Breakthrough Energy (BE), the climate-focused organisation founded by Bill Gates, is launching a programme in Singapore to help develop early-stage climate technologies in the region.
BE will partner with Singapore state investor Temasek and Enterprise Singapore to launch Breakthrough Energy Fellows-Southeast Asia (BE Fellows – SEA), the first expansion of BE’s global fellows programme outside the US, according to an announcement.
BE Fellows-SEA will have a joint funding commitment over the next three years. Combining Breakthrough Energy’s climate technology platform, Temasek’s investment expertise, and Enterprise Singapore’s development initiatives, the partnership will support local innovators.
Each participant will receive an initial grant of $500,000 to advance technology development and de-risking. Additional benefits include access to a global network of industry partners, mentors, and experts, with potential for further funding.
The programme will focus on researchers, scientists, engineers, and technology innovators in the region looking to take their promising climate solutions to the next stage.
BE Fellows-SEA aims to tackle early-stage barriers to climate technology innovation in Southeast Asia and accelerate the development of climate technologies that have the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gases at scale and contribute towards global net-zero targets.
“To address the world’s most pressing climate challenges, innovators require tailored resources and support. That’s why we established the Breakthrough Energy Fellows programme,” said Ashley Grosh, vice president at Breakthrough Energy Fellows.
The launch of the programme comes as Southeast Asia has a climate investment gap of $1.5 trillion that needs to be bridged from now until 2030, according to data cited in the announcement.
Russell Tham, head of Emerging Technologies at Temasek, noted the urgency of bridging the capabilities gap in climate-tech innovation in Southeast Asia.
“We are confident that this tripartite Fellows programme will catalyse a new wave of tech innovations in Singapore and Southeast Asia that can contribute towards solving our global climate challenge,” Tham said.
Last year, Breakthrough Energy Ventures partnered with Temasek, Wavemaker Impact, and GenZero to officially launch Rize, an agritech startup focused on accelerating rice decarbonisation in Southeast Asia and the rest of Asia.
