G-Force, the sustainability investment programme backed by Founders Factory, recognises further education institutions’ critical role in the drive to a net-zero economy
(London), 25 October 2021 – G-Force, the sustainability investment programme backed by Founders Factory, has teamed up with Europe’s top universities to create the first syllabus of its kind to drive sustainability and climate tech innovation and entrepreneurship.
This pan-European project includes the Arctic University of Norway, the UK’s University of Edinburgh, Spain’s University of Alicante, Austria’s Fachhochschule Burgenland and Bulgaria’s Technical University of Varna.
Recognising the crucial role universities play as ‘engines of impact’ in society’s net-zero transition, the consortium project is spearheaded by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT).
It will involve G-Force – an early stage investment program for climate-tech startups backed by prominent European leaders Marian Gazdik, Boris Zelený and Brent Hoberman’s Founders Factory – work with the likes of University of Edinburgh on nurturing student and academic entrepreneurship addressing the climate crisis.
As part of the project, Bratislava-based G-Force, Founders Factory’s Sustainability Seed Program – will focus specifically on how improving big data adoption can help solve climate change challenges. This includes areas such as environmental sciences, sustainability, and the circular economy.
Marian Gazdik, co-founding partner of G-Force, said: “Universities have long-been a catalyst of change and innovation. But as climate change continues to wreak havoc on the planet, their role in addressing the crisis has never been more important, because mission driven students are fearless and bold.
“That’s why, as we are building a sustainability innovation hub in the heart of Europe, G-Force is proud to be partnering with universities across Europe to drive climate tech entrepreneurship – particularly in better adoption of big data can improve areas such as the circular economy.”
Tamer Abu-Alam at the UiT The Arctic University of Norway, said: “Given the rising environmental impact driven by climate change, there’s no question that universities should be preparing students to face such challenges. This requires improving current courses and creating new ones. These courses should bridge the gap and the mismatch between academia and both the business sector and society. We’re excited to be partnering with G-Force to achieve this as part of this landmark innovation project.”
This EIT consortium program is designed for two years and will deliver a syllabus for teaching sustainability and an early stage climate-tech acceleration.
To find out more about G-Force, please click here.
