CEO Kirsten Dunlop represents Climate KIC at Climate Policy Forum
On 25 June, Climate KIC attended the Climate Policy Forum, an event hosted by the Delegation of the European Union to Israel and the EU Directorate-General Research and Innovation. Climate KIC’s Chief Executive Officer, Kirsten Dunlop, spoke about the role public investment can play in boosting green investment towards economic and social outcomes that support the EU 2050 carbon neutrality target.
When asked about the role public investment can play in mobilising blended finance models and boosting green investment, Climate KIC CEO Kirsten Dunlop emphasised the importance of focusing on the design and deployment of innovations that can catalyse systemic change. She said: “Public investment can set a direction and open a first mover action to turn the growing global awareness of the need… for system change into action.” The best way to do so, she added, is “through placed-based portfolios.”
“These portfolios of multiple innovations can be pooled in specific places like cities, or regions or countries, and arranged in a physical spatial portfolio connecting multiple solutions on the ground so they can learn from one another, and look for aggregations and combinations of solutions that very often are not integrated into the original idea,” added Dunlop. This approach, which is at the core of Climate KIC Deep Demonstration projects, has the additional advantage of being “deeply connected with communities that are adopters, consumers and investors themselves.” Dunlop also emphasised the need for public investment to create a long-term incentive environment and structuring mechanism to create more confidence in the market.
Attended by policymakers, innovators, scientists and representatives of civil society, the online conference aimed to advance the climate policy dialogue and invite experts to debate how the Green Deal can offer a new path to societal and economic progress in a world affected by the COVID-19. Speakers discussed current EU and Israel climate policy developments and entrepreneurs were invited to present their climate green technologies. Diederik Samsom, who heads the European Commission’s climate cabinet, acknowledged the world was very different when the EU presented its Green Deal at the end of 2019. “The Green Deal is our growth strategy towards a resilient and flourishing Europe,” said Samson, adding that the EU was now pressing fast forward on several aspects of the European Green Deal that have to do with the post-COVID-19 world; “especially aspects that can deliver jobs and growth immediately”.
Climate KIC is part of EIT Hub Israel, a cross innovation community initiative established in December 2019 as a bridge between the EU and Israeli innovation ecosystems. The EIT Hub in Israel aims to expand the EIT Community’s presence and volume of activities in the country and to support European innovators to attract Israeli customers, partners and investors.