Mission Innovation (MI) member representatives met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 1-3 February 2020. As the initiative enters its fifth year, this was a pivotal moment to look back on impact and progress to date, to discuss future trends and challenges in the global innovation landscape and to explore options for the future of MI Beyond 2020, in view of the launch of a second phase at COP26 in November this year.
Assessment of progress towards delivering the MI Action Plan included a proposal by MI’s Analysis and Joint Research Sub-Group to prepare an Innovation Challenge Impact Report which will describe successes and challenges of the ICs. The MI Secretariat delivered updates around Tracking of MI member investments and communication activities carried out in 2019 and 2020. Delegates also welcomed presentations on the Net-Zero Compatible Innovations Initiative, the MI Call and MI Champions to inform members about latest developments and to gain support for these initiatives to be showcased at MI-5.
MI’s collaborating organisations (IEA, IRENA, World Economic Forum, Global Covenant of Mayors, World Bank) played a key role in the MI Gathering by inviting delegates to reflect on trends and challenges in clean energy innovation over the next decade as well as ways to leverage private sector leadership.
As MI comes towards the end of its first five-year mandate, the main focus of the meeting in Riyadh was to discuss the potential scope and priorities for a second phase of MI. Officials recognized MI’s invaluable role in building relationships between countries and enabling knowledge sharing on clean energy innovation. They agreed that the next phase of MI should shift towards delivering impact around specific innovation goals of global significance, with strengthened horizontal platforms for collaboration and knowledge sharing. This will build on and enhance the many current successful work streams and collaborations. A more detailed proposal will be discussed at the 5th MI Ministerial meeting (MI-5) in Chile.
Finally, Chile invited all members to help shape an exciting agenda for the 5th MI Ministerial to take place in Viña del Mar from 2-4 June 2020. While this meeting will be a crucial moment for Ministers to agree on the future direction of MI Beyond 2020, it is also the opportunity to demonstrate that through collaborative efforts and sustained investment, Mission Innovation is changing the global clean energy innovation landscape.
The Mission Innovation Secretariat would like to thank all participants for agile and productive discussions and, on behalf of the entire MI community, extends its warmest thanks to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for their excellent hosting. We look forward to meeting MI delegates again and seeing the fruits of these discussions at MI-5 in Viña del Mar, Chile, from 2 to 4 June 2020.