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Thank you for attending the 2022 edition of Cleantech Forum Europe in Brussels on 8-10 November!

We had a great two days of education and business deals.

Check back soon for details on 2023 Cleantech Forum Europe in Tallinn, Estonia, November 14-16, 2023!

Our theme, From commitments to actions: the sprint to net zero is on will inspire a research-led agenda where experts discuss the big ideas with the power to deliver a cleaner, cooler world. Review the newly posted agenda and check back in the coming weeks to see who will be speaking at the event.

Thanks for joining us to take action on the climate crisis and learn from Europe’s sustainable innovation ecosystem, including companies on the recently released 2022 Cleantech 50 to Watch list.

Who Attends?

Cleantech innovators, investors, corporates and experts from everywhere in the world join us for our forums.
icon description of who attends Cleantech Forum Euriope

Who could you meet in Brussels?

See Who’s Attending!

Cleantech 50 to Watch

Every year, we unveil a new edition of the Cleantech 50 to Watch, a list  list of early-stage innovators taking action on the climate crisis. This report will introduce you to innovative companies with the dedication, technologies and business models that make it possible to fight the climate crisis and make a fair profit. Deployed at scale, their solutions could change our current destructive economy, and put us back on a climate positive path.

The 2022 Cleantech 50 to Watch list was released in October. Attendees of the Cleantech Forum Europe will have the opportunity to connect with many of the companies on the list at the event.  

Contact

If you have any questions about Cleantech Forum Europe, please feel free to contact us at forums@cleantech.com.

Entrepreneurs

What Do Entrepreneurs Get at a Forum?

Join us in Brussels on 8-10 November and get your start-up or scale-up in front of investors, corporates and other entrepreneurs who can help you take the next step. Whether you want investment, advice or there’s a technology gap you need to fill, you’ll meet the right people. The official deadline for companies to present at Cleantech Forum Europe to investors and corporates looking for successful start-ups and scale-ups, passed on September 30, but we are looking for 1-2 more companies. Apply as soon as possible to be considered.

Investors and Corporates

What Do Investors and Corporates Get at a Forum?

Join us in Brussels on 8-10 November to build your network of cleantech leaders and top entrepreneurs. You can take advantage of a research-led agenda that includes presentations from investable companies and experts in the trends shaping the future of sustainable innovation.

Agenda

Each day of the Forum will start with a general session where we come together to learn as one and set the stage for the day. Parallel tracks will be offered for the rest of the day, offering you a wide variety of panel subjects to choose from, a running program of Innovation Showcases and some Interactive Briefings sessions.
Interactive Briefing– Informal, interactive briefings on a topic led by Cleantech Group analysts for small group of 20-30.
Innovation Showcase– Innovation startups and scaleups present their company and why they think they have a solution of interest to Europe.
Panel– Expert speakers discuss timely and relevant topics of interest.

November 8, 2022

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  • Ticket Window Hall
    Registration Opens for Tech4Smart Cities
  • Dining / Reception rooms
    Tech4SmartCities (A Pre-Event to Cleantech Forum Europe)

    Cleantech Group is hosting Tech4Smart Cities at our venue. Cleantech Forum Europe attendees can attend this event for free, but you need to pre-register and fill in a profile on the Tech4Smart Cities website to participate.
    Tech4Smart Cities operates in a B2B meetings format, focused on creating new partnerships in the fields of urban mobility, energy performance, sustainable construction, circularity, low carbon economy and digital transformation. See their website for more details and to apply to participate.

    Co-hosted by: Enterprise European Network and Hub Brussels

  • Ticket Window Hall
    Registration Opens for Cleantech Forum Europe

    Pick up your badge and attend the afternoon pre-event sessions that are planned before the Cleantech Forum Europe Opening Sessions and Reception.

  • Library
    European Women in Cleantech and Sustainability: The Decade of Action for Women in Europe (Pre-Event to Cleantech Forum Europe, Pre-registration required)

    Cleantech Group is delighted to welcome to Brussels, Women in Cleantech and Sustainability (WCS), a US-based not-for-profit, fostering an influential network of professionals to further the roles of women in growing the clean economy and making a positive impact on the environment. As WCS moves into the next decade as an international organization, they are interested in serving their growing membership in Europe with dedicated on-the-ground support. WCS is dedicated to action and seeks to include their European peers who are leading the way in fighting climate change and incentivizing a circular economy in our community. They believe that women hold a central role in taking these initiatives to the next phase and want to support women in Europe by planning programming and building a network.

