Monday 21st June 2021, 4:00pm
Converge has announced a new partnership with low carbon energy company, SSE, designed to springboard academic entrepreneurs tackling the climate emergency.
The partnership sees the creation of the SSE Net Zero Award, a stand-alone prize presented to the most promising net zero project from this year’s Converge cohort.
Selected from a pool of semi-finalists across three Challenge categories – Converge, Creative and Impact – one aspiring entrepreneur will win £20,000 in equity-free cash and a package of in-kind benefits, with the winner announced by SSE Chief Executive, Alistair Phillips-Davies, at the annual Converge Awards on 30 September.
Last year, a quarter of all Converge proposals were in the sustainability and climate change space, a trend reflecting the growing urgency and associated response from Scotland’s universities in developing scalable technologies for a greener more resilient world. In the year that Scotland welcomes the world to COP26, the UN Climate Change Conference, the SSE Net Zero Award will shine a light on the inventiveness of the university sector in addressing the climate emergency.
Projects from all sectors will be eligible but construction and the built environment; transport; agriculture and energy are of particular relevance, given their impact on climate. To be considered, candidates will need to demonstrate how their innovation can deliver maximum impact for Scotland’s net zero goal.
“SSE is a leading player in the race to net zero with a long history of developing low-carbon infrastructure, so we are absolutely delighted to be partnering with them on the launch of the SSE Net Zero Award. They are a principal partner of this year’s COP26, and we can’t wait to see which projects make it through to the shortlist.”
Claudia Cavalluzzo, Director of ConvergeClimate change is the defining crisis of the present time, with Scotland’s universities playing a key role in the race to accelerate the transition to a decarbonised economy. This new award will capitalise on those efforts by providing a much-needed boost to a climate-conscious entrepreneur working on the innovations of tomorrow that will contribute to Scotland achieving its net zero targets.
“We are very excited by the inaugural SSE Net Zero Award. SSE is at the forefront of tackling the climate emergency and in the year of COP26, we’re very proud to be associated with this award which will provide a real and tangible boost to academic entrepreneurs helping Scotland deliver its net zero targets.”
Marta Smart, Head of Partnership FundingSource: Converge Challenge
Roslin Innovation Centre
The University of Edinburgh
Easter Bush Campus
Midlothian EH25 9RG
