Mission Innovation

Mission Innovation was announced at COP21 on November 30, 2015, as world leaders came together in Paris to commit to ambitious efforts to combat climate change. Canada is an active participant in Mission Innovation (MI), a global initiative of 23 countries and the European Commission to catalyse action and investment in research, development and demonstration to make clean energy affordable, attractive and accessible for all. This will accelerate progress towards the Paris Agreement goals and pathways to net zero.

As a founding member of MI, Canada showed leadership in supporting the first phase of MI, exceeding its target to double spending in clean energy RD&D, and launching successful partnership-based initiatives like Breakthrough Energy Solutions Canada.

In June 2021, at the sixth MI Ministerial (MI-6) meeting, Canada joined MI members in launching a decade of clean energy innovation. Through the second phase of the initiative, Natural Resources Canada will continue leading efforts in the transition to a low-carbon energy future and support international clean energy collaboration.

Learn more about MI and Canada’s actions within the initiative

MI 2.0 – A decade of clean energy innovation

The second phase of MI is shifting focus towards outcomes, pursuing concrete actions in support of clean growth, job opportunities, and energy access, while pursuing net-zero carbon emissions.

Achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement requires further leaps in clean energy innovation. Almost half of the emissions reductions by mid-century will come from technologies that are currently at demonstration or prototype phase. Many of the solutions are known, but require significant investment in research, development and demonstrations this decade to make them affordable and accessible to all. MI Members have launched a decade of clean energy innovation to unlock cost competitive net zero pathways for the most difficult decarbonisation challenges, and to maximize the impact of innovation investments in support of clean growth, job opportunities, and energy access.

To catalyse action, MI members have formed public-private Missions, setting ambitious and inspirational innovation goals that can lead to tipping points in the cost, performance or scale of clean energy solutions, leading to more rapid adoption this decade.

At MI-6, the initial three Missions were launched in shipping, hydrogen and power. At the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in November 2021, four additional Missions were announced, focused on carbon dioxide removal (CDR), urban transitions, net-zero industries, and integrated biorefineries.

The Missions set global ambition, provide political momentum and enable governments and the private sector to work together to make sure more innovation happens, more rapidly, over the next decade.

MI Missions align well with Canada’s domestic ambitions on clean growth and climate change. NRCan is increasingly adopting a systemic, mission-oriented approach to harness innovation capacity and build a green economy ready for tomorrow. Canada’s participation in MI directly supports our outcomes-oriented approach to energy innovation policy and programs to exceed our 2030 emissions reduction goal and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

Canada co-leads the CDR Mission and participates in the Clean Hydrogen, Green-Powered Future, Integrated Biorefineries, and Net-Zero Industries Missions. During COP27 in November 2022, Canada also announced it will be joining the Zero-Emissions Shipping Mission.

Co-led by China, Italy and United Kingdom. Canada is participating in this Mission as an MI 2.0 member.

The Goal: Effectively integrate up to 100% variable renewable energies across different geographies and climates and maintain a cost-efficient, secure and resilient system.

The Mission:Develop a toolbox of innovative solutions to provide confidence that all countries can build a renewable-powered future and realize an affordable clean energy transition.

Co-led by Australia, Chile, European Union, United Kingdom, and United States. Canada is participating in this Mission as an MI 2.0 member.

The Goal: Increase the cost-competitiveness of clean hydrogen by reducing end-to-end costs to USD $2 per kilogram by 2030.

The Mission:Deliver at least 100 hydrogen valleys across production, storage and end-use worldwide by 2030, to unleash a global hydrogen economy.

Co-led by India and the Netherlands. Canada  is participating in this Mission as an MI 2.0 member.

The Goal: Develop and demonstrate innovative solutions to accelerate the commercialization of integrated biorefineries, with a target of replacing 10% of fossil-based fuels, chemicals and materials with bio-based alternatives worldwide by 2030.

The Mission: The Mission will advance sustainable biorefining pathways and technologies to support the development and commercialization of bio-based fuels, chemicals and materials, by also considering process energy demands. This will support de-risking new and emerging technology, while improving the cost-competitiveness of bio-based alternatives, notably biofuels.

Co-led by Austria and Australia. Canada is participating in this Mission as an MI 2.0 member.

The Goal: Catalyse the development and demonstration of cost competitive solutions for the efficient decarbonisation of hard to abate energy intensive industries worldwide by 2030.

The Mission:The Mission will focus on unlocking emissions reductions through demonstrations and cooperation across hard to abate energy intensive industries such as steel, cement, and chemicals.

Co-led by Denmark, Norway, United States, Global Maritime Forum, and Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping. Canada is participating in this Mission as an MI 2.0 member.

