Leaders Recommendation
2023 Fukushima
Adopted in the 5th RD20 Leaders Session
October 5, 2023

Leaders Statement/Summary: Recognition of Current Situation
The RD20 Leaders:‐ restate the urgency for a clean energy transformation to mitigate climate change and the important rolefor international collaborations‐ reaffirm their commitment to RD20 as unique forum of 20 research institutes committed to working
together to accelerate the innovation needed to achieve a carbon‐neutral world economy by:collaborating, convening, sharing, assessing, co‐developing, advocating‐ acknowledge significant progress has been made through the development of task forces focused on
specific issues, harmonization of life cycle assessment and metrics, workshops to address critical areas,
and a summer school for early career researcher professional development‐ recognize that RD20 is on a positive trajectory and can have significant impact by amplifying current
collaboration mechanisms, facilitating research exchange and collaborative projects, and increasing
coordination and visibility.

Leaders Session Recommendations (1): Action Committee, Future Meeting, Summer School, Interface
with Other Initiatives‐ Action Committee to create a strategic roadmap by:‐ Creating a document describing current RD20 activities, achievements and trajectory‐ Refining vision, mission, value proposition, and messaging‐ Ensuring accomplishment, collaboration and impact‐ Highlighting workforce development through summer schools‐ Developing a plan to expand the scope and impact for workshops where output can
provide guidance to policy makers,‐ Exploring a stakeholder and sponsor plan.
‐ 2024 RD20 meeting to be held in Delhi, India (TERI host)‐ 2024 RD20 summer school to be held in Indonesia (BRIN host)‐ Participate in the COP28 and other international forums with appropriate messaging

Leaders Session Recommendations (2): Increase Current Collaboration Modalities• Summer School‐ Create an alumni program so early career researchers can stay in touch• Expand RD20 participation in current task forces (visibility and communication)• Create new task forces: RD‐V Technical Sessions identified several task forces (andinterested institutions) in H2, PV, CCU• Workshops‐ Hold workshop (like Gigaton H2) same week as RD20, e.g. two days before or after
RD20 meeting (host to provide venue for workshop)‐ Additional workshops (virtual for planning purposes, hybrid). Action committee toidentify other workshops‐ Publish impactful perspective(s)• Develop tools and capabilities to assess, promote and ensure equity, energy justice,accessibility, and community/public engagement.

Leaders Session Recommendations (3): Researcher Exchange
Identify how RD20 can catalyze researcher exchange with value to both institutions• Create an RD20 researcher exchange program‐ Proposal process for funding travel and lodging for researcher exchanges‐ Leverage current collaborations‐ Institutional and PI commitment to send, receive and engage‐ Encourage RD20 institutions to find and fund opportunities and to leverage current
projects/funding towards mutual benefit• Catalog and build upon current exchanges among RD20 institutions‐ Identify and publicize existing programs for international exchange at RD20institutions

Leaders Session Recommendations (4): Coordination & Communication•

Increase interactions among RD20 researchers‐ Webinars; Focused virtual workshops‐ Catalog current collaborations (especially multilateral collaborations, e.g. PVQAT (4 RD20institutions))‐ Short‐term visits to institutions (tours, discussions), include some researchers•Leverage large conferences‐ Mixer, task force meeting, short workshop or even additional day at large conferences where RD20researchers already participate‐ Create RD20‐centric sessions at key conferences (to encourage RD20 researcher attendance)•Expand RD20 website and create a collaboration portal‐ Catalog past activities, e.g. Summer school presentations, posters, participants‐ Catalog info from data gathering (conferences, exchanges,…)‐ Create a members collaboration portal for RD20 institutions