energy RD&D and international collaboration.
• Delegates participated in a crossover learning session in which representatives from ICs, the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), and the Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM) shared success stories and best practices related to clean energy RD&D collaboration.
• Ambuj Sagar, Head of the School of Policy and the Indian Institute of Technology, presented on opportunities for R&D collaboration.

The ICs have a number of initiatives and activities that they will continue to pursue over the coming year. In the meantime, the insights gathered from the IC Face-to-Face meetings – particularly IC perspectives on the critical challenges and opportunities in the clean energy innovation landscape – will help to inform options for a second potential phase of MI.

AJR and the MI Secretariat would like to thank Indian colleagues for their warm hospitality and for delivering a well-organized event. The team would also like to thank all participants, including guest speakers and colleagues from collaborating organizations, for their contributions to a productive set of meetings.