What Climate-KIC Australia does

Climate-KIC Australia is a registered charity and Australian public company limited by guarantee that operates as a non-profit knowledge and innovation community catalysing systems-level climate action. Established in 2017 within the University of Technology Sydney's Institute for Sustainable Futures, it functions as an independent convenor of multi-stakeholder collaborations across government, industry, research, and community, working in close partnership with EIT Climate-KIC (Europe's largest climate innovation initiative). Its stated purpose is to bridge the gap between climate ambition and implementation in Australia through collaboration networks, commissioned research, and capability-building programs.

The organisation delivers its mission through a portfolio of distinct, named programs rather than a single product. Core programs include ClimateLaunchpad (the world's largest green business competition, delivered nationally for eight years), the Business Renewables Centre – Australia (BRC-A, member-based PPA support), the Materials and Embodied Carbon Leaders' Alliance (MECLA, a 190+ organisation coalition targeting embodied carbon in the built environment), Energy Upgrades for Australian Homes (EUAH, targeting 1 million homes by 2030), the Vehicle-Grid Network (VGN, national V2G deployment with $2.37M in funding), and the Climate Measurement Standards Initiative (CMSI, open-source standards for climate physical risk disclosure). Underlying capabilities are non-technological: convening methodology, policy translation, frameworks development, and stakeholder coordination — not proprietary software or AI.

The business model is grant-funded and program-commissioned rather than commercial. Revenue streams include federal and state government grants (e.g., $1M for VGN, ASIC/AASB commissioned disclosure capability work), Cooperative Research Centre funding (RACE for 2030), membership subscriptions (BRC-A), and project delivery fees through consortium leadership roles. Pricing is largely free at the participant level for entrepreneur-facing programs (ClimateLaunchpad is fully subsidised), while BRC-A operates on a recurring membership model. Customer segments span federal and state government agencies, large corporate decarbonisation buyers (Transurban, Woolworths, AWS, AirTrunk), financial institutions (QBE, Suncorp, IAG, NAB, Westpac, CBA, HSBC), and the built environment sector. The organisation employs 11-50 staff and is headquartered at UTS Building 10, Ultimo, Sydney.

Name

Climate-KIC Australia

Legal name

Climate KIC Australia Ltd.

Website

https://climate-kic.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Climate-KIC Australia is a non-profit knowledge and innovation community, operating within UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures, that convenes multi-stakeholder collaboration networks and delivers funded programs (MECLA, BRC-A, CMSI, ClimateLaunchpad, VGN) to accelerate systems-level climate action across government, industry, research, and communities in Australia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate Innovation Convening Services

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)

akta.pro primary industry

Regulatory & Disclosure Strategy (CSRD/ESRS, ISSB/IFRS S2, SEC, TCFD) (EUABAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Climate Policy, Governance & NDC Support (BPADALAA), Climate Risk & Scenario Analysis (TCFD/IFRS S2) (EUAHAJAD), Audit-Ready Controls, Assurance & Compliance Workflow Tools (CSRD/SEC/ISSB) (EUABAEAG), Climate Finance Strategy (CapEx planning, green finance, incentives & grants) (EUABAKAG), Climate Finance, Carbon Markets & MRV Systems (BPADALAB)

Keywords

• Climate innovation services
• Systems convening programs
• Renewable energy procurement
• Embodied carbon reduction
• Climate disclosure standards

Headquarters

HQ city

Ultimo

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Funding: Climate-KIC Australia receives federal government funding for specific programs. The VGN received $1 million in federal government funding. ASIC and AASB commissioned UTS/Climate-KIC Australia for capability building materials. The organisation is registered as a charity with the ACNC and is a not-for-profit public company limited by guarantee.
2. Membership Fees (BRC-A): The Business Renewables Centre – Australia (BRC-A) is a member-based organisation. Membership provides access to educational resources, networking, and industry insights for renewable energy procurement. Organisations join to access PPA knowledge, training, and buyer group coordination.
3. Program and Project Delivery: Climate-KIC Australia delivers climate initiatives and programs funded by government, industry, and research partners. Revenue is generated through project delivery fees, consortium leadership roles, and commissioned research under programs like RACE for 2030 CRC.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Climate-KIC Australia is a knowledge and innovation community that convenes multi-stakeholder collaborations to drive systemic climate action in Australia. It delivers a portfolio of programs including ClimateLaunchpad (green business competition), Business Renewables Centre-Australia (BRC-A) for renewable PPA support, Materials and Embodied Carbon Leaders' Alliance (MECLA) for built environment decarbonisation, Energy Upgrades for Australian Homes (EUAH), Vehicle-Grid Network (VGN), and the Climate Measurement Standards Initiative (CMSI) for climate risk disclosure.

