Today, EIT InnoEnergy, the innovation engine for sustainable energy, has announced that Elena Bou, its Executive Board Member and Innovation Director, is a prize winner for the inaugural Nobel Sustainability Trust Awards.
In the midst of the Nobel Sustainability Trust Awards, the world’s attention has never been so focused on sustainability. From energy security to COP28, the pressure is on to accelerate clean technologies to provide a greener future for us all.
A major component in this is ensuring start-ups with transformative green innovations get the support they need to turn concepts into reality. Enter EIT InnoEnergy, co-founded by Elena Bou.
Named as one of the world’s leading impact investors and supporting over 500 cleantech start-ups since 2010, its current equity portfolio of more than 200 companies is on track to generate €110bn in revenue and save 2.1G tonnes of CO2 accumulatively by 2030.
These include major disruptive innovations such as Skeleton, CorPower, and Hardt Hyperloop – the next mode of high-speed, clean transport.
The Nobel Sustainability Trust Awards
The Inaugural Sustainability Awards by the Nobel Sustainability Trust will be presented to trailblazers in the fields of energy and economics in climate change.
The awards will be presented to Elena Bou of EIT InnoEnergy for her contribution to promoting sustainable energy start-ups and to Lord Nicholas Stern, Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Sciences, for his work on economic aspects of climate change.
The prizes for 2023’s two award categories will be presented on November 9, 2023, at the Nobel Sustainability Trust Summit at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences in Munich.
From this year forward, they will be awarded annually to individuals or institutions that have made outstanding contributions to the development and implementation of sustainable solutions for the benefit of humanity.
Sustainable use of the Earth’s natural resources
Peter Nobel, Chairman of the NST, said: “It fills me with joy and pride that we can award the Nobel Sustainability Trust Awards prizes for the first time this year.
“After all, the future well-being of humanity and its survival depends on our sustainable use of the Earth’s resources.”
He went on to say: “Supporting this has been, is, and will continue to be a major concern of our family. This will require significant intellectual and financial effort. It is the goal of the NST to support this process.”
TUM President Professor Thomas F Hofmann added: “Sustainability and its translation into promising and marketable technologies must be the mandate of all of us.
“With the TUM Sustainable Futures Strategy 2030, we have set ourselves ambitious goals for a sustainable transformation.
“Such transformations need visible heroes. That is why I am delighted that we are now honouring two such personalities with the Nobel Sustainability Trust Awards, who are visible far and wide as shining role models.”
