Climate-Tech Program
What is the International Climate-Tech Program?
The International Climate Tech Program represents a partnership between Bayer and the Israeli Innovation Authority (IIA). Its primary purpose is to provide solutions to Fruits & Vegetables growers to tackle the pressing challenge of climate change. This initiative aligns with the 2015 Paris Agreement's goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Israel, emerging as a center for Climate Innovation, hosts a growing number of startups and significant investments in Climate Tech.
The program facilitates collaboration between innovative Israeli startups and multinational partners like Bayer. It provides funding for joint R&D (research and development) and pilot projects while offering support to entrepreneurs with state-of-the-art climate technologies.
Selected Israeli startups will receive grants from IIA, while Bayer will contribute in-kind support, such as access to facilities, expertise and guidance, all aimed at accelerating the development and scaling of transformative climate solutions.
What are we looking for?
Bayer is looking for solutions (pre-commercial or commercial) that fruit & vegetable growers will adopt to mitigate and resilient to climate challenges, such as:
- Water conservation (e.g., timing and measuring water use, recycling/ reuse, water quality, water filter salinity, etc.)
- Carbon footprint (e.g., energy storage & recycling, energy efficiency, carbon reduction & sequestration, input reduction, etc.)
- Climate resilience solutions (e.g., increase resilience to temperature change, drought, salinity, etc.)
- Food loss & waste (e.g., reduce loss & waste from field to retailer, measurement tools for carbon emission due to food loss & waste)
- Plastics waste management (e.g., recycling, alternative materials to plastics, etc.)
Our target markets are United States, Canada, Mexico, Italy, Spain, Netherland, Belgium, and Luxembourg. These markets combined have >$100 billion value in fresh fruits & vegetables.
How Will it Work?
The Israeli Innovation Authority will extend funding support, covering up to 50% of Proof of Concept (POC) projects for selected startups. As a corporate partner, Bayer will offer invaluable in-kind support, including access to growers for technology testing, guidance, advisory, and co-development collaboration with startups, and assistance in co-commercializing the developed products.
Deadline for EOI submission to February 15, 2024 and the deadline for final application to April 14, 2024. Responses will be given by July 2024
Any questions? Reach out to:
Sarah Rozenberg | Head of International Climate-Tech Program
Sarah.Rozenberg@innovationisrael.org.il | +972 538250370
James Sun | Global Climate Solutions at Bayer Vegetable Seeds
james.sun@bayer.com | +1 3146243739
Need more information?
For all information on the Process & Timeline, please view International Climate Tech Program 2023.
For more information in Hebrew: קול קורא אקלים-טק בינלאומי - רשות החדשנות (innovationisrael.org.il)
Through our innovative solutions under Vegetables by Bayer, featuring Seminis and De Ruiter brands, we actively strive to provide sustainable solutions, supporting growers in producing higher-yield crops with fewer resources and inputs while empowering smallholder farmers. Our vision of "Health for all, Hunger for none" underscores our unwavering commitment to sustainability in everything we do.
Bayer's participation in the program aligns seamlessly with our sustainability objectives.
As a science-driven company, we acknowledge the risks posed by global climate change and are committed to continuously reducing greenhouse gas emissions throughout our operations and value chain. This commitment aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement's aim to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Focusing on key Fruit and Vegetables target markets, such as North America and Western Europe (Italy, Spain, Benelux), this program offers a valuable opportunity to address critical challenges through innovative projects. These challenges encompass aspects like water use efficiency, carbon footprint reduction, food loss and waste management, input reduction, waste management, and climate resilience in both Open Field and Protected Production Environment segments.
Climate change is significantly impacting the fruit and vegetable industry, leading to altered growing seasons, decreased crop yields, and heightened vulnerability to extreme weather events. This disruption affects the availability and quality of essential nutrients in our diet. Given its crucial role in global food security and nutrition, addressing climate change in this sector is of utmost importance. Implementing proactive measures and supporting growers in adopting regenerative agriculture practices are essential to ensure a stable and resilient food supply chain and protect communities worldwide.
Moreover, the global fruit and vegetable market is valued at $1.7 trillion and is expected to grow at a 7% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in the next five years. This presents a significant opportunity for entrepreneurs looking to assist growers in mitigating and adapting to climate change.
Israel has emerged as a prominent global hub for Climate Innovation, boasting nearly 700 Climate Tech startups and a total investment of $6.67 billion in Israeli climate tech from 2018 to H1 2022, growing 2.6 times faster than the global investment rate. Our strategic collaboration with the Israel Innovation Authority within the International Climate Tech Program aims to harness Israel's cutting-edge technology and entrepreneurial spirit to develop climate tech solutions that can make a global impact in the fruit and vegetable production sector.