SolarX Startup Challenge aims to crowdsource implementable, cost-effective, scalable, and innovative solutions to some of the persistent challenges faced by the solar energy sector of the member countries. The first edition was focused on the African region. The second edition will focus on the APAC region, aiming to promote innovation and discover local solutions, with the over-arching objective of capacity building.

The SolarX Startup Challenge 2024 aims to promote innovations that are implementable, cost-effective, and scalable solutions to some of the persistent challenges in the solar sector. Aimed at enhancing the startup ecosystem in APAC, it presents a threefold opportunity by building the local startup ecosystem, thinning the gap in the energy crisis, and promoting investments in the solar energy sector to develop innovative solutions.

The Urban Future Lab is pleased to announce, for the eighth consecutive year, the Urban Future Prize Competition, which seeks to find the brightest climatetech startups and, through the generous support of The New York Community Trust, MUFG Bank, and NYU Tandon School of Engineering, award two winners with $50,000 cash prizes. These awardees will also receive admission into the ACRE Incubator, New York’s longest-running and most successful climatetech program.

Link: Urban Future Lab

The Urban Future Lab is pleased to announce, for the eighth consecutive year, the Urban Future Prize Competition, which seeks to find the brightest climatetech startups and, through the generous support of The New York Community Trust, MUFG Bank, and NYU Tandon School of Engineering, award two winners with $50,000 cash prizes. These awardees will also receive admission into the ACRE Incubator, New York’s longest-running and most successful climatetech program.

Link: Urban Future Lab

The challenge holder, an agile start-up organisation, is looking for a solution provider to identify the best material and application process for manufacturing and applying a sub-gasket to a novel hydrocarbon polymer membrane, without fundamentally changing the molecular structure of the membrane. The proposed solution should include provision for mechanical and chemical simulation, and the production of a manufacturing specification document. Production of a sample item would be beneficial but not necessary at this stage.

Seeking innovators who can formulate, pelletise, trial and validate a sustainable and cost-effective poultry feed using Yeast Protein Concentrate (YPC).

Carbonbit seeks to identify process, mechanical and electrical engineering modifications to scale-up a small-scale DAC system to industrial scale.

Seeking innovators who can provide a solution to reclaim and recycle silicone from used HealthTech and medical devices in an efficient and effective manner.

The Net Zero Catalyst is supporting Pulpex to find a provider to analyse recycled paper fibre and alternative biomass sources for a fibre bottle moulding process.

The Net Zero Catalyst Fund seeks a solution provider to design, manufacture, and deploy a pilot-scale hydrogel reactor system.

The Challenge Will Unlock Game-Changing Capital Supporting High-Quality Carbon Dioxide Removal to Meet Climate Goals

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) today issued a notice of intent (NOI) to launch a Voluntary Carbon Dioxide Removal Purchasing Challenge (“Challenge”). The Challenge will call on external organizations to join DOE in purchasing high-quality carbon dioxide removal credits, following the Department’s recent commitment to procure $35M through the Carbon Dioxide Removal Purchase Pilot Prize. The Challenge’s innovative public-private partnership structure aims to catalyze carbon dioxide removal credit purchases and improve transparency of the carbon dioxide removal credit supply. This effort supports the Biden-Harris Administration’s climate goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, as well as the goals of DOE’s Carbon Negative Shot, which aims to reduce the cost of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to less than $100 per net metric ton of carbon dioxide-equivalent by 2032, together with robust monitoring, reporting, and verification and secure storage. The Challenge comes during a decisive decade where removals projects must move rapidly to full commercial scale to meet climate goals in coming decades.

All European starters with a project or concept that focuses on sustainability can register for VITO4STARTERS. Do you have an idea to make materials or processes more circular? Have you developed a process that reduces CO₂ emissions or uses less water? Or have you developed an intelligent or efficient energy system? If so, VITO4STARTERS is the ideal programme for letting these ideas grow

Climate Impact Innovations Challenge (CIIC) is Indonesia’s largest climate innovations tech competition. Debuted in 2023, CIIC provides a platform for tech innovators to showcase their sustainable innovations in addressing ecological challenges and mitigating the impacts of climate change.

CIIC 2024 provides the platform for teams to compete in three tracks for a total prize pool of Rp 10 billion to pilot their solutions within Indonesia.

Only teams that have created a prototype or a minimum viable product with the intention of commercialization are eligible to apply.

The Faraday Battery Challenge will support UK registered Small, Micro and Medium-sized, businesses only to apply for a share of up to £1.5 million to increase and facilitate their engagement with the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre. An extension was granted in 2022, so that the challenge now ends in March 2025.

Charging infrastructure, EV fleets, services supporting electric mobility.

Announced in April 2022. Open to companies located beyond Singapore.

Spanning urban mobility, electrification, energy efficiency, and sustainable transport.

Open to applicants in all regions/continents.

Autonomous vehicles, connectivity, electrification, smart cities.

Rolling applications year round. Stage-agnostic.

Asia-Pacific water challenges that are addressed by entrepreneurs receive pilot funding and scale up support with partners.

Sustainable Ventures is launching a competition to help SMES & Established Businesses solve their net zero challenges and Innovators scale their solutions particularly in low carbon buildings, waste management, behavior change, and low carbon mobility.