    We warmly invite all thought leaders to a closed-door roundtable to discuss the future for Women in Cleantech and Sustainability in Europe. Join this engaging discussion moderated by WCS Chairwoman, Lisa Ann Pinkerton and WCS Europe Events Lead Caroline Trowbridge, based in Copenhagen.

    Pre-registration is required. This session is currently full.

    Hosted by: Women in Cleantech and Sustainability (WCS)

  • Plenary Session
    Ticket Window Hall
    Welcome to Brussels, Belgium and Meet the 2022 Cleantech 50 to Watch

    Join Cleantech Group CEO, Richard Youngman, as he welcomes attendees to Brussels, capital of Europe, and host city of the 18th annual Cleantech Forum Europe. During this opening session, attendees will be provided with:
    • An overview of the innovation and venturing landscape of Belgium, and how that contrasts and compares to the EU more generally
    • An update on the mandate and funding programs of the European Investment Fund, as it relates to the European cleantech innovation ecosystem
    And we will kick off two days of focus on innovation, with:
    • A celebration of early-stage innovators by meeting some of the companies in our recently-released 2022 Cleantech 50 to Watch
    • A quick guide to the 50+ companies featured in the Forum’s program, with more to meet and get to know beyond
    • An introduction to the Breakthrough Energy Fellows program, something everybody involved in early-stage cleantech innovation should be aware of

  • Networking Session
    Ticket Window Hall
    The 2022 Cleantech Forum Europe Opening Reception

    Take time to enjoy a cocktail and light hors d’oeuvres while building a connection with other attendees.

November 9, 2022

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  • Ticket Window Hall
    Registration & Welcome Coffee
  • Plenary Session
    Ticket Window Hall
    From Commitments to Actions: The Sprint to Net Zero is on (or is it?)

    After some words of welcome from our host city, Cleantech Group will provide its customary tour of the innovation ecosystem, highlighting the key innovation topics and investment trends, as well as some of the key players and gaps to pay attention to in the year(s) ahead.
    Some guest contributors are lined up to add colour to the canvass. Two of the topics to be expanded upon we consider to be two of the most critical enablers and accelerators of the future decarbonized economy we need to collectively deliver by 2050. One segment will look at the relative maturity of corporates’ carbon measurement and reporting systems, and the action levels being undertaken. The second carve out will provide some insights on the EU policy landscape, looking for a balanced appraisal between the signs of progress and the gaps that still need to be bridged to unlock the full force of cleantech innovation and enable the next generation of European industry.

  • Networking Session
    Ticket Window Hall
    Networking Break

    Co-hosted by: Acario Innovation

  • Panel Session
    Restaurant
    Adaptability, Bravery and Collaboration: New Approaches for Energy Transformation at Scale in Europe

    In today’s operating environment where geopolitical unpredictability, rising costs of energy and living, and insecurity of supply chains are dominant issues, entrepreneurial companies – and their stakeholders – have a whole new set of challenges to work through in order to enable the energy systems transformations needed. Solutions to address these issues, and which are ready to scale, exist. But new approaches and ways of working with stakeholders are needed if these are to rapidly transform into European champions. Some leading European innovators will voice their experiences of the new set of challenges of 2022, and some ideas of what they see as necessary from the ecosystem if we are to use this time of crisis to advance our common agenda.

    Co-hosted by Inven Capital

  • Showcase Session
    Dining Room
    Innovation Showcase 1: Meet Some of the 2022 Cleantech 50 to Watch

    In early October, Cleantech Group released the 2022 edition of our Cleantech 50 to Watch list. This list each year highlights 50 early-stage innovators with potentially high-impact solutions to fight the climate crisis. Five of those companies will present in this session. Three investor reviewers will be on hand to ask some questions and make some comments.

  • Interactive Briefing
    Library
    Investor Tips to Put ESG and Impact into Practice

    The aim of this workshop is to give practical advice and tips to both investors and start-ups as to how to implement and integrate ESG and impact procedures, such as ESG due diligence or calculating environmental impact, into their investment strategies / day-to-day business. Moreover, the challenges and opportunities around ESG and impact will be addressed, as well as how ESG and impact can add value to a business.

