CivTech Alliance launches 'ground-breaking' global, eco-focused programme for public sector

The CivTech Alliance has just launched a programme looking to accelerate the rollout of climate tech and net zero offerings for the public sector globally – with 18 “exceptional” high-growth companies taking part.

The Scotland-founded, Scottish Government-backed, Alliance describes itself as a worldwide network of public, private and third-sector organisations spanning the govtech, civtech and civictech spectrum, aiming to help foster products and services that “make citizens’ lives better”.

It is spearheading the “ground-breaking”, cross-government CivTech Alliance Global Scale-up Programme (GSUP) that is uniting eight governments and three academic institutions across ten countries to provide a “unique” access initiative for climate tech companies in the run-up to, and during, COP26.

For seven weeks, companies will participate in meetings with policy-makers and procurers, and regional entrepreneurial ecosystems, rotating through each country for two to three days. The purpose is to provide access to decision-makers they would not otherwise know how to contact.

The firms taking part 'all have the potential to address climate change and sustainability issues'. Picture: Alexander Gerst/ESA via Getty Images.

The companies involved are focused on everything from using food scraps to feed insect farms to waste biomass being converted into hydrogen, and platforms for sustainable fishermen to sell their catches directly to consumers. Two CivTech Scotland alumni – Iceni Earth and The Routing Company – are part of the cohort.

In collaboration with the United Nations (UN) Development Program, the World Resources Institute, and Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc, three challenges have been set relating to the COP26 goals around environmental resilience, food wastage and decarbonisation of commercial vehicles for fast-growth companies with global ambitions to solve.

Participating companies come from Scotland, Brazil, Israel, Denmark, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Australia and the US, and range in size from seven staff to more than 1,200.

Philippe Shuler of Too Good To Go hails the 'invaluable opportunity for us to engage with policy-makers'. Picture: contributed.

At COP26, hybrid events under the theme of Climate Innovation in Action will showcase Scottish and international case studies in how the public sector has successfully collaborated with innovative businesses to develop new offerings to tackle the climate crisis both in Scotland and around the world.

Philippe Shuler, global impact manager at anti-food waste app Too Good To Go, said the Scale-up Programme “has identified a real need” for tech companies working to achieve key UN targets to scale faster than ever.

Priceless

He added: “We are on a mission to drastically reduce global food waste and the harmful greenhouse gases it produces… this is an invaluable opportunity for us to engage with policy-makers and share our experience and knowledge as we learn from each other.”

GSUP programme founder Alexander Holt explained: “Our Alliance membership is brimming with talent, expertise, and with a shared goal of preserving our planet, we can help the global community meet its shared net-zero ambitions.

“The calibre of companies joining this inaugural programme is exceptional. As a highly connected membership organisation, we are focusing on more mature companies that have begun to scale, to leverage their potential and give them the opportunity to collaborate with public sectors around the world. This interaction enables them to inform decision-makers to drive meaningful change and find solutions to real-world problems.

“This access programme model is highly innovative in its cross-border collaboration and gives everyone involved a chance to shape this journey together.”

Scottish business minister Ivan McKee said he welcomed the cohort and congratulated “everyone in pulling this ground-breaking programme together”.

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