The Goal: Demonstrate commercially-viable zero-emission ships by 2030, making vessels that operate on zero-emission fuels the natural choice for ship owners when they renew their fleet

The Mission:The Mission will advance towards a tipping point that by 2030, ships capable of running on well-to-wake zero-emission fuels such as green hydrogen, green ammonia and green methanol, and advanced biofuels make up at least 5% of the global deep sea fleet measured by fuel consumption, and that at least 200 ships primarily use these fuels across the main deep sea shipping routes. This will lay the foundation for increasing numbers in the following years towards a zero-emission shipping future.

Innovation platform

The MI Innovation Platform is a horizontal platform for members to exchange knowledge and collaborate on clean energy initiatives outside of the MI Missions structure. The Platform will help to provide access to robust Insights to track innovation progress and inform more effective decision-making at the national and international levels; catalyze Collaboration by exchanging knowledge, identifying research and development needs and convening funders; and work with innovators, investors and end-users to Accelerate solutions towards the market. 

Through the Insights module of the Platform, NRCan shares its experiences and best practices in clean technology policy and programming, to support the efforts of the broader MI community.

In 2022, Canada has supported the Insights Module and MI’s new Track and Review Framework through submissions to the National Innovation Pathways and Member Insights Report processes. These two processes both collect data from MI members, with National Innovation Pathways summarizing MI members’ long-term innovation strategies and priorities and the Member Insights Report sharing information from MI members on their clean energy RD&D activities that have taken place over the past year.

Through the Collaborate module, NRCan co-leads the Materials for Energy (M4E) Initiativeto develop Materials Acceleration Platforms to advance materials for clean energy applications, as well as participates in the Innovation Community on Affordable Heating and Cooling of Buildings.

Canada’s leadership in MI

Since its launch, Canada showed leadership in supporting the international delivery of the initiative, was instrumental in shaping MI 2.0, and remains committed to play a leading role in the governance and initiatives of MI. NRCan will continue to provide strategic guidance as a member of the MI Steering Committee, chairing the MI Technical Advisory Group, as well as supporting the day-to-day operations of MI by resourcing the virtual MI Secretariat.

Technology and innovation will become increasingly important to achieve the deep decarbonisation required for net-zero emissions and Canada recognises the value of strengthening efforts to demonstrate impact of MI activities, initiatives, and Missions supporting this goal. Through its leadership in MI initiatives, Canada will continue to help build a low-carbon energy future and support international clean energy collaboration under MI 2.0.

Canada’s engagement during the first phase of MI

Canada’s renewed commitment is built upon past success. In its first five years, MI members committed to double their respective public investments in clean energy RD&D and collaborated in areas of clean energy innovation to leverage individual country strengths, reduce duplication of effort, and increase the cost-efficiency of public RD&D expenditures.

Canada’s vision

Canada’s vision is to be on the frontlines, fighting climate change, developing tomorrow’s clean energy, driving economic growth and creating good jobs for Canadians. We are tackling big challenges with big ideas, creating a future that will be brighter than we can imagine. And we are committed to developing the clean technologies that will get us there. We see this as an opportunity both to protect the environment and drive economic growth.

Clean technologies are a key component of the Government of Canada’s approach to promoting sustainable economic growth and will play a crucial role in Canada’s transformation into a low-carbon economy. Investing in the research, development and demonstration of new clean energy technologies accelerates the innovation required to bring these technologies closer to commercialization.

Learn about Canada’s vast clean energy resources and projects through the interactive map of Clean Energy Resources and Projects (CERP) in Canada.

Working together

On November 10, 2016, Canada hosted a Mission Innovation Webinar to provide Canadian stakeholders and the international community with an overview of federal clean energy innovation policies and programs. The webinar began with Canadian officials describing the current landscape for clean innovation in Canada, including the new Government’s commitments around transforming to a low-carbon economy, and advantages related to the clean technology sector in Canada. This was followed by overviews of federal funding and research and development programs, as well as collaborative partnerships that are used to accelerate clean technology innovation and market penetration.

The presentation is available here.

In support of Canada’s vision, the Government of Canada announced, in Budget 2016, several early strategic investments to support Canada’s transition to a low-carbon, clean-growth economy. A few examples include:

• $5 billion over 5 years for investment in green infrastructure.
• $2.9 billion over 5 years to support activities through the pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change.
• Over $1 billion over 4 years to support clean technologies in energy and other natural resources sectors.
• $82.5 million over 2 years to support research, development and demonstration of clean energy technologies with the greatest potential to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Canada.
• $50 million over 2 years to invest in technologies that will reduce GHG emissions from the oil and gas sector.
• $50 million over 4 years for technology projects that address climate change, air quality, clean water, and clean soil.
• $50 million, annually, in increased spending by regional development agencies to support clean technology activities.
• $46 million over 2 years to advance technology for charging electric vehicles.

Related Links:

• Growing the Middle Class: Budget 2016
• Energy Funding, Grants and Incentives programs
• Energy Innovation Program
• Canada’s Participation in Mission Innovation
• Communiqué of Canada's First Ministers
• Climate Change