This year’s Annual Gathering is taking place from 4-6 April in New Delhi, India. Senior representatives of Mission Innovation (MI) are coming together in-person for the first time since early 2020 to review, discuss, and set MI’s strategy and workplan for the upcoming year. Designed and delivered by the MI Secretariat in close collaboration with the Steering Committee and hosted by MI’s member India, this internal event has drawn senior officals from across member country governments and collaborating organisations.  

The meeting is set to open with an inspiring and uplifting Ceremonial Event for attendees, presided over by Secretary for the Department of Biotechnology, Dr. Rajesh Gokhale. Secretary Gokhale will welcome everyone to the Gathering and make an opening address before introducing the MI Steering Committee Chair, Drew Leyburne. 

International Collaboration for Innovation 

Mission Innovation brings together governments from every continent,
international organisations, and private sector investors to spearhead the global investment and collaboration needed to achieve tipping points in making clean energy technology affordable and accessible worldwide. The 23 members of Mission Innovation are: Austria, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, the UK, the USA, and the European Commission (on behalf of the European Union). 

Year of Implementation 

Over the course of the three-day programme, senior clean energy innovation leaders will share insights on national priorities and advance MI strategic priorities for 2022. Demonstrating how collaborating governments can accelerate innovation and contribute to the “Year of Implementation” is central to the MI agenda. Maximising long-term impact through partnerships and capacity building is another MI priority, as well as continuting to position MI as the key international clean energy innovation forum. 

Following the launch of an ambitious second phase of the MI initiative in June 2021, MI 2.0, this Gathering marks a crucial opportunity to agree on the actions needed in the decade of global clean energy innovation.  Five out of a total of seven Missions have launched over the past year. Focusing on power systems, hydrogen, shipping, urban transitions, and carbon dioxide removal, they will accelerate technologies to facilitate clean energy transitions. When combined with those to come, the MI Missions have the potential to unlock affordable decarbonisation pathways for sectors responsible for 52% of current global emissions. 

Another key element of the MI 2.0 vision is agreement from members to develop National Innovation Pathways (NIPs) in line with their individual climate and energy goals. One whole session at the Gathering will be dedicated to MI countries sharing insights on their national innovation strategies, discussing how they have developed them, and outlining the benefits of these plans for national investments and priorities.  

Conversations to Continue at MI-7 

For the first time, the MI Annual Gathering and Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) Global Assembly events will take place consecutively. Joint MI-CEM content on 6 April will facilitate synergies across innovation and deployment efforts and set the stage for the Seventh MI Ministerial meeting taking place in September 2022. This year’s Annual Gathering will provide a platform for MI senior representatives to prioritise, advance, and make decisions on deliverables for the upcoming MI-7 meeting.