    Co-hosted by Klima Capital

  • Networking Session
    Ticket Window Hall
    Networking Lunch
  • Restaurant
    Like it or not: Why O&G Majors are Critical to the Energy Transition

    O&G majors don’t come any bigger than Saudi Aramco. And it is they, in this lunchtime session (please have your lunch first) who will make the case for why O&G majors are going to be critical to both providing a continued and secure supply of energy, through the major changes that will occur if we are indeed to achieve the decarbonization of the global economy by mid-century and to accelerating to industrial and systemic scale those sustainable solutions that will enable such transformations.

    Co-hosted by Aramco Ventures

  • Panel Session
    Restaurant
    DER Management: A Consumer Focus will be Part of the Next Wave

    Markets for grid participation from Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) are opening up worldwide, allowing for aggregation networking effects. Right now, companies that offer value to utilities are leading in the space, but the next leg of the journey will involve proving a compelling case for consumers. A panel of speakers will discuss what is necessary to improve the revenue profile for consumers.

  • Showcase Session
    Dining Room
    Innovation Showcase 2: Meet Companies from the European Innovation Council

    Five innovation startups and scaleups looking for capital and partners will present their company and why they think they have a solution of interest to Europe. Two investor reviewers will be on hand to ask some questions and make some comments.

  • Interactive Briefing
    Library
    Food and Fuel of the Future: The Untapped Climate Potential of Seaweed

    A Cleantech Group analyst will provide a briefing based on their recent research, spotlighting the challenges and opportunities for global seaweed cultivation and processing, and providing a landscape of some of the key innovators and players out there to pay attention to. The room is small (think approx. 20), to allow for easy and natural interaction. Get there in time to avoid any chance of the room being maxed out!

  • Transition Break
  • Panel Session
    Restaurant
    Construction & Circularity

    The construction industry is at an inflection point, with rising costs for materials, energy and labor, while under pressure to reduce emissions, pollution and address aging infrastructure. In the face of these challenges there are opportunities and circular business models are becoming more and more attractive. This session will discuss these market dynamics hearing from innovators, changemakers and investors commercializing circular buildings, retrofit applications and designing out waste.

  • Showcase Session
    Dining Room
    Innovation Showcase 3: Meet Companies from the Cleantech for Europe Coalition

    Five innovation startups and scaleups looking for capital and partners will present their company and why they think they have a solution of interest to Europe. Two investor reviewers will be on hand to ask some questions and make some comments.

  • Networking Session
    Ticket Window Hall
    Networking Break
  • Panel Session
    Restaurant
    The Next Tech Frontier: Unlocking the Potential of Diverse Cleantech Founders and Intrapreneurs

    Achieving net zero is about more than just decarbonizing. With climate change set to disproportionately affect women globally, and ESG considerations on the rise, we believe CEO’s, investors and policymakers must do more to enable the involvement of women as changemakers in all innovation/tech ecosystems, but especially in cleantech. If women’s leadership could be the key to unlocking a zero-carbon future, what can we all do to ensure that the insight of women in both the corporate and entrepreneurial cleantech ecosystem benefit our future?

  • Showcase Session
    Dining Room
    Innovation Showcase 4: Meet Some of the 2022 Cleantech 50 to Watch

    In early October, Cleantech Group released the 2022 edition of our Cleantech 50 to Watch list. This list each year highlights 50 early-stage innovators with potentially high-impact solutions to fight the climate crisis. Four are presenting their companies in this session. Two investor reviewers will be on hand to ask some questions and make some comments.

  • Interactive Briefing
    Library
    Venture Capital and Term Sheet Clinic for Investors and Startups

    Whether you are an investor looking to deploy capital in Europe, or a company looking to raise money from investors, this legal clinic is for you. Three partners from a leading international law firm will set the scene and stand ready to answer your questions.

    Co-hosted by: Taylor Wessing

  • Transition Break
  • Showcase Session
    Dining Room
    Innovation Showcase 5: Meet Innovation Companies Looking for Capital and Partners

    As a natural follow-on the diversity discussion, this session presents four companies with female leaders/founders. Two investor reviewers will be on hand to ask some questions and make some comments.

  • Interactive Briefing
    Library
    Climate Risk Analytics and Corporate Sustainability Monitoring

    Two Cleantech Group analysts will provide a briefing based on their recent research, spotlighting the challenges and opportunities for climate analytics and corporate sustainability monitoring tools, and providing a landscape of some of the key innovators and players out there to pay attention to. The room is small (think approx. 20), to allow for easy and natural interaction. Get there in time to avoid any chance of the room being maxed out!