Product overview

Climate-KIC Australia is a knowledge and innovation community that catalyses systems-level climate action through a portfolio of programs and initiatives. The organization operates as a platform of distinct, named programs rather than a unified software product. Its core offerings include: ClimateLaunchpad (green business competition), Business Renewables Centre-Australia (BRC-A, renewable energy PPA support), Materials and Embodied Carbon Leaders' Alliance (MECLA, built environment decarbonisation), Energy Upgrades for Australian Homes (EUAH, household energy efficiency), Vehicle-Grid Network (VGN, EV-grid integration), Climate Measurement Standards Initiative (CMSI, climate risk disclosure standards), Resilient Futures Investment Roundtable (resilience finance), and Climathon (hackathon). These programs work across multiple levers of change including policy, finance, technology, knowledge systems, and market transformation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ClimateLaunchpad: World's biggest green business ideas competition offering training, mentoring, and pitching opportunities for early-stage climate entrepreneurs.
• Business Renewables Centre – Australia (BRC-A)
• Materials and Embodied Carbon Leaders' Alliance (MECLA)
• Energy Upgrades for Australian Homes (EUAH)
• Vehicle-Grid Network (VGN)
• Resilient Futures Investment Roundtable

Products and services

• ClimateLaunchpad World's largest green business competition offering world-class training, mentoring, pitching opportunities, and local and international pathways for early-stage climate entrepreneurs across 40+ countries.
• Business Renewables Centre - Australia (BRC-A) Member-based organisation that helps Australian businesses access renewable energy Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), providing educational resources, training workshops, buyer group coordination, and market intelligence.
• Materials and Embodied Carbon Leaders' Alliance (MECLA) Coalition of over 190 industry, government, and research organisations working collaboratively to reduce embodied carbon emissions and achieve net zero in Australia's built environment, operating 8 working groups.
• Energy Upgrades for Australian Homes (EUAH) Consortium project working to make it easier for Australian households to upgrade the comfort and energy efficiency of their homes, with the aim of enabling upgrades for 1 million homes by 2030.
• Vehicle-Grid Network (VGN) National network led by Climate-KIC Australia and UTS to accelerate vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, convening 31 organisations across the EV-grid ecosystem to develop standards, regulations, and consumer deployment frameworks.
• Climate Measurement Standards Initiative (CMSI) Industry-led collaboration developing open-source technical standards for climate physical risk projections to support consistent financial sector climate risk analysis and disclosure aligned with TCFD recommendations.
• Resilient Futures Investment Roundtable Coalition working to improve decisions around resilience investment and increase funding flow to climate adaptation and resilience building projects across Australia.
• Adaptation Finance Project Completed project demonstrating how the finance sector can invest in adaptation to deliver community resilience and commercial returns, addressing the adaptation finance gap.
• NSW Decarbonisation Innovation Hub Initiative supporting a mature and collaborative decarbonisation innovation community in NSW, fostering research, development, commercialisation and adoption of decarbonised technologies.
• Climate Scenarios in Australia Completed research project providing guidance for organisations on using climate scenarios to understand physical and transitional risks and opportunities for decision-making and strategic planning.
• Climathon Annual global climate hackathon bringing together participants to develop innovative solutions for climate challenges.

