The Airbus Foundation and Solar Impulse Foundation have launched a three-year partnership aimed at driving global progress on sustainability through fostering innovation and collaboration. The partnership is dedicated to identifying and accelerating the adoption of scalable nature-based* projects that address pressing global challenges.
Through the partnership, successful applicants will have access to a wealth of resources including Airbus’ aerospace capabilities, like satellite data for earth observation and helicopters for efficient aerial assessment and verification. These capabilities will enable the selected projects to address critical societal issues, from ecosystem degradation to water security and natural disaster risk to solutions like satellite environmental monitoring systems.
Bertrand Piccard, Initiator and Chairman of the Solar Impulse Foundation says, “By combining aerospace technology with nature-based solutions, we can turn innovation into impact. Our partnership with the Airbus Foundation demonstrates how advanced capabilities like satellite imagery can help restore ecosystems, support economic development, and build climate resilience where it’s needed most.”
Solar Impulse Foundation will deliver expertise in identifying, assessing and promoting nature-based solutions to achieve the greatest impact. They will provide access to an extensive network of cleantech organisations and play an advocacy role in engaging with decision makers to promote sustainable policy change.
Airbus Chief Sustainability Officer and Chair of the Airbus Foundation, Julie Kitcher, says, “Aerospace technologies allow us to unlock information about our planet that we cannot access from the ground. Using Airbus’ expertise in satellites and helicopters, we’re committed to empowering innovators and researchers to develop solutions that address pressing environmental and social challenges. The Solar Impulse Foundation has a high level of expertise in supporting climate projects and through this partnership, we are aiming to create new pathways for innovative projects to increase climate resilience and support local communities.”
From 1 April, the two foundations will actively seek proposals that can benefit from aerospace capabilities to promote nature-based solutions. The selected projects will receive €10K in seed funding and have access to technical expertise to help accelerate their impact.
This partnership aligns with the Airbus Foundation’s mission to collaborate with key stakeholders to innovate environmental solutions using the unique capabilities of Airbus technologies. By providing access to critical data, cutting-edge tools, and specialised resources, the partnership will enable communities to better anticipate and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
Notes to editors
*Nature-based solutions are defined as actions to protect, sustainably manage and restore natural and modified ecosystems that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits.
About Airbus Foundation:
The Airbus Foundation is a non-profit organisation that unlocks access to Airbus products, services and expertise to its global non-profit partners to help address some of the most important societal challenges of today.
About Solar Impulse Foundation:
Created by the visionary explorer Bertrand Piccard, the Solar Impulse Foundation works for a unifying ecology, synonymous with prosperity.
By identifying, labelling and promoting clean and profitable innovations from around the world, it accelerates the deployment of these technologies capable of modernising our economies, reducing waste and increasing profits and social well-being. Efficiency – getting more with less – is the compass of this effort, enabling the transition from a destructive quantitative economy to a sustainable qualitative economy.
To date, more than 1,600 solutions labelled ‘Solar Impulse Efficient Solutions’ have been certified for their environmental and economic performance in the energy, water, mobility, construction, industry and agriculture sectors and are listed in an open-access search engine, the Solutions Explorer. To promote their adoption, the Foundation mobilises a vast ecosystem of public and private actors, from start-ups to market leaders, including municipalities, states, investment funds, international organisations and multilateral development banks, with one objective: an effective and sustainable transition.
Featured image credited to Airbus SAS
