The UK’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and Brazil’s Ministry of Development, Industry and Commerce (MDIC) have launched a new partnership to support clean technology in industry, aimed at accelerating Brazil’s path to a low-carbon future.
The initiative, Industrial Decarbonisation Incubator (IDI), will help promising clean technologies to overcome one of the toughest stages in development: moving from lab prototypes to real-world deployment. The platform will accelerate the deployment of clean tech across hard-to-abate industrial sectors in Brazil such as iron and steel, cement, aluminium, pulp and paper, chemicals and petrochemicals, and glass.
Coordinated by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and delivered by Energy Systems Catapult with the strategic support of Brazil’s National Confederation of Industry (CNI), IDI brings together businesses, innovators and investors to help scale solutions that can make a real difference on the ground. The other delivery partners of this transformative initiative include CinK Group, ABGI, KPTL and Neoventures.
IDI will focus on bridging the critical gap between prototype and demonstration – advancing technologies from Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 4-5 to TRL 6-9 – by connecting industrial demand, high-potential innovation, and coordinated access to capital.
IDI will be built around three goals:
The IDI is a flagship deliverable of the Industrial Decarbonisation Hub (ID Hub), a Brazil-UK country platform launched at COP28. The ID Hub partnership is helping to mobilise and coordinate a comprehensive international assistance package in support of Brazil’s industrial development and decarbonisation priorities. This partnership builds on shared priorities between the UK and Brazil. It supports the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy and the UK’s ambition to be a global leader in Clean Energy Industries by 2035, and aligns with Brazil’s Nova Indústria Brazil policy and its broader climate goals.
Julia Cruz, Secretary of Green Economy, Decarbonisation and Bioindustry, MDIC said:
“This strategic partnership between Brazil and the United Kingdom translates, in practice, our commitment to making decarbonisation a strategic pillar of national reindustrialisation with competitiveness and inclusive economic development.”
Katie White OBE MP, UK Minister for Climate, said:
“The UK is home to some of the world’s brightest and best clean tech innovators, playing a vital role in our journey towards becoming a clean energy superpower. Through our UK-Brazil Hubs partnership, and with the Industrial Decarbonisation Incubator (IDI) as a key pillar of this work, we’re thrilled to be working with COP30 hosts to open up exciting new possibilities for UK and global businesses in Brazil’s dynamic clean energy market and strategic industries. This partnership is part of our joint efforts to tackle the climate crisis while driving economic growth and job creation in both countries.”
Rana Ghoneim, Director of Energy Systems and Industrial Decarbonization, UNIDO, said:
“Innovation is the bridge that turns climate ambition into industrial prosperity. The launch of the Industrial Decarbonisation Incubator reflects UNIDO’s commitment to supporting Brazil in building an ecosystem that connects technology, public policy, and investment to accelerate the transition towards a low-carbon industry. The ID Incubator, which is part of the ID Hub, fosters international cooperation as a lever to scale up innovative solutions and strengthen industrial competitiveness in line with global sustainable development goals.”
Peter Weston, Business Leader – International at Energy Systems Catapult said:
“Decarbonisation is not a challenge that stops at national borders, it is a global mission that demands global solutions. From technologies to policy, what works in one country can unlock progress in another. That’s why international partnerships such as IDIC are so important. They create space for shared learning, joint testing, and cross-border deployment – accelerating progress far faster than countries working in isolation.”
For more information, please contact:
Andrew Pease (Energy Systems Catapult) on Andrew.pease@es.catapult.org
Lucas Brown (CinK) on Lb@cink.group