Global Momentum, Fresh Faces, Bigger Impact — ICN in 2025
As the clean transition accelerates worldwide, collaboration across ecosystems has never been more critical. In 2025, ICN deepened its global footprint — welcoming new members, advancing projects and convening the people shaping the future of cleantech.
Who We Are and Where We Stand in 2025
Our Story and Mission
Empowering Global Cleantech Collaboration Since 2009
The International Cleantech Network (ICN) began in 2009 as an EU-funded initiative to foster collaboration among leading cleantech clusters across the world. When the project concluded, its members carried the vision forward, establishing a permanent secretariat in Copenhagen to continue building a strong global platform for cooperation.
Today, ICN is an independent, non-profit organization connecting the world’s foremost cleantech clusters to accelerate the sustainable transition. We strengthen ecosystems by enhancing collaboration, building capacity, and fostering cross-border innovation partnerships — ensuring that clean technologies move faster from idea to implementation.
Guided by our vision to be the global hub for cleantech ecosystems, ICN drives collaboration, knowledge exchange, and internationalization to advance a greener future.
Welcome to Our New Members
We’re delighted to bring new strength and perspective into the network with three outstanding organisations joining ICN in 2025.
BalticNet-PlasmaTec
Located in Germany, BalticNet-PlasmaTec unites research and industry in plasma technology for water and energy innovation. Its work drives clean-tech solutions that improve environmental performance and resource efficiency, contributing to Europe’s green and digital transition.
NATUREEF
Based in Poland, NATUREEF works to advance the circular economy by fostering innovation and collaboration across industries. The network supports sustainable resource use, green technologies, and knowledge sharing to strengthen Europe’s transition toward a more resilient, low-carbon economy.
OpenTech
From Sweden, OpenTech develops AI and digital solutions that enhance efficiency, transparency, and sustainability across sectors. The company collaborates widely to explore data-driven tools and open innovation that support smarter, more connected communities.
Each of these new members enhances our geographic reach and sectoral depth — a clear signal that ICN’s value continues to resonate with ecosystems around the world. ICN is now a global alliance of 22 leading cleantech clusters across four continents.
Strengthening Collaboration and Reach
2025 has been a year of strengthening our voice, expanding our reach and modernising how we connect and collaborate:
A new website and fresh visual identity — built to inspire, inform and invite global partners into the cleantech conversation.
Triple growth in LinkedIn followers, with double the reach compared to 2024 — amplifying member stories, insights and opportunities.
A reborn newsletter — sharper, more engaging and aligned with the needs of our international audience, supporting knowledge exchange across continents.
These developments reflect a strategic push to elevate ICN’s role as a connective platform where ideas turn into action and opportunities lead to impact.
Project Development: From Ambition to Action
In 2025, ICN turned collaboration into concrete progress. Across circular economy, energy, water and international partnerships, projects moved decisively from ideas and dialogue to funding, delivery and on-the-ground impact — exactly where global cleantech collaboration matters most.
Hydrogen Momentum: Scaling the Energy Transition
Hydrogen emerged as a major growth area for ICN in 2025, marking a decisive step forward in energy-focused collaboration.
At the start of the year, the €580 million HI2 Valley project officially kicked off — one of the most significant hydrogen initiatives connected to the ICN ecosystem.
Building on this momentum,ICN secured as part of a six-partner consortium €5 million in Horizon Europe funding for a three-year hydrogen compression project starting 1 January 2026. The project is called “HyCo2”, and positions ICN firmly at the centre of a growing international hydrogen ecosystem — translating policy ambition and industrial interest into scalable, collaborative solutions.
WASH in Africa: Turning Dialogue into Deployment
Few examples capture ICN’s mission better than the progress made in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in Africa this year.
The journey began in spring with an ICN-led webinar focused on WASH needs in Kenya, bringing together local insights and global expertise. This momentum continued in autumn, when ICN partnered on and attended a dedicated conference addressing WASH challenges and opportunities across the region.
The year culminated in action. Through a targeted WASH challenge, ICN identified several cleantech companies ready to support on-the-ground solutions — with deployments planned for next year.
This is ICN at work: driving critical topics, connecting the right actors, and turning collaboration into real-world impact.
From Idea to Opportunity: A New Project with the State of Rio
What started as a conversation at ICN’s Annual Meeting is now on track to become a fully fledged project.
Following the initial kickoff with the State of Rio, discussions deepened through continued exchanges in November, aligned with the international momentum around COP30. The result: a clear pathway from shared ambition to a concrete project framework.
With project development planned for 2026, this initiative exemplifies ICN’s ability to move from dialogue to opportunity — and from opportunity to solutions.
Expanding Reach Through Strategic Partnership: ICLEI
In 2025, ICN further strengthened its international reach by signing a partnership agreement with ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability.
This collaboration opens new pathways for project development, linking cleantech ecosystems with cities and regions at the forefront of climate action. Together, ICN and ICLEI are creating the foundation for future initiatives that connect innovation, policy and implementation — with more joint projects already on the horizon.
Bringing the Network Together: Key Moments of 2025
While projects drive long-term impact, it is at events where collaboration accelerates. In 2025, ICN showed up where global cleantech conversations matter most — convening partners, shaping dialogue and positioning ecosystems for action.
COP30: Cleantech at the Heart of the Global Climate Conversation
In the lead-up to COP30 in Belém, ICN strengthened its presence in international climate discussions by actively contributing to the programme as an official COP30 observer.
ICN hosted a dedicated panel focused on hard-to-abate sectors, highlighting how cleantech innovation, ecosystem collaboration and international partnerships are essential to closing the gap between climate targets and real-world implementation. The discussion reinforced a clear message: solving complex climate challenges requires cross-border cooperation — exactly where ICN delivers value.
ICN Annual Meeting in Rio: From Strategy to Solutions
The ICN Annual Meeting in Rio de Janeiro marked a pivotal moment for the network in 2025.
Bringing members and partners together in Brazil created space for strategic dialogue, knowledge exchange and concrete project ideation. The meeting didn’t end with presentations — it sparked new collaborations, including the early groundwork for what is now developing into a dedicated project with the State of Rio.
The Annual Meeting once again demonstrated ICN’s ability to turn in-person engagement into long-term opportunity.
Aquatech Amsterdam: Advancing Water Innovation
Water took centre stage at Aquatech Amsterdam, where ICN engaged with global leaders across the water and WASH ecosystem.
The event provided a strong platform to connect technology providers, clusters and international partners — reinforcing ICN’s growing role in water-related collaboration, particularly in linking European expertise with global demand. Aquatech also complemented ICN’s broader WASH activities in 2025, strengthening momentum from dialogue to deployment.
Looking Ahead
Together, these moments reflect what ICN stands for: connecting ecosystems, shaping global conversations, and transforming collaboration into impact.
With projects accelerating, partnerships expanding and a growing international presence, ICN enters the next year positioned to deliver even greater value for its members — and for the global cleantech transition.