Meet the winners of the Digital SDG Accelerator cleantech challenge qualifying round

Within the next two months, the selected projects will complete the accelerator with support of the best experts in air quality analysis, business modelling and finance. The accelerator might result in a pilot project with the partners of the track — EDF and EIFER (European Institute of Energy Research).

Out of 50 initially selected projects ten were invited to a Bootcamp pitch session on February 19. The five best projects made it to the second stage of the selection process and made more detailed presentations of their solutions. Based on the results of the demo, the partners selected 2 projects to participate in the acceleration program:

• Nebo — a system for identifying air pollution and the location of the pollution source based on measuring a marker substance PM2.5;
• Djinn Sensor — an AI expert system for human safety and productivity based on air quality data and physical parameters of the environment.

Gonzague Flutsch, business development manager in EDF:

«The projects selected for the final were of high quality, and competition was tough. We congratulate the two winners who stood out for their original model and flexible approach.”

The next step for the projects will be the acceleration program itself, during which experts and partners of the accelerator will conduct technical expertise of the startups for structuring PoCs, as well as help them refine their business and financial models. If the travel restrictions are lifted, the selected projects will also visit the EIFER office in Karlsruhe this summer.

In addition to cooperating with EDF and EIFER, the two winners will be listed in the catalogue of the 100 best EAEU sustainable development technologies which will be presented at the UN COP26 in Glasgow.

About cleantech challenge

The cleantech challenge is looking for projects focusing on mitigating climate change effects and increasing the quality of life in cities, as well as on energy efficiency and environmental monitoring. The partner of the challenge — a key player in energy transition, the EDF Group — is an integrated electricity company, active in all areas of the business: generation, transmission, distribution, energy supply and trading, energy services. A global leader in low-carbon energies, the Group aims to invent a new energy model to address the climate crisis: lower-carbon, more efficient, less of an impact on the environment and on people.

For the past two decades the company EDF, together with its R&D subsidiary the European Institute For Energy Research (EIFER), has been researching ways to mitigate the effects of climate change and to improve the quality of life in cities.

About Digital SDG Accelerator

Digital SDG Accelerator was launched by Evercity to accelerate the deployment of innovative digital technologies for anti-crisis recovery and transition to sustainable growth based on UN SDGs. The accelerator is supported by more than 30 leaders of the innovative ecosystem in EAEU countries, as well as the Russian National Development Corporation, International Telecommunications Union, UN Global Compact Russia, Orbita Capital Partners, Sustainability week project, technology platform “Environmental development technologies” and many others.