The Canadian government has announced a new $4.5-million challenge aimed at accelerating made-in-Canada battery innovation to better position the country in the global market.

The Charging the Future Challenge will help accelerate the most promising Canadian battery innovations from lab to market. During the 18-month challenge, five finalists will pitch their concepts to a jury of experts to win up to $700,000 each to develop their battery prototypes. Ultimately, the most promising battery breakthrough will receive a $1-million grand prize.

The Challenge is one of six clean tech challenges that are part of the Impact Canada Initiative. Natural Resources Canada, aka the Department of Natural Resources, designed the challenges to attract a diverse range of problem-solvers to generate breakthrough clean tech outcomes. NRCan is investing $75 million over four years in several challenges, including Women in Cleantech, The Sky’s the Limit, Power Forward, Crush It!, Indigenous Off-diesel Initiative and Charging the Future.

Amarjeet Sohi, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, said, “The Charging the Future Challenge provides an opportunity to showcase Canadian capabilities and spur innovation in a lucrative industry. With global demand for batteries growing, I challenge all Canadian innovators in the battery chain to apply.”

Source: Government of Canada