About UNITEN Go-Green Innovation Challenge 2021

UNITEN Go-Green Innovation Challenge 2021 is designed to bridge the innovation gap in the sustainable development sector and accelerate innovation in the green-tech space through a rapid accelerator sandbox programme. This is in line with Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) and UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 7) which is a continuous commitment in the efforts to distribute environmentally friendly energy for the needs of the nation and the well-being of the people. Industries aim to contribute significantly, through revolutionary technological innovations, to reaching at least one of the following objectives of sustainable development:

• mitigation and/or adaptation to climate change
• providing clean, accessible and safe energy
• transition of industry to a clean and/or circular economy
• building an efficient way in terms of energy and resources
• accelerating the transition to sustainable and smart mobility
• transition to a fair, healthy and ecological food system
• conservation and restoration of ecosystems and biodiversity; achieving neutrality in terms of pollution and ensuring a non-toxic environment

Understanding the need and industry demand as well as TNB’s vision towards clean energy, UNITEN R&D Sdn Bhd is proud to launch the UNITEN Go-Green Innovation Challenge 2021 to identify green innovative solutions to address the sustainable development challenges

Programme Outline

UNITEN Go-Green Innovation Challenge 2021 collaborates with strategic industry and government agency partners in bridging the innovation gap and translation of impactful market driven research into wealth that focuses on solutions that reshape a smarter and sustainable future. The Challenge is open for researchers and staff to submit research ideas/project that focuses on sustainable development solutions targeting in the following four (4) categories:

Eligibility Criteria

• The solution must be economically viable either in the form of a social or for-profit business
• The solution must have a positive impact on the climate, environment and community and aligned with TNB Corporate agenda on green economy
• The solution must have been developed (at least a working prototype or demo), TRL 3 and above.
• The solution must be in the 4 specified categories under low carbon footprint- Grids of the Future, Plants of the Future, Transportation & Mobility and Off-Grid Access to Electricity
• Priority will be given to completed projects with good market traction, IP protection and commercial potential.

Proposals will be assessed based on the following criteria:

• Project concept – The concept should be market driven and applicable to the current situation
• Innovativeness- How innovative and novel is the solution?
• Development timeline - Projects that can be built within seven (7) weeks and ready to be launched or deployed at pilot scale
• Cost effective solutions
• Demonstrates commercial potential
• Clarity-Is the challenge or issue clearly identified and the solution clearly defined? Are the rationale and objectives clearly stated?
• Design- Is the design of the solution well thought out? Are all aspects of the program outlined in the proposal?
• Measure impact and Outcome-What is the potential impact and how will it be measured?
• Feasibility and Applicability- Can the solution be developed and implemented in time to address current challenges and issues of sustainability based on the respective categories.

Award Recognition

UNITEN Go-Green Innovation Challenge 2021 will have the following key elements:

• Winning proposals will be awarded accordingly from the RM 100,000 pledged money.
• URND will also assist winners with further commercial facilitation under TNB Corporate Ventures Division, Technology Park Malaysia and SME partners
• Winners of the Challenge will be coached and mentored by experts from Technology Park Malaysia
• Investment size will depend on the level of innovation, commercial viability, environmental and social impact potential of the selected initiatives and project budget
• The award will be paid to the best submission(s) as solely determined by the Challenge Steering Committee
• Announcement of winners will be made on 10 December 2021