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A Message from the Outgoing MI Steering Committee Chair, Drew Leyburne

28-November-2022
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This year was an important year for Mission Innovation, as our focus was on implementation and continued momentum for MI members to deliver on the ambitious goals set out for 2030 and beyond. When I assumed the role of Chair of the MI Steering Committee, I prioritized three key areas:

  • Positioning MI as a leading initiative in the implementation of the Breakthrough Agenda;
  • Strengthening our connections with our collaborating organizations, including the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM); and
  • Supporting a stable, well-resourced governance structure for MI, including broader involvement of MI members in MI leadership.

 

I am proud to say that we achieved significant progress on all fronts, recognizing that there remains much more to be done to reach our collective clean energy goals.

At the recent Global Clean Energy Action Forum (GCEAF) in Pittsburgh this past September, several important announcements were made, including our announcement that MI and CEM will bring the Breakthrough Agenda under their joint stewardship for an initial pilot phase of one year, from COP27 onwards. This relationship between CEM, MI, and the Breakthrough Agenda can bring several benefits, including:  strengthening the alignment of international actions across the innovation to deployment continuum, improving public-private collaboration, enhancing traction with political leaders at the annual CEM and MI Ministerial meetings, and improving our connections to the COP process. MI Missions, as well as many of our members, are remaining strongly engaged with the Breakthrough Agenda process moving forward.

As we saw at the GCEAF, the CEM and MI partnership is stronger than ever. The U.S. Department of Energy hosted the joint convening of the 13th CEM and 7th MI Ministerial meetings, where member countries of both CEM and MI initiatives came together to pave the path forward in clean energy innovation and deployment. Together, member countries of both initiatives committed $94B USD towards the Major Economies Forum Clean Energy Technologies Demonstration Challenge. Through our MI Missions, we will also mobilize over 200 clean energy projects to demonstrate new clean energy technologies this decade.

The relationships between MI and our collaborating organizations were strengthened even further through the signing of new Memorandums of Understanding with the International Energy Agency, the International Renewable Energy Agency, and the Mission Possible Partnership. Additionally, we welcomed Spain as the 24th member country of MI.

The success of MI is dependent on the strong collaboration and engagement of its members, and we are thankful for the continued efforts made by all to address our domestic and international climate change goals. To deliver on our ambitious goals, including through our Missions, it will be essential to mobilize our funding to support MI’s work. To achieve the goals of our Missions, the active contributions from Mission members are essential. I also want to encourage our Missions to recruit more broadly – even by looking beyond MI’s membership, to grow our community’s influence. Together, the MI community can continue our momentum towards our goal of making clean energy accessible and affordable for all.

It has been an honour to serve MI as the Chair of the Steering Committee over the last year, and I am thankful for the hard work of Vice Chairs Rosalinde Van Der Vlies of the European Commission and Andrew Light of the United States. I would also like to thank the outgoing Head of Secretariat, Jennie Dodson, and the MI Secretariat team for their continued commitment to implementation of the MI vision. Their efforts over the past year have been integral to the success of MI.

I would also like to welcome the new Chair of the MI Steering Committee, Julie Cerqueira of the United States, and the new Head of Secretariat, Eleanor Webster. I am confident that with your leadership, MI will continue on its path of success.

Drew Leyburne
Outgoing Chair, Mission Innovation Steering Committee