Left to right – John Loughhead, Anna Krzyzanowska, Patrick Child, Alvaro Beltran, Olga Rio Suarez, Laurent Bochereau
At the launch event, which took place on 10 December at COP25, Patrick Child, the EC’s Deputy Director General for Research and Innovation said:
“The European Commission is proud to support the 2020 Mission Innovation Champions programme. Today, individuals across the globe are working on the innovations that will drive the clean energy revolution; this is their opportunity to bring their creative solutions to the attention of policy-makers, investors and the public at large.”
Potential 2020 Mission Innovation Champions will be invited to apply online (open in January 2020) and will be evaluated by a diverse panel of experts from participating MI countries. Applications will be judged based on the audaciousness and creativity of the ideas or solutions proposed; their potential impact; as well as the vision of the candidates towards addressing the climate change challenges in the energy sector through innovation. Successful Champions will travel to Chile in June 2020 to take part in MI-5, the 5th Mission Innovation Ministerial meeting.
Alvaro Beltran, the EC’s 2019 MI Champion and CEO and founder of Onyx Solar (a leading manufacturer of transparent photovoltaic glass for buildings), said:
“The Mission Innovation Champions programme has connected me with like-minded people around the world. Collaboration is key to generating the big ideas that will change the way we produce and use energy.”
The 2019 Champions Program attracted wide interest with applicants spanning academia, business and research. The Awarded Champions work in a variety of energy-related fields and industries. They are the people inventing the products and services of the future or discovering the science that underpins them. Their participation at the 4th MI Ministerial (MI-4) meeting in Vancouver in May 2019 gave an added dimension to discussions by showcasing the entrepreneurial creativity and scientific excellence that is transforming the clean energy sector.
For more information:
- Mission Innovation Champions: