Four projects win big at inaugural sustainability challenge

Four innovative projects emerged victorious from the Grand Finale of Green Future Innovation Challenge (GFIC) 2025 in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province, sharing a total prize pool of 5 million yuan ($70.6 million).

This inaugural competition, cohosted by Vertex Ventures China and Temasek Foundation, aims to identify and support technologically innovative and commercially viable projects that contribute to global sustainability goals.

Feyman Dynamics won the Outstanding Award and a Prize of 2 million yuan. The remaining 3 million yuan was distributed among ROTOBOOST, and two Shenzhen-based companies Daotong New Energy and ZH Energy.

Among the winners, Feynman Dynamics is a deep tech startup that has advanced technology for large-scale and cost-effective electrochemical production of sustainable aviation fuel that is able to reduce life-cycle emissions by more than 90 percent compared to traditional jet fuel.

ROTOBOOST is set to collaborate with Baowu Group, the world's largest steelmaker, on a pilot project for thermal catalytic decomposition of methane, targeting emissions reduction in the steel and aluminum industries.

Daotong New Energy has innovative technology for full recycling of retired lithium iron phosphate batteries, enabling the recovery of high-value materials. While ZH Energy has breakthrough iron sulfur battery technology that can replace vanadium and lithium batteries for safe and cost-effective integration of renewable energy into the grid.

According to the organizers, the competition, which focused on industrial decarbonization, energy transition, green agriculture, and pollution reduction, attracted over 1,000 high-quality green technology solutions from more than 70 countries and regions.

After rigorous evaluation, 30 projects advanced to the semifinals, with 10 ultimately making it to the final round.

Singapore's Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs, Sim Ann, attended the finals and award ceremony Monday, highlighting the event as a testament to the long-standing bilateral cooperation between Singapore and China.

She praised China's global leadership in green transition and emphasized the need for cross-border and cross-sector collaboration to implement scalable sustainable development solutions in response to global climate challenges.

Tay Choon-chong, founding and managing partner of Vertex China noted the increasing urgency of the global climate crisis and commended China's significant progress in green transition. He stated that the challenge aims to deeply integrate "green" and "technology" to address core issues in sustainable development.

Ng Boon-heong, executive director and chief executive officer of Temasek Foundation, emphasized that regional collaboration and technological innovation are crucial to advancing sustainability.

He acknowledged China's leadership in green technology, setting a new benchmark for carbon neutrality.

Contact the writer at chenhong@chinadaily.com.cn