The battle against climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time – but it is also a chance to capitalize opportunities at the intersection of finance and climate change. New technologies, business models, policies, and regulations are creating investment opportunities and transforming the ways projects are financed. Innovation will play a crucial role mobilizing capital, scaling-up private investment, and making currently un-bankable projects bankable. The transition to a low-carbon economy requires new mechanisms to increase the universe of attractive projects. At the same time, climate-related projects are gaining traction and growing interest from investments banks, hedge funds, infrastructure funds and pension fund.
Climate finance refers to local, national, or transnational financing – drawn from public, private and alternative sources of financing – that seeks to support mitigation and adaptation actions that will address climate change. This encompasses schemes anywhere from large and small scale renewable energy projects that offset fossil-fuel power generation, to land-reclamation projects that reduce the risk of flooding or forest fires.
The Climate Investment Challenge calls on graduate students to develop and describe creative financial solutions and innovations addressing the defining challenge of our time – climate change. This could include identifying untapped climate finance opportunities or developing innovative financial structures or instruments that improve the bankability of climate investments.
There is no single right answer. In the battle against climate change and its impacts, ideas across all sectors, topics, and regions are important!
Benefits
- The Main Competition Prize is focused on financial tools that exist today (e.g., REITs, bonds) to address a specific climate problem that is currently underserved. The winning team will be awarded £10,000.
- The Emerging Markets Prize is focused on financial tools that exist today (e.g., REITs, bonds) to address a specific Emerging Markets climate problem that is currently underserved. The winning team will be awarded £6,000.
- The Financial Disruption Prize harnesses technology to disrupt the financial industry (e.g., banking, insurance etc.) to solve climate problems at scale. The winning entrepreneurial idea will be able to utilise the prize money to develop a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). The winning team will be awarded £6,000.
Eligibilities
- Students enrolled in a postgraduate degree (Masters, MBA, or PhD-level) at the time of the submission.
- The challenge is open globally to students from all academic backgrounds.
- Undergraduate students may participate as long as the leader of the group is enrolled in a postgraduate degree.
- Students will have to form teams of 2 to 6 members.
Eligible Regions: Open for all.
Application Process
- The Climate Investment Challenge goes through three stages:
- In Stage 1, your team will submit a Concept Note of your idea. If your team’s submission is selected, you’ll move on to the next stage.
- In Stage 2 (the Semi-Finals), your team will be invited to develop a detailed slide-pack of your idea. If your team’s presentation is selected, you’ll be moved on to the final stage.
- In Stage 3 (the Finals), your team will pitch your idea in front of a top-tier panel of judges from investment banking, private equity, and impact investing.
Application Deadline: March 3, 2023
Application ClosedOfficial link
