The Global Biofuels Alliance launched a two-year international fellowship aimed at converting academic research into commercially viable clean-fuel solutions, selecting 15 early-career researchers and practitioners from 32 countries as its first global biofuel ambassadors.
The Global Biofuel Champion Fellowship, conceived at COP30 in Brazil, will deploy the fellows across regional technical units, diplomatic missions and global policy forums to help countries develop bioenergy roadmaps and accelerate their net-zero transition.
The inaugural selection followed outreach to more than 200 universities and 100 think tanks across continents. The final cohort was chosen through a three-stage international evaluation and includes researchers from the University of Michigan, University of Manchester, Monash University and Polytechnique Montréal, besides institutions in India, Brazil and Africa.
At the launch, Petroleum and Natural Gas Secretary Neeraj Mittal presented India’s bioenergy expansion as a model that could be adapted by other countries. India achieved 20% ethanol blending in petrol in 2025, ahead of schedule, generating estimated foreign exchange savings of $16–17 billion and providing more than $12.5 billion of additional income to agricultural communities.
The country is also expanding second-generation ethanol production through projects such as the Panipat refinery, which converts paddy straw into transport fuel, linking emission reduction with management of agricultural waste.
Under the Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation initiative, 210 compressed biogas plants have been commissioned, while another 334 plants are under construction. India has also introduced a phased CBG blending obligation that will rise to 5% by FY29.
According to estimates highlighted at the event, utilising just one-third of India’s potential compressed biogas resources could offset the country’s entire liquefied natural gas import requirement.
The Alliance is also extending its focus to aviation, with sustainable aviation fuel blending targets for international flights proposed at 1% from 2027, rising to 5% by 2030.
Josh Wycliffe, Director of the GBA, said the fellowship had been designed to deliver policy and technical value beyond the launch. “To ensure the fellowship delivers sustained geopolitical and technical value, the GBA leadership has introduced a post-event roadmap designed to maximise the long-term impact of the newly inducted ambassadors,” he said.
Under the roadmap, fellows will lead regional technology-transfer taskforces and prepare customised bioenergy feasibility plans for governments, including non-member countries. The Alliance will also launch a monthly fellow-led masterclass series, Fuelling the Future, and an open-data digital platform to support cross-border technical cooperation.
The fellows will additionally serve as technical advisers to diplomatic missions and work towards a joint mid-term policy briefing at global forums such as the Conference of the Parties and the World Economic Forum.
The launch also included a policy dialogue on scaling ethanol blending mandates into flex-fuel markets. Representatives from Indian Oil Corporation, Toyota Kirloskar Motor and Renuka Sugars discussed business models, technology collaboration and the policy support needed as countries move beyond conventional blending towards wider adoption of flex-fuel vehicles.
The fellowship seeks to bridge a key gap in the global biofuel transition by linking research institutions, governments and industry, while using India’s experience in ethanol, compressed biogas and agricultural-waste conversion as a practical template for emerging economies.