The world’s best and the brightest scientists and engineers are given crucial resources for success.
With the goal of getting the world to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, Breakthrough Energy’s fellows program seeks to help innovators accelerate their clean technology. The organization announced its third cohort comprised of world-leading scientists and engineers, as well as business people who have experience in tech commercialization.
“Climate innovators are critical players in the fight to solve the climate crisis. They are working every day to introduce novel technologies and disruptive approaches to a variety of industries, which will have the power to transform and reimagine our future. To succeed, these leaders need a uniquely tailored set of resources, and that’s why we created the Breakthrough Energy Fellows Program,” says Ashley Grosh, Vice President of Breakthrough Energy Fellows.
Breakthrough Energy was founded by Bill Gates in 2015 to solve the climate crisis. Since its founding, leaders in the top echelon of technology and entrepreneurship have joined, including Jeff Bezos, Meg Whitman, Jack Ma, Mark Zuckerberg, Michael Bloomberg and others.
Those who are behind the science and research of climate technology may enter the Fellows Program in one of two related tracks. The Innovator Fellows are top scientists and engineers who have a critical climate technology ready to commercialize. The Explorers are typically scientists at university labs or research entities whose early projects require funding and are considered to have high technical risk. The Business Fellows who have experience in tech commercialization help form the teams who will drive the business model behind these science tech startups.
Those accepted as BE Fellows focus on innovations across Breakthrough Energy’s Five Grand Challenges. The latest Cohort of innovators will work on nuclear fusion, agriculture, steel, electrification, hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, and more. A competitive application process is used to select the Cohort projects that are required to “demonstrate and model the potential to reduce 500 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year at scale”.
Once in the program members are given critical resources that includes research funding, mentorship, education, and access to the extensive Breakthrough Energy network. The end goal is to fast-track the early development of novel technologies that takes them from lab to market—in view of the timeline set to meet the world’s needs.
The organization cites how carbon generated from human activities such as manufacturing impact the climate. For example, every ton of cement creates a ton of carbon dioxide that approximates 96 million tons of cement a year in the U.S. This is just one of many areas that scientists are addressing that Breakthrough Energies hopes their Fellows’ program will positively impact.
“Breakthrough Energy’s Fellows program ensures that innovators and entrepreneurs working on transformative climate solutions receive the vital support they need. We are fully committed to guiding them every step of the way to accelerate climate tech innovation and launch the next generation of world changing ideas,” sums up Grosh.
