Banco Santander and Oxentia Foundation are delighted to announce the launch of the Santander X Global Challenge | Countdown to Zero which seeks innovative solutions to the sustainability challenges of carbon emissions.

Startup and scaleup businesses are invited to submit projects which would benefit from investment and entrepreneurial support with the aim of contributing towards lasting social and economic impact for the environment and millions of people around the world.

Solution categories include:

• ON THE TRACK: How can your solution play a critical role in the future of mobility net zero carbon emissions?
• ON THE MOVE: How can your solution help transportation become more environmentally friendly? Could your solution address challenges from the various uses of trucks, ships & aero planes?
• BALANCE TO ZERO: How can your solution create credible offsets and breakthrough CO2 sequestration, capturing and utilisation programmes?

This new challenge is aimed at businesses from 11 countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Germany, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Uruguay, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.)

Applications can be submitted until 8^th September

Six winning projects will be selected, sharing a prize fund of €120,000 in prizes: €30,000 for the three winning startups (€10,000 each) and €90,000 for the three best scaleups (€30,000 each). Winners will receive an invitation to Formula 1 Gran Premio de la Ciudad de México 2022. They will also gain access to Santander X 100, Santander X’s global entrepreneurial community, and the EIT InnoEnergy Innovation Engine to design and support a future roadmap of growth.

Steve Cleverley, CEO, Oxentia Foundation noted

“At Oxentia, helping entrepreneurs address global challenges, provide innovative solutions, and promote adoption of new and disruptive technologies is at the heart of our work. The protection of our planet and the strive towards a more sustainable future is at the forefront of minds and something we are passionate about supporting making. The Oxentia Foundation is therefore delighted to be working in partnership with Santander X to launch a new global challenge | Countdown to Zero, in collaboration with Formula One Marketing Limited.

As an Oxfordshire based organisation, we are privileged to share our home with several highly successful Formula One racing teams and significant motorsport expertise. We look forward to hearing from the vey best cutting-edge technology that this industry is renowned for and wish all the entrepreneurs the very best of luck.”

Banco Santander and its support for higher education 

Banco Santander, the leader in responsible banking, is firmly committed to progress and inclusive sustainable growth. It has a pioneering and long-standing commitment to education, entrepreneurship and employment through Santander Universities, which has been operating in this area for over 25 years, setting it apart from the world’s other financial institutions. Since its launch, the bank has allocated over 2.1 billion euros and supported more than 790,000 students, professionals and entrepreneurial projects through agreements with around 1,000 universities and institutions in 15 countries.

Oxentia Foundation 

The Oxentia Foundation was created to support Oxentia’s goal to address global inequalities through innovation and entrepreneurship activities. Globally, Oxentia has designed, developed, and run awards, competitions and programmes supporting early-stage innovators and entrepreneurs to promote commercialisation of science and technology based-innovation projects impacting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Oxentia developed out of the University of Oxford’s technology transfer company, Oxford University Innovation, with the aim to deliver specialist innovation management services to clients in the public and private sector all over the world. Its approach is grounded in a strong Oxford heritage based on over 30 years’ experience in supporting academic innovation and entrepreneurship in Oxford, and globally in over 70 countries.