On November 30, 2015, at COP21 in Paris, leaders of came together to launch Mission Innovation (MI), a global collaboration aimed at accelerating the clean energy revolution. MI is now celebrating its five-year anniversary and progress made in clean energy innovation, whilst working to develop a second phase of MI.

Since its inception, MI has focused on reinvigorating and accelerating public and private global clean energy innovation with the objective to make clean energy widely affordable as an indispensable part of an effective, long-term global response to our shared climate challenge; necessary to provide affordable and reliable energy for everyone and to promote economic growth; and critical for energy security.

Over the past five years members have raised the profile of clean energy innovation and increased investments by $4.9 bn annually. From the several accomplishments and new collaborations struck by the Innovation Challenges (ICs), to the launch of the Champions Programme, MI has strengthened international networks between researchers, industry, academia, think tanks, and policymakers.

In celebration of MI’s 5-year anniversary, we pause to recognise the important contributions of MI’s eight ICs, we celebrate the Champions Programme, and we hear from Student Energy on the importance of continuing to include youth voices in MI’s work. Members also describe why they joined MI and outline some of the important activities and collaborations they have undertaken to progress cost reductions and to fast-track the development of clean energy technologies. We also feature celebratory words from some of MI’s collaborators and supporters.

While we celebrate our achievements, we acknowledge that the pace of innovation and the scale of transformation remains significantly short of what is needed. Collectively MI members are working to launch a second phase that will build on current successes, whilst driving forward outcomes that will further accelerate the pace of innovation, and thereby facilitate countries’ clean energy transitions by advancing the solutions and technologies needed to support national goals.

We look forward to the launch of MI 2.0 at the 6th Mission Innovation Ministerial in Chile in 2021.