  • Train World
    The 18th Annual Cleantech Forum Europe Reception, Dinner & Awards

    Join us at Train World for the 18th Cleantech Forum Europe Dinner & Awards event—a special evening in a special location. The evening starts with drinks on arrival followed by a seated dinner, as well as the presentation of the 2022 European Cleantech Awards. Join us as we honor award winners, reconnect with acquaintances and make new connections. Participants should plan to travel to the venue on their own.

    Train World address: Pl. Princesse Elisabeth 5, 1030 Schaerbeek, Belgium

    You can easily access Train World using public transportation. Just walk or take the free Tour and Taxis Shuttle from Masion de la Poste to Gare du Nord (North Station) and take a train to Schaerbeek (they go every few minutes and it is a 4-5 minute train ride). Train World is right next to Schaerbeek station.

    Plan your trip here: https://www.belgiantrain.be/en/?journey=3

     

    Co-hosted by: ORAXYS

November 10, 2022

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  • Networking Session
    Ticket Window Hall
    Networking Coffee
  • Panel Session
    Ticket Window Hall
    Champions of Europe: Scaling European Sustainable Industrial Solutions

    In January 2022, two European companies, Sunfire and Skeleton Technologies, entered the Global Cleantech 100 Hall of Fame. Having been on the Global Cleantech 100 an impressive seven times, they became just the 12th and 13th companies worldwide, the 3rd and 4th from Europe, to reach this milestone across the 14 years’ history. The founders of both companies will join us to reflect on their journeys and to look ahead at the scaling phase now in front of them.

  • Ticket Window Hall
    European Deal of the Year

    Our awardee for our European Deal of the Year cannot make the Awards dinner on November 9, and so we will make this award here

  • Transition Break
  • Panel Session
    Restaurant
    Hydrogen for Industrial Applications

    Hydrogen is an important industrial feedstock with over 70 million tonnes of production annually, yet demand for hydrogen is set to increase. In this session, we will discuss the opportunities and challenges presented by increasing demand for hydrogen for production of fuels, chemicals, and steel.

     

    Co-hosted by: InnoEnergy

  • Showcase Session
    Dining Room
    Innovation Showcase 6: Meet Innovation Companies Looking for Capital and Partners

    Another five companies, looking for capital and partners, will present their companies. Two investor reviewers will be on hand to ask some questions and make some comments.

  • Networking Session
    Ticket Window Hall
    Networking Break
  • Panel Session
    Restaurant
    Composites: A Key Enabler for a Green Transition?

    Speakers will discuss the latest developments in composites, their manufacture and the key role they play in reducing material consumption and enabling cleantech applications, from bicycles to wind turbines and beyond.

  • Showcase Session
    Dining Room
    Innovation Showcase 7: Meet Innovation Companies Looking for Capital and Partners

    Another five companies, looking for capital and partners, will present their companies. Two investor reviewers will be on hand to ask some questions and make some comments.

  • Interactive Briefing
    Library
    Decarbonizing European Industry in the Face of the Gas Crisis

    Industry represents nearly 30% of gas consumption in Europe, second only to power generation. As gas supplies are constrained by the war in Ukraine and are poised to become a bottleneck for European industries, decarbonization and security of supply converge to become a matter of survival for industries across the continent. All technologies will need to be summoned to meet this challenge : waste heat recuperation and valorization, renewable heat, electrification of uses, demand-side management, etc. New technologies will be needed, stemming from research areas as diverse as fluid mechanics, materials science or data analytics and artificial intelligence. We propose to explore some of the most immediate avenues for decarbonizing industrial heat and some of the perspectives offered by R&D.

     

    Co-hosted by TiLT Capital

  • Networking Session
    Ticket Window Hall
    Networking Lunch
  • Restaurant
    Funding for Cleantech Pilots: A New €300 million EU Call for Projects

    The EU Innovation Fund is among the largest public funding instruments to for industrialisation and commercialization of clean technologies in Europe. The Fund has recently announced a dedicated call for “Mid-sized pilots” projects for validating, testing and optimising highly innovative solutions. Come meet the European Commission team launching that envelope to learn more about how to apply for funding.

