By Nils Feldmann, Project Coordinator - Science Outreach & Diplomacy
Driven by the aim for a climate-neutral Switzerland by 2050 and China by 2060, Swissnex in China, together with several partners, launched the first Sino-Swiss Energy Innovation Forum, which brought together more than 330 Swiss and Chinese experts for a mutual dialogue on the future of energy innovation. The two-day virtual forum was concluded on May 17 with an exclusive networking reception on the Shanghai Tower, which showcased the best of Swiss energy and cleantech projects.
Thanks to its world-class research institutions, an active startup ecosystem and ability to attract top talent, Switzerland consistently ranks among the most innovative countries in the world and is therefore uniquely positioned to offer cutting-edge solutions for a sustainable future. Similarly, China’s Climate Change Special Envoy recently estimated that China needs to invest US$ 21 trillion over the next 30 years to achieve carbon neutral by 2060, thereby leading the country to enter the largest investment boom in achieving its green future. Already today, China is the world's largest renewable energy producer, having established itself as the global leader in the production of hydroelectricity, solar power and wind power, as well as in the construction of ultra-high voltage power lines, which are crucial to a greener future.
Recognizing these potentials, Swissnex in China – the Science Consulate of Switzerland – took the initiative in partnership with the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, Swiss Engineering, the Shanghai Energy Research Society and Presence Switzerland to organize the first Sino-Swiss Energy Innovation Forum, which aims to create a collaborative platform that connects Switzerland and China through research, technology, business exchanges and partnership. China’s immense scale and high-speed technological development across all fields of research offers many exciting opportunities for Switzerland, the world leader in ground-breaking innovation executed at the highest international quality standards. As such, this inaugural forum strived to plant the seeds for connecting some of the brightest minds in energy innovation for further fostering bilateral partnerships.
The 4-hour fast-paced forum, which, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, was held in digital format from May 6-7, 2021, hosted 27 high-caliber energy innovation experts from academia & industry in Switzerland & China, as well as 8 game-changing Swiss startups in the fields "power grid" and "renewables". A broad audience with 333+ registrants showed strong interest in the future of energy innovation, potential collaborations and partnerships.
The forum was subsequently concluded at the Sino-Swiss Energy Innovation Reception on May 17, which showcased numerous Swiss energy and cleantech champions in spectacular fashion on the world’s second tallest building – the Shanghai Tower – to an exceptional audience of diplomats, C-levels, opinion leaders, media and representatives from government, academic institutions, and industry.
The reception in particular featured the China premiere of “gotthard” – the driverless electric racing car from the family of world record-breaking EVs built by the ETH Zurich AMZ Formula Student team…
… as well as two exhibitions on the “Can Tech save the World?” initiative and the “Watt d’Or” - Swiss Energy Prize Projects, respectively.
The guests also enjoyed live jazz performance by renowned artists Li Xiaochuan and Wang Wenwei, who especially composed sustainability-inspired pieces for the evening.
Following the successful conclusion of the forum and reception, the real work now begins – leveraging the newly created cooperation and synergies between Switzerland and China to help advance the transition towards a greener, more sustainable energy system of the future. This inaugural forum will be followed by a workshop led by Dr. Christian Schaffner, Executive Director of the ETH Zurich Energy Science Center, and nicely laid the foundation for an in-person Sino-Swiss Energy Innovation Forum in 2022.