Ignition Grants: Technology-based Energy Solutions
Climate Change is one of the biggest challenges facing our world today, spurring the call for global collaborations to tackle this crisis. The recent launch of the U.S.-India Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 partnership reiterated the commitment of both nations to work together to achieve their ambitious climate and clean energy targets. While governments have a critical role in addressing this challenge through strategic priorities, investments, and the development of new policies to enable innovation, there is a vital role for the entrepreneur community as well. A significant role in furthering the climate agenda is being played by the binational Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF).
IUSSTF’s flagship program – the United States–India Science & Technology Endowment Fund(USISTEF) in partnership with Social Alpha, recently announced a Call for Ignition Grants titled Technology-based Energy Solutions: Innovations for Net Zero. The intent is to identify and support “technology showstoppers” - promising joint U.S.-India S&T based entrepreneurial initiatives that address the development and implementation of new technologies, tools, and systems that tackle climate and clean energy challenges in the areas of next generation clean and renewable energy, energy storage and carbon sequestration. The hope is that this call would act as a platform to bring the U.S. and Indian Entrepreneur and Research communities together to join forces and create transformative solutions to help build a decarbonized, more sustainable world.
More information about the Ignition Grants can be accessed here.
About USISTEF: The U.S.-India Science and Technology Endowment Fund, established in 2010 by the governments of the United States of America (through the Department of State) and India (through the Department of Science & Technology), aims to support and foster joint applied R&D to generate public good through commercialization of technology achieved through sustained partnerships between U.S. and Indian researchers and entrepreneurs. USISTEF has thus far supported 43 joint U.S.-India entrepreneurial projects through 10 Calls. Additionally, 11 projects have been approved under a Special COVID-19 Ignition Grants Call.
More information can be accessed at https://iusstf.org/u-s-india-science-technology-endowment-fund
About Social Alpha: Social Alpha is a multistage innovation, curation and venture development platform for science and technology start-ups that address the most critical social, economic and environmental challenges through the power of entrepreneurship and market creating innovations. Social Alpha’s Energy Lab - The Clean Energy International Incubation Centre (CEIIC), is a joint initiative of Tata Trusts and the Government of India supported by Department of Biotechnology, BIRAC, Tata Power and Tata Power – Delhi Distribution Limited. CEIIC has been set up for promoting innovations in the energy space and is designed to offer complete “lab to market” incubation support to clean energy enterprises, both Indian and International. Since its inception in 2016, Social Alpha has supported more than 150 start-ups including 60+ seed investments.
More information can be accessed at https://www.socialalpha.org/
About IUSSTF: The Indo-U.S. Science & Technology Forum (IUSSTF) is an autonomous, bi-national organization jointly created by the Governments of India and the United States of America in 2000. IUSSTF’s broad mandate is to promote, catalyze and seed bilateral collaboration in science, technology, engineering and innovation through substantive interaction amongst federal agencies, academia and industry. More information can be accessed at https://iusstf.org
Nishritha Bopana is the Principal Science Officer at Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum.
