22 Sep 190+ Nations Travel to Singapore for FIRST Global Challenge, Focus on Hydrogen Technology & Combating Climate Change

The “Olympics-style” robotics event unites all corners of government & civil society

Washington, D.C. – September 22nd, 2023 – FIRST Global is thrilled to bring the world’s stage to Singapore for the 2023 FIRST Global Challenge, set to take place from October 7-10, 2023. The FIRST Global Challenge brings together high school-aged youth from over 190 countries for the world’s most international robotics competition. This year’s “Hydrogen Horizons” theme charges teams with building a robot and navigating it through a simulated environment to produce hydrogen and then store, transport, and convert energy. During the competition, teams will work together in randomly selected multi-country alliances to score points, a practice which encourages global cooperation and fosters mutual understanding.

Additionally, FIRST Global teams compete in an innovation competition known as the New Technology Experience (NTE). This year, the NTE theme “Energy Evolution” guides teams in learning about all types of renewable energy, including hydrogen technologies, and the steps to create a clean energy future. FIRST Global teams will then research and develop their own innovative solutions to advance the implementation of and improve access to renewable energy.

This event is set to take place in the weeks following the release of the UN’s global stocktake on climate progress, an assessment made every five years to inform the next round of climate goals related to the 2015 Paris agreement. Among the report’s key findings was the need for international cooperation when responding to global issues, a sentiment which lies at the heart of the FIRST Global Challenge. The report’s authors wrote, “International cooperation can help share experiences in realizing opportunities and overcoming barriers to and challenges in the implementation of adaptation plans and promote learning from good practices across various contexts.”

Varied and Powerful Support

Dean Kamen, the Founder of FIRST Global, stated, “We’ve achieved a broad coalition of support because our mission—to expand access to STEM education and inspire the next generation—is so widely applicable.” He continued, “High-tech industries need a skilled workforce. Countries everywhere want to see their youth flourish. Our mission is ultimately to the benefit of the global community.”

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) continues to be a steadfast supporter of the event. “Hydrogen is an especially important and promising solution to the climate challenge because it can tackle the parts of our economy that are most difficult to convert to low or zero emissions processes,” said Dr. Sunita Satyapal, the DOE’s Director of Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office. “We are proud to support FIRST Global’s work raising awareness of this crucial technology and inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers to build a more sustainable energy future.”

Lam, a global supplier of innovative wafer fabrication equipment and services to the semiconductor industry, has pledged a $10 million donation to FIRST Global, providing critical, enabling support to FIRST Global’s mission to expand access to STEM education and invest in the next generation of global technology leaders. The Lam donation is the company’s most significant gift since unveiling its social impact framework, Powering Breakthroughs Together, in 2022.

“For the world to overcome its greatest challenges like reaching net zero, it is imperative that we inspire tomorrow’s engineers and technologists,” said Stacey MacNeil, Chief Communications Officer and Group Vice President of ESG at Lam Research. “Lam is proud to be the Title Sponsor of this year’s FIRST Global Challenge. This event represents a transformative learning experience to equip students with the knowledge and skill sets needed to succeed in the innovation workforce of the future.”

Other leading industrialists have supported FIRST Global’s efforts to increase global awareness of hydrogen technologies and innovative renewable energy solutions. Schneider Electric, a global company that develops transformative energy management and automation solutions, support’s FIRST Global’s worldwide efforts to draw youth into technology. Kevin Self, Senior Vice President of Strategy, Business Development and Government Relations says, “Today’s youth will solve tomorrow’s challenges in clean energy production, use and efficiency.  It is imperative to introduce a hands-on, minds-on approach to problem solving and no program does this better across the planet than FIRST Global.”

Many prominent civil society organizations, such as the Bezos Earth Fund, are also committed to creating solutions to combat the global challenge of climate change. Dr. Kelly Levin, Chief of Science, Data and Systems Change for the Bezos Earth fund, said regarding FIRST Global’s innovation challenge, “It is inspiring to see students worldwide apply scientific principles and experimental rigor to design and prototype energy solutions using hydrogen as an energy carrier. Without FIRST Global, I am unsure how many of these students would envision introducing green-energy powered electrolyzers and fuel cells into their community.  For FIRST Global participants, this form of creative thinking is common and provides hope for the future.”

About FIRST Global

FIRST Global’s mission is to inspire science and technology leadership and innovation in youth from all nations in order to increase understanding, instill the importance of cooperation, address the world’s most pressing issues, and improve quality of life for all. Bringing these future STEM leaders together in an engaging and collaborative competition drives home the importance, excitement, and applicability of STEM education and demonstrates that they can work together — even in competition — to find solutions to the world’s greatest challenges. Learn more at first.global.

Media Resources:

• Find FIRST Global’s 2023 media kit, as well as photos from the 2022 Challenge, here.
• Watch the 2023 FIRST Global Challenge official promo video here.
• View the 2023 FIRST Global Challenge live stream starting October 7 at https://first.global/live/

Details from participating country teams can be found at https://first.global/fgc/#teams

Press Contact:

Matt Stalford

press@first.global

+1 (484) 574-2660