Quantifiable outcome

• Energy savings of up to 40% per household in energy-upgraded homes
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Decarbonising the Building Industry (DBI) Initiative at University of MelbournecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026MECLA collaborated with DBI at the University of Melbourne to produce the report 'The Next Frontier: Reducing Embodied Carbon in Data Centre Development.' The research combined desktop analysis with workshops involving more than 70 industry stakeholders.
• Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025ASIC and AASB commissioned UTS ISF, Climate-KIC Australia, UTS Business School's Centre for Climate Risk and Resilience, and Studio 3 Learning to develop capability building materials for climate-related financial disclosures. This is the most significant reform to financial reporting in a generation, with mandatory disclosures phased in from 2025.
• Monash University (Sustainable Development Institute)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2023Monash University leads the Energy Upgrades for Australian Homes (EUAH) project alongside Climate-KIC Australia as co-convenors. Funded by RACE for 2030 CRC, the project brings together five research institutions and industry partners to develop scalable home energy upgrade programs across diverse Australian communities.
• WWF-Australia and PresynccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022MECLA (Materials and Embodied Carbon Leaders' Alliance) is co-convened by Climate-KIC Australia, WWF-Australia, and Presync. These partners collaborate on policy advocacy, industry engagement, and development of embodied carbon reduction frameworks and resources for the built environment sector.
• CSIRO and ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate ExtremescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022CSIRO and ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes developed the 2022 Addendum to the CMSI climate science guidance, reviewing implications of the IPCC AR6 and CMIP6 for the existing CMSI standards.
• EnergyLab and Boomerang LabscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2021ClimateLaunchpad is delivered in Australia in partnership with EnergyLab and Boomerang Labs. EnergyLab runs the 12-month Early Stage Clean Energy Acceleration program. Boomerang Labs provides additional startup support. These partners help deliver ClimateLaunchpad program components including mentorship, coaching, and connections to investor networks.
• Future Battery Industries CRC (FBICRC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021FBICRC sponsored five dedicated placements in ClimateLaunchpad 2021 to help commercialise breakthrough battery technology ideas. FBICRC CEO Stedman Ellis noted the partnership builds capability and nurtures commercialisation of early-stage battery innovations.
• QBE, Suncorp, IAG, RACQ, NAB, Westpac, Commonwealth Bank, HSBCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2020These financial institutions participate in the Climate Measurement Standards Initiative (CMSI), coordinated by Climate-KIC Australia. CMSI develops open-source technical and scientific standards for physical risk projections for Australian buildings and infrastructure, aligned with TCFD recommendations. These partners provide industry expertise, funding, and implementation pathways for the standards.
• WWF-AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2018WWF-Australia is a co-convenor of the Business Renewables Centre – Australia (BRC-A), launched in October 2018. WWF-Australia brings conservation expertise and stakeholder relationships to the corporate renewable energy procurement space, supporting the BRC-A's mission to make PPAs more accessible to Australian businesses.
• Rocky Mountain InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2018BRC-A operates under licence from the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), which established the original Business Renewables Centre in the US. RMI's framework and methodology for corporate renewable energy procurement has been adapted for the Australian context through this licensing arrangement.
• UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Climate-KIC Australia works within the UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures, which is its institutional home. ISF Director Professor Stuart White noted that combining ISF's research excellence with Climate KIC's global networks accelerates systems transformation. Climate-KIC Australia is coordinated from ISF Building 10 at UTS Ultimo. The partnership enables world-class systems research and impact-focused collaboration across all programs.
• Climate KIC (Europe)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Climate KIC Australia collaborates with Climate KIC, Europe's largest climate innovation initiative. The new 2026-2028 strategy signals enhanced partnership with Climate KIC, with CEO Chris Lee stating the organisation aims to create pathways for shared learning, joint project development, and exchange of systems innovation expertise across continents. Climate KIC CEO Kirsten Dunlop endorsed the new strategy as a significant evolution. ClimateLaunchpad is an initiative of EIT Climate-KIC.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• EIT Climate-KIC: Europe's largest climate innovation initiative and the global parent network for Climate-KIC Australia. Operates the same convening, education, and accelerator model (ClimateLaunchpad) across 40+ countries, with shared branding and direct strategic endorsement of Climate-KIC Australia's 2026-2028 strategy.
• ClimateWorks Centre: Monash University-based climate systems innovation and policy advisory not-for-profit, co-located in Australia. Delivers overlapping services in decarbonisation scenarios, net-zero pathways, and multi-stakeholder convening for industry and government, and is a direct parallel operating model.
• Investor Group on Climate Change (IGCC): Australian investor coalition on climate risk, with member institutions overlapping significantly with Climate-KIC Australia's CMSI participants (NAB, Westpac, CBA, HSBC). Focuses on climate disclosure, TCFD implementation, and policy advocacy, competing for the same policy-influence and member-engagement mandate.
• WWF-Australia: Co-convenor of both BRC-A and MECLA, sharing operational responsibilities on renewable energy procurement and built environment decarbonisation. Directly comparable mission focus on multi-stakeholder climate action in Australia.
• RACE for 2030 CRC: Australian Cooperative Research Centre funding the Energy Upgrades for Australian Homes project alongside Climate-KIC Australia. Shares the systems innovation model, multi-stakeholder convening approach, and focus on residential and commercial decarbonisation.
• Carbon Market Institute: Australian independent industry association for climate and carbon market participants. Overlaps on policy advocacy, carbon market integrity, and corporate climate disclosure capability building, serving a similar institutional audience.

Broad incumbents

• Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI): Global clean energy think tank that licenses the BRC-A framework to Climate-KIC Australia. Operates a much broader portfolio (mobility, buildings, electricity) globally and represents a potential expansion partner or competitive threat for corporate renewable energy and decarbonisation advisory mandates.
• CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project): Global disclosure system for environmental impact used by thousands of companies, including Australian reporters. Operates as the global default platform for climate-related financial disclosure, potentially competing with or complementing Climate-KIC Australia's CMSI standards work.

Others

• UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures: Institutional host of Climate-KIC Australia within the University of Technology Sydney. Delivers the underlying research, scenario analysis, and project leadership for many of Climate-KIC Australia's programs, making it a strategic enabler and the closest operational counterpart within the same building.

Emerging players

• EnergyLab: Australian climate-tech accelerator that delivers the 12-month Early Stage Clean Energy Acceleration program within ClimateLaunchpad Australia. Comparable mission around supporting early-stage climate entrepreneurs and provides a partial overlap on founder support services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/climate-kic-australia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Climate-KIC Australia