TERA-Award's global layout is further upgraded. It joins hands with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) to deepen global energy innovation collaboration.

Recently, the TERA-Award Smart Energy Innovation Competition announced an upgrade of its global layout and reached a cooperation agreement with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL). All parties will further integrate international resources around cutting-edge energy technology innovation and the implementation of climate solutions, and promote the accelerated transformation and application of innovation achievements. This cooperation marks a crucial step for TERA-Award in building a global innovation collaboration network and will inject new impetus into the international development and large-scale application of energy technology projects.

In 2025, the TERA-Award attracted a total of 785 projects to participate, and the award ceremony was held at the University of Cambridge.

The TERA-Award was initiated by Dr. Li Jiajie in 2021, aiming to address global climate change challenges through technological innovation. After continuous development, the competition has grown into an international innovation acceleration platform that integrates high - value bonus support, application scenario matching, industrial collaboration, and capital empowerment. It solicits cutting-edge energy technologies and innovative teams with the ability to solve climate problems from around the world, and promotes the accelerated transformation and large-scale implementation of scientific research achievements.

Currently, the competition has become one of the most influential professional competitions in the global energy technology field. The addition of UNCTAD and CISL as strategic cooperation institutions will further strengthen the ability to coordinate global resources and accelerate the innovation breakthrough and application promotion of smart energy systems and low - carbon technologies.

As an important institution of the United Nations in the fields of trade, investment, and sustainable development, UNCTAD will rely on its global policy research advantages and cross - regional industrial network to support TERA-Award projects, promote more efficient matching of participating projects with market demands and application scenarios, and accelerate the implementation, promotion, and large - scale application of relevant technologies on an international scale.

The University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) will give full play to its research advantages in the fields of climate technology and energy innovation, inject cutting - edge research perspectives into the competition, enhance the professional depth of the review system, and discover high - quality innovation projects with both scientific research value and industrialization potential.

Chen Yinglong, the Executive Chairman of the TERA-Award Competition, said: "UNCTAD, CISL, and TERA-Award are highly consistent in the goal of promoting the solution of climate problems through technological innovation. In the future, the competition will strengthen cooperation with international institutions and local governments to promote the accelerated application of excellent projects in real scenarios and provide feasible technological paths for global energy transformation and climate action."

James Cole, the Executive Director and Chief Innovation Officer of the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), said: "At CISL, we always believe that accelerating energy transformation is the key to enhancing the long - term resilience and sustainable development of society and the market. This process is not only imperative but also brings unprecedented opportunities for innovation breakthroughs, capital layout, and solutions with global scale potential. This cooperation with TERA-Award reflects our firm commitment to promoting cross - national innovation collaboration. We hope that through this platform, we can help the most promising technological solutions not only lead in the scientific research aspect but also achieve large - scale implementation in the most urgently needed fields and have a practical and far - reaching impact."

New "AI × Energy" Track   One - Million - Dollar Prize to Find Innovation Breakthroughs

Focusing on the key technological directions involved in the goals of emission reduction and energy transformation, based on the four core tracks of "Green Fuels and Hydrogen Energy, Energy Storage and Energy Conversion, Energy Conservation and CCUS, Smart Energy Systems" in TERA-Award 2025, the 2026 competition has added and optimized two major tracks, "AI × Energy" and "New - Generation Energy Technologies", to further improve the competition's layout in the field of cutting - edge energy technology.

Among them, the "AI × Energy" track focuses on two major directions: one is to promote the in - depth application of artificial intelligence in the energy system, and improve the operation efficiency and resilience of the energy system through technologies such as large models and embodied intelligence; the other is to pay attention to the energy consumption growth and carbon emission pressure brought about by the rapid development of the AI industry, and explore solutions to support the sustainable development of artificial intelligence with low - carbon and efficient energy technologies. The "New - Generation Energy Technologies" track, on the basis of renewable energy technologies, further includes cutting - edge nuclear energy directions such as nuclear fusion and small modular reactors (SMR), and systematically explores their application potential in the future energy system.

He Chengen, the Chief Coordinator of the TERA-Award, said: "Artificial intelligence is reshaping the efficiency structure of the energy industry, and the deep involvement of capital determines the speed at which technology moves from the laboratory to industrialization. Relying on the 'technology - scenario - capital' acceleration platform built by TERA-Award, high - quality energy technology projects can efficiently connect with global capital and industrial resources, and accelerate the large - scale application and commercial breakthrough of innovation achievements."

Relying on the Hong Kong International Innovation Hub   Building a Global Innovation and Technology Collaboration Network

Against the backdrop of the continuous promotion of global energy transformation, Hong Kong is actively implementing the "Climate Action Plan 2050", accelerating the construction of a green development ecosystem with a sound policy environment, diverse application scenarios, and highly concentrated innovation resources, providing an important fulcrum for the transformation of energy technology achievements and the international development of enterprises.

Mr. Leung Hon King, the Global Director of Financial Services, Technology, and Sustainable Development of the Investment Promotion Agency of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, as a strategic partner of TERA-Award, said: "Hong Kong is continuously consolidating its position as a global green technology and green finance center. The TERA-Award once again proves that with the coordinated promotion of strong policy support, world - class scientific research capabilities, and a high degree of international connectivity, Hong Kong's mature and stable innovation ecosystem can accelerate the application of breakthrough energy and climate technologies in real - world scenarios. The Investment Promotion Agency looks forward to further building a bridge between the international energy ecosystem and the global influence of the competition, helping innovative enterprises achieve large - scale development, commercial implementation, and expand broader markets in Asia and even the world."

As of last year, the competition had attracted nearly 2,000 innovative projects from 76 countries and regions, and a total of $4.65 million in prizes had been awarded. At the same time, TERA-Award has continuously empowered participating projects through financing matching and application scenario connection, accelerating the commercial implementation of innovation achievements and supporting the Hong Kong startup Luquos Energy to complete its seed - round financing. The total prize money for this year's competition reaches $1.15 million, and the online registration channel has been officially opened, with the deadline at the end of April 2026.

The registration channel for TERA-Award 2026 is now open. Welcome to visit the official website to submit your application.