The AQUILA CAPITAL TRANSFORMATION AWARD

The Aquila Capital “Transformation Award” is aimed at academic research that contributes to finding implementable solutions to mitigate climate change. Since 2019, scientists and researchers can apply for the award, which is endowed with 20,000 euros. The call for proposals is aimed at scientists worldwide whose work is directly related to the topics of sustainability, climate change and the energy transition with a geographical focus on Europe.

Entitled "Solving the climate crisis by innovation", last year’s award recognised outstanding work that focuses on applicable and unconventional solutions to combat climate change in Europe. In addition to financial support for research, the award aims at establishing a cooperation for the practical implementation of the solutions.

The 2021 top-class jury consisting of Prof. Hans-Joachim Schellnhuber, Director Emeritus at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Prof. Eicke R. Weber, former director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, and Prof. Yukari Takamura, professor at the University of Tokyo's Institute for Future Initiatives, as well as Henrik Bohne and Camino Torres from Aquila Capital, determined the winner in a multi-stage selection process.

In 2021, the prize was awarded to Dr Ning Yan, professor at the Van’t Hoffs Institute for Molecular Sciences in Amsterdam. The jury selected Mr Yang’s research on " A membrane-free flow electrolyzer operating at high current density using earth-abundant catalysts for water splitting” as the best from a number of submissions from renowned universities and research institutions worldwide. According to the jury, Dr Yan's work presents an innovative and very promising way to open doors towards more effective green hydrogen production which is a key element for future energy storage.

In 2022, Aquila Capital plans to launch another Transformation Award, the details of which will be announced shortly.