Application Deadline: September 15, 2026
No Application Fee

Established in 2016 by the Shanghai United Institute for Unconventional Resources (SUI) and the Coordinating Committee for Geoscience Programmes in East and Southeast Asia (CCOP), the ECF Energy Technology Innovation Award recognizes outstanding technological innovations and practical contributions to unconventional energy and related geo-energy fields.
The Award is an annual, non-monetary international recognition program. It highlights achievements with technological originality, engineering application, industrial transformation value, measurable field impact and potential for wider application across the Asia-Pacific region. The Award was officially filed with China’s National Science and Technology Awards Office in 2023.

Award recipients will receive official certificates and trophies at the ECF Awards Ceremony during:

Energy China Forum 2026
16th Asia-Pacific Unconventional Energy Conference
October 20–23, 2026 | Shanghai, China

Why Apply?

Award recipients will benefit from:
- International recognition through ECF and its international cooperation platforms
- Promotion to energy companies, government agencies, research institutions, investors and industry partners
- Opportunities for technology transfer, local application and pilot projects
- Potential project cooperation, business partnerships and commercialization
- Presentation and networking opportunities during Energy China Forum 2026

Direct applications and self-nominations are accepted.

Award Categories:

1. Technological Invention Award 

• This category recognizes original technological achievements with independent intellectual property rights that have overcome critical technical bottlenecks and demonstrated significant originality.

• Recognition Levels: Special Award of Excellence, Gold Award, Silver Award, Bronze Award

2. Science and Technology Progress Award

 • This category recognizes achievements in technology development, engineering implementation, fundamental research or public-benefit initiatives that have been successfully applied at scale. 
Winning projects should demonstrate significant economic, social, environmental or industrial value.

 • Recognition Levels: Special Award of Excellence, Gold Award, Silver Award, Bronze Award

3.  Technological Improvement Award 

• This honorary category recognizes practical, incremental innovations in tools, equipment, designs, workflows, materials or operating methods that improve production efficiency, reliability or economic performance. 

• Recognition: Honorary recognition without ranking, unless otherwise determined by the Award Committee.

All awards are honorary and non-financial in nature.

Eligibility Fields:

Applications are welcomed in unconventional energy and related geo-energy fields, including but not limited to:

- Shale oil and gas, tight oil and gas, coalbed methane, including deep coalbed methane, and natural gas hydrates
- Deep, ultra-deep, complex, low-permeability and low-abundance reservoirs
- Resource evaluation, sweet-spot characterization, reservoir stimulation and recovery improvement
- Geology-engineering integration, drilling and completion, hydraulic fracturing and factory-style operations
- AI-enabled exploration and production, digital transformation, smart oilfields and digital reservoirs
-Advanced oilfield chemicals, high-efficiency equipment, energy-saving technologies and green completion systems
- CCUS, geothermal energy, underground gas or energy storage and integrated subsurface energy systems
-Natural hydrogen, helium, lithium and other associated subsurface resources, where relevant

Who May Apply?

              Eligible applicants include:

• Energy companies and oil and gas operators

• Oilfield service and engineering companies

• Equipment manufacturers and technology providers

• Research institutes and universities

• Government-affiliated agencies and public institutions

• Project teams and individual researchers

• CCOP Member Countries, Cooperating Countries, Cooperating Organizations and affiliated institutions

• Other international organizations and industry partners

      Applications may be submitted directly or through a nominating or supporting organization.

General Requirements

Submitted projects should:

• Demonstrate clear technological innovation or practical improvement

• Have been implemented, tested, demonstrated or published with verifiable evidence

• Show measurable technical, economic, environmental, social or strategic impact

• Have no unresolved intellectual property disputes

• Have no major safety, environmental or quality incidents related to the submitted technology

• Not involve classified, national defense, confidential or restricted technologies

For the Technological Invention Award, granted patents or equivalent evidence of independent intellectual property should be provided where applicable.

Application Materials

   The application package should include:

1. Completed ECF Energy Technology Innovation Award 2026 International Application Form

2. Project summary and technical description

3. Evidence of field application, demonstration, testing or deployment performance

4. Intellectual property or proprietary technology documents, if applicable

5. Technical reports, test reports or third-party evaluation reports, if available

6. User certificates, customer letters, standards, performance data, photos or diagrams, if available

7. Other documents supporting the project’s innovation, impact, scalability or cooperation potential

Application materials should normally be submitted in English. Chinese-language materials may be attached as supplementary references.

Applicants should not submit classified, export-controlled or commercially sensitive information. A non-confidential summary may be provided where necessary.

Review Process

   The review process generally includes:

1. Formal screening and eligibility verification by the ECF Award Office

2. Expert review based on category-specific evaluation criteria

3. Final deliberation and approval by the ECF Award Committee

4. Notification of results and preparation for the ECF Awards Ceremony

5. Award presentation during Energy China Forum 2026 in Shanghai

Finalists may be requested to provide supplementary information, clarification or a brief presentation for expert review.

Evaluation Criteria

 Applications will be evaluated according to the selected award category. Common criteria include:

• Technical originality, novelty and breakthrough value

• Technical maturity and reliability

• Field application and deployment performance

• Measurable technical and economic results

• Environmental, social and strategic impact

• Scalability and replication value

• Potential for local application and international cooperation

• Quality and rigor of supporting evidence
  

How to Apply

 Download and complete the International Application Guide and Form.

Submit the completed form and supporting documents by email to:

Submission Email: ecf2@energychinaforum.com
Email Subject: ECF2026 Innovation Award Application – [Project Title]
International Application Deadline: September 15, 2026
Application Fee: No application fee

For large files, please contact the ECF Award Office to arrange an alternative submission method.

• Download International Nomination Guide and Form

  
  

For questions, contact Mr. Zhu at +86 21 5438 3583 / +86 189 1797 8976 or ecf2@energychinaforum.com.

 We look forward to your game-changing innovations!