Scotland can shine a spotlight on the critical work taking place in clean energy. Even more importantly, in the tradition of world-changing innovation prizes, Scotland can challenge scientists and businesses around the world to tackle one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century in bringing the vast potential of alternative energy online years sooner than might otherwise happen.

The key elements of the Saltire Prize are:

* capturing imaginations: challenge that can inspire a revolution in green energy
* global challenge: high profile prize open to teams from across the world
* relevant to Scotland: relevant to area in which Scotland has strong natural resource and can be demonstrated in Scotland
* capitalises on Scotland's expertise: challenge will reflect area in which Scotland has strong technical expertise and people already working
* achievable in the short-medium term: challenge ideally achievable within a 2-5 year timeframe