Delegates from G20 members, invited guest countries, international organizations and invited expert participants from the scientific community will deliberate on the ways forward towards Building a sustainable Eco-Innovative Energy Transition system at the G20 Research and Innovation Initiative Gathering (RIIG) Conference to be held on 19 April 2023 at Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh.

Dr Srivari Chandrasekhar, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt of India and the G20 RIIG Chair, will Chair the meeting. The G20 RIIG conference is being coordinated by Science and Engineering Research Board, a Statutory Body under Ministry of Science & Technology, Govt. of India. About 27 foreign delegates and 35 Indian experts, delegates and invitees are expected to participate in the conference.

The main theme of RIIG during India’s G-20 Presidency in 2023 is “Research and Innovation for Equitable Society”. The four priority areas of RIIG under India’s G20 Presidency are i) Materials for Sustainable Energy; ii) Circular bioeconomy; iii) Eco-Innovations for Energy Transition; and iv) Scientific Challenges and Opportunities towards Achieving a Sustainable Blue Economy. The RIIG Conferences on Materials for Sustainable Energy and Circular bioeconomy have already concluded at Ranchi and Dibrugarh respectively.

The RIIG conference in Dharamshala will bring together key actors, comprising national authorities and experts from the G20 members, responsible for planning, setting up new, and managing existing programs on the subject. The areas of focus during the conference include challenges and opportunities in Research and Innovation cooperation among member countries on topics like Smart Energy Transformation, Storage and Management; Mission-driven research in Sustainable Energy Transitions; Policy frameworks for Research and Innovation in Carbon-neutral energy sources and Green Hydrogen and cooperation between G20 members on specific thematic areas.

This interactive event will further promote active engagement between all key stakeholders, including the 3Ps (people, policies and places), and lead towards an inclusive policy-making approach providing a conceptual framework to mainstream energy transition models across different sectors. Collaborations and partnerships among G20 members and stakeholders will strengthen the global efforts towards energy transition.