WE TACKLE COMPLEX CHALLENGES TO SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION IN A VARIETY OF SECTORS.

Our range of expertise and services enable us to tackle complex challenges in designing, managing, financing and communicating innovation in key verticals with high stakes when addressing sustainability — and spotting the untapped potential of systemic change.

ENERGY

The urgency to mitigate climate change, and the legitimate expectations of economies and societies for access to secure and affordable energy, call for a massive decarbonised electrification of uses, from mobility to heating to industrial processes. The level of this ambition calls for tremendous innovation, both incremental and disruptive. Since 2005, the transition to a low-carbon energy mix has been our main area of intervention, with over 50 projects in all segments (renewables & nuclear, grid, storage, energy efficiency).

  • Coordination of a 35 M€, 85-partner, research and innovation programme on renewables in support of Europe-Africa co-development
  • Public funding strategy for a French institute advancing nextgen solar cells
  • Economic modelling on nuclear cogeneration of heat, power and hydrogen 
  • Numerous EU-funded projects, such as Sun-to-X (solar), GEMINI+ (nuclear) or HyIndoor (hydrogen)
  • Digital platform for a regional multi-stakeholder cluster on low-carbon energies
  • Engagement strategy for Spanish solar startup

MOBILITY

Transportation is among the sectors currently experiencing the biggest transformations – a revolution. E-vehicles, hydrogen, shared property and new business models, urban transitions and micro-mobility, MaaS, decarbonised aviation, high-speed rail and innovative public transport. The entire industry is changing fast. At LGI we’ve been supporting innovation across these value chains, from micro to macro, working with start-ups, corporates and national institutions, among others.

  • Designing decentralised project management practices for a California-based global mobility scale-up 
  • Funding strategy for innovation at a French logistics major
  • Systemic analysis of mobility digital platforms’ business models, and policy recommendations for national regulation
  • Startup acceleration at Station F, the world’s largest tech incubator
  • Support for a corporate institute for circular mobility to access excellence label
  • Impact assessment of AI, IoT and blockchain in the carsharing sector

ENVIRONMENT

Preventing air and water pollution, adapting to climate change and preserving biodiversity are among the key challenges our planet is facing. Addressing these issues requires technological, social and nature-based innovations. New business models have the potential to scale societal transformation for a nature-positive, future-proof environment. From circular economy in water to nature-based solutions (NBS), to climate resilience roadmaps, supporting novel environmental solutions is at the core of LGI’s mission as a purpose-driven enterprise.

  • Facilitating science-policy workshops to help integrate biodiversity and ecosystem services in public decision-making
  • Collaborative project management and IP strategy for a group of 7 startups co-designing water recycling solutions for the Med region 
  • Value chain analysis of nature-based solutions addressing climate change adaptation in France
  • Stakeholder workshops to support a metropolis in design its sustainability roadmap

RAW MATERIALS

The recent crises in the early 2020s have made the world tragically aware of its dependence on several essential commodities: energy, food, as well as metals, wood and other essential raw materials. The need for a reasoned approach to supply, and, above all, for a massively circular economy, is more urgent than ever. Since 2012 we have been involved in innovative projects and stakeholder networks supporting circularity in material flows… find out more!

  • Founding member delivering strategic and operational support to an international public-private innovation network on mineral processing and metallurgy 
  • Large-scale public awareness campaign on Critical Raw Materials (CRM), their importance in our everyday life and their role in implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
  • Economic model, business plan and IP strategy for a biotech process enabling selective extraction of CRMs in primary and secondary substrates
  • Grant application, project management and communication for an EU network of national agencies building a common circular economy agenda

BUILDINGS & INFRASTRUCTURE

Decarbonation and climate resilience, smart city promises, integration of nature, changing urban-periurban-rural interactions and work/life patterns: the built environment is under considerable mutation. To address these challenges and opportunities, our projects combine several catalysts of innovation… technology, new materials, NBS, social innovation, circular models, energy efficiency, among others.

  • Database of innovative business models for energy renovation in buildings
  • Go-to-market strategy for a digital platform monitoring energy efficiency at district level 
  • Stakeholder engagement on innovative circular solutions for the housing sector
  • International market research on water-based solutions for addressing Urban Heat Islands
  • Market assessment and business plan for nextgen solar-powered and waste recovery heating & cooling solutions

AGRICULTURE & FOREST

The agricultural and forestry world is under significant pressure for adapting to changing climate and water scarcity — and “sustainable ag” leads to drastically reduce its dependence on chemistry and adverse impacts on biodiversity. New practices including regenerative agriculture, agroforestry or carbon farming, and a number of underlying technological promises leveraging satellite data, AI and robotics, are part of the equation. 

  • Stakeholder engagement strategy and business modeling for urban forest-based solutions to climate and biodiversity challenges in 10 cities
  • Socio-economic impact assessment, market research, communication and project management for data-intensive “climate services” demonstrators for agriculture and food security in Southern Africa
  • Business model and economic options for a “geoplatform” leveraging satellite data in support of agricultural and forestry policies
  • Business model innovation for an impact startup delivering zero-waste solutions in the food sector
  • Market study on new climate services for farm smallholders in the LatAm region

INDUSTRY

The necessary decarbonation of industrial companies and their upstream and downstream value chains, along with increasing requirements of circularity, relocation, and automation, induce a need to rethink industry 4.0 strategies. In other words, industry needs to walk the talk on CSR ambitions — and innovation is there to help. We’ve been working with companies across the board to make sure sustainable innovation isn’t just a buzzword.

  • Building a funding strategy to finance an automotive corporate’s roadmap to net zero
  • Market research on decarbonised cogeneration technologies for energy-intensive companies in the chemical and steelmaking areas
  • Policy and market analysis for valorising paper industry byproduct turned into aviation fuel
  • Value proposition design for an industrial firm developing scientific expertise as a service
  • Assessment of economic benefits of the ITER fusion demonstrator to EU industry
  • Design thinking to facilitate an open innovation challenge for an industrial newbuild programe