SMART CDR Competition

“Student Monitoring and Reporting Technology for Carbon Dioxide Removal”

The Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) Mission launched the SMART-CDR Competition, in partnership with generous sponsors to tap the creative power of university students throughout the world in helping to solve some of the most complex and impactful challenges impacting the CDR industry: monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV).

Students were invited to form diverse and global teams to develop innovative solutions for MRV. The proposals could be a technology, approach, methodology, AI application, sensing equipment, or other creative solution applied to any CDR pathway.

Successful applicants advanced their proposal with support from global MRV and CDR experts. Then, finalist teams pitched their projects during the CDR Conference at the international CLIMIT Summit in Norway (February 25-27, 2025) and compete for the top prizes.

3 winning teams were awarded during a main stage ceremony at the Summit, receiving global recognition from Mission Innovation and our partners, and a USD $10,000 grand prize.

“Mission Innovation is helping to enable the development and deployment of carbon dioxide removal technologies. With this competition, we hope to advance innovation and inspire the next generation of carbon dioxide removal professionals.” – Mark de Figueiredo, Director, Carbon Dioxide Removal Mission

Winners received:

USD $10,0000 cash prize.
Mentorship from global experts.
Travel stipends to present at an international CDR conference.
International recognition by Mission Innovation and media partners.

Celebrating the 6 Finalist Teams of Mission Innovation SMART CDR Competition!

The 6 finalist student teams have been selected to present their innovative projects at the upcoming CLIMIT Summit in Larvik, Norway on February 25! These exceptional teams have demonstrated remarkable ingenuity, dedication, and passion for addressing climate challenges, and now they will have the opportunity to share their ideas with the global carbon management community. Congratulations to all the finalists for their outstanding achievements!

Check-out summaries of all finalist projects here.

Congratulations to the 24 Semi-Finalists

[October 3, 2024] The Mission is pleased to announce that today 24 semi-finalist projects were selected by a global, expert panel of reviewers.

The projects are from universities around the world:

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
China
Switzerland
Canada
The United States
Japan
Finland
Nepal
Nigeria
Egypt

Semi-finalist teams will receive mentorship from global CDR leaders as they progress their projects. In December, six finalists will be selected to compete for the top three $10,000 prizes.

Check-out summaries of all semi-finalist projects here.

Read the SMART CDR Competition Semi-Finalist List

Thank you to our generous sponsors.

Collaboration is essential to reaching net-zero emissions globally by 2050 and is at the heart of what Mission Innovation does. The MI CDR Mission is proud to partner with these impactful organizations to encourage the world’s creative, committed, and bright young minds to unlock the innovative solutions we need to grow the global CDR industry.

“The Oxford Institute of Energy Studies (OIES) supports research on the development of promising CDR solutions and overcoming challenges to their deployment, including issues pertaining to MRV. That’s why in addition to the cash prizes, OIES will offer winners the opportunity to collaborate on developing their ideas and disseminating project findings beyond the scope of the competition!” – Dr Hasan Muslemani, Head of Carbon Management Research, The Oxford Institute for Energy Studies

“KAPSARC encourages students to participate in the SMART-CDR Competition, launched by the Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) Mission. This competition seeks to harness the creative power of knowledge worldwide to address the complex challenges of the CDR industry, particularly in monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV). By fostering diverse and global teams to develop innovative solutions, we aim to inspire the next generation of CDR professionals and drive impactful change.” – Axel Pierru, KAPSARC Vice President of Knowledge & Analysis.

Member Countries

The Competition is presented by the Mission co-leads – United States, Canada, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – alongside Austria, Norway, Japan, and the United Kingdom, recognizing the importance of robust MRV of CO2 removals as an essential enabler for responsible, rapid, and large-scale growth of the global CDR industry.

Canada Japan Saudi Arabia Norway United Kingdom United States Austria

Meet the Evaluation Panel

Thank you to our esteemed panel of CDR experts who make up the SMART-CDR Competition Evaluation Panel.

Meet the Student Mentors

Thank you to the SMART-CDR Competition student mentors, providing expert guidance and advice to the semi-finalist and

finalist teams.

Follow the Competition

The deadline to apply has now passed.

Learn more about the semi-finalist and finalist projects on the SMART-CDR HeroX page here.

“Student Monitoring and Reporting Technology for Carbon Dioxide Removal”

Celebrating the 6 Finalist Teams of Mission Innovation SMART CDR Competition!