    Co-hosted by: DG CLIMA

  • Panel Session
    Restaurant
    Sustainable Aviation Fuel: A Sustainable Approach?

    This session will look at the market dynamics and pathways for production of sustainable aviation fuel.

  • Showcase Session
    Dining Room
    Innovation Showcase 8: Meet Innovation Companies Looking for Capital and Partners

    Another five companies, looking for capital and partners, will present their companies. Two investor reviewers will be on hand to ask some questions and make some comments.

  • Networking Session
    Ticket Window Hall
    Networking Break
  • Panel Session
    Restaurant
    Next Generation of Heating and Cooling

    Resolving the near 40% of emissions from buildings will be critical for net zero and decarbonization goals globally. A panel of experts will discuss alternative methods of heating and cooling that are being presented by innovators which could offer powerful solutions to pressing challenges.

  • Interactive Briefing
    Library
    Learning by Doing: Offsetting Cleantech Forums, Funding Innovation

    Cleantech Group pioneered the idea of cleantech innovation in the 2000s. Now we wish to pioneer not only offsetting events, but doing so by supporting relevant innovations.

    We have just taken our first step in the learning journey of how to do so, with a view to continual improvement over time. In this final interactive briefing, we will share what we have done and why, to offset Cleantech Forum Europe, and what we learned about the voluntary carbon markets in the process. Attendees will be encouraged to share their experiences of offsets and discuss the challenges, opportunities that exist today, to do it as well and as meaningfully, as we would all like.

  • Networking Session
    Ticket Window Hall
    Closing Networking Reception

    Take advantage of one last chance to network and spend time with colleagues while having a cocktail and enjoying hors d’oeuvres before heading off to enjoy a last night in Brussels.

Venues/Travel

In addition to some of the information below, we have prepared this FAQs document to provide, all in one place, answers to some of the key questions our guests might have.

Venues

Forum Main Venue

The majority of forum events will be held at Maison de la Poste, a newly renovated venue for conferences and events. What was Europe’s largest shipping and customs hub has become a beautifully reimagined conference centre, through a major sustainable urbanization project.

Address: Rue Picard 5/7, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium.

Getting There

Maison de la Poste, the main forum venue, is a 10 minute walk from the main tram line. It is a 25 minute walk or 10 minute bus from Brussels North (one of Brussels’ main railway stations). If you travel on public transport, the Metro stops are either Ribaucourt or Ijzer  and then a 10 mins walk to venue or you can take Bus: 14, 20, 57, 88 to stop Suzan Daniel right outside venue.

A free shuttle service run by Tours and Taxis is available to transport attendees from Brussels North Station (Gare du Nord) to Maison de la Poste and leaves every 15-20 mins from the station.

Learn more about public transportation in Brussels.

The 18th Annual Cleantech Forum Europe Reception, Dinner & Awards

The Awards Dinner on Wednesday, November 9 will be held at Train World, official museum of the National Railway Company of Belgium.

Address: Pl. Princesse Elisabeth 5, 1030 Schaerbeek, Belgium

Getting There

You can easily access Train World using public transportation. Just walk or take the free Tour and Taxis Shuttle from Masion de la Poste to Gare du Nord (North Station) and take a train to Schaerbeek (they go every few minutes and it is a 4-5 minute train ride). Train World is right next to Schaerbeek station.

Plan your trip here: https://www.belgiantrain.be/en/?journey=3

Travel Alert

It has come to our attention that regional trains including the Eurostar, are not running from Brussels starting Friday, November 11 due to track work. There seems to be regular Eurostar and TGV trains scheduled Thursday night, but no train service Friday and Saturday. Please plan accordingly.

Hotel

The window to book at our discounted rate at the hotel has now closed. To check availability and rates at the DoubleTree, please contact them directly. Our official hotel room block is at the DoubleTree Brussels, which is a 5 minute walk from Brussels North station.

DoubleTree Hotel: Rue Gineste 3, 1210 Brussels, Belgium

Speakers

Sponsors

Sponsorship Increases Your Visibility

We’re grateful to our sponsors for making Cleantech Forum Europe 2022 possible.

Our sponsors and partners enjoy increased visibility and networking opportunities. Each sponsorship package is different and reflects your goals.

Interested in sponsoring Cleantech Forum Europe 2022? Please contact us at sponsors@cleantech.com to discuss opportunities.