Dr. Hiroshi Kuniyoshi [Chair], Special Adviser, New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)

The world today is facing the common challenge of climate change. It is therefore important for each of us to play our respective roles in order to address this challenge. In this regard, funding agencies can provide support for the development of technologies to reduce GHG emissions. For more than 30 years, NEDO has been promoting technological innovation by providing funding and coordinating the efforts of industry, academia, and government.

Funding agencies are required to identify technology seeds that have considerable potential for environmental improvement on a long-term basis. Although this is not an easy task, appropriate support should be provided for promising technologies having concrete commercialization plans, thereby facilitating technological innovation.

François MOISAN, Executive Director, ADEME

Low carbon technologies are developing fast and merging in markets. The costs of solar PV modules have fallen six fold in the last decade and global fuel economy of cars is improving by 2% per year. Public support to these developments helped to increase the pace of innovation and gives visibility for companies to invest in these technologies. However large uncertainties remain regarding the future performances and markets of each solution. The future of hydrogen, of CCS, of Power to Gas is still a RDD question. Agencies and Institutions in charge of funding research, development and innovation in each country are developing roadmaps with experts and industry for these different options in order to select the best ones. ADEME manages a large fund in France to support demonstrators and innovation since 2010 sharing the risk of innovation with companies through reimbursable subsidies in case of success or venture capital investments.

Exchanging on roadmaps at international level and on the different ways to support innovation could be profitable and accelerate the deployment of low carbon technologies. It will give more confidence in the perspective of low carbon economies.

Lean Weng Yeoh, Director, National Research Foundation, Singapore

As a small country with limited natural resources, public sector R&D funding plays an important role in enabling Singapore to develop tailored technological solutions to meet our national needs. This presentation will describe the broad R&D thrust Singapore is undertaking in the energy and environmental sectors, and how synergies are derived from integrating the R&D components. To maximize the economic and social value capture from our R&D investments, Singapore has developed comprehensive R&D funding schemes to ensure our research performers remain both technically and commercially relevant through close collaborations with industry partners.