Pictured clockwise from top left: #VTJTalks Women in Climate Tech event with Vancouver Tech Journal; CICE site visit to Lafarge Canada in Richmond; CONVERGE 2024; the CICE team does pickleball at Pacific Pickleball
2024 was a year of milestones for CICE, filled with groundbreaking innovations and strategic investments. While the climate crisis remains a defining challenge, it also offers a generational chance to strengthen Canada’s economy by asserting global leadership in climate technology.
Nation-Building Through Innovation
At CICE we invest in solutions that can drive economic growth, create jobs, and position Canada as a leader in clean energy and climate technology. By supporting homegrown solutions, we’re not just addressing today’s challenges but laying the foundation for a resilient and prosperous future.
Key 2024 Highlights:
- Transformative Investments: CICE invested $18.13 million in 30 clean energy and climate tech projects, creating over 200 jobs and advancing technologies critical to Canada’s long-term competitiveness
- Advancing Wildfire Tech: We launched Canada’s first funding opportunity for wildfire technologies, investing $3.5 million in six companies scaling solutions to combat increasingly destructive wildfires.
- Championing Women in Climate Tech: In a step toward a more inclusive and diverse climate tech sector, we launched our first Women in Climate Tech Call for Innovation, with a commitment to invest up to $3 million in women-led ventures. We look forward to announcing the funding recipients in April 2025.
- Strategic Insights: We published three industry reports to guide investments, covering carbon dioxide removal, energy storage, and methane pyrolysis opportunities in B.C.
To date, CICE has invested $39 million in 59 clean energy and climate tech projects worth over $196 million through our directed and open calls for innovation.
Strengthening Connections
In November, CONVERGE 2024 brought together 300 leaders from business, government, and innovation communities to forge connections to drive decarbonization and economic growth. Events like this underscore the importance of partnerships in building a robust clean energy ecosystem. We also unveiled a new video, showcasing how we work with entrepreneurs to commercialize game-changing climate solutions.
Looking Ahead to 2025
We’re building on 2024’s momentum with several new initiatives:
- Energy Storage Innovation: We’ve partnered with BC Hydro on a $3 million Call for Innovation to advance energy storage and grid technologies essential for economic growth. Applications close February 28, 2025.
- Showcasing BC and Canadian Leadership: In May, at Web Summit in Vancouver, we will showcase Canada’s climate tech innovators in a dedicated Climate Innovation Zone, to attract global attention and investment.
- New Industry Insights: An upcoming report on low carbon synthetic and advanced biofuels will dive into market adoption, production, and investment pathways for drop-in fuels in B.C.
Gratitude and Momentum
Reflecting on 2024, CICE is profoundly grateful to our partners, members, and the extraordinary team whose dedication drives our success. While the progress we’ve made is significant, we know it’s just one part of a much larger effort. Our role is to amplify and accelerate the incredible work happening across the climate tech ecosystem.
As we head into 2025, we’ll continue working with innovators, partners, and communities to scale solutions and economic benefits for BC and Canada. The opportunities ahead are immense, and together, we can help build a more sustainable and prosperous Canada.