Praised for redefining what industry-academic partnership can achieve in the pursuit of aviation decarbonisation, SMBC Aviation Capital and Trinity College Dublin claimed the Green Collaboration Award at the Green Awards 2026, honoured for a world-first research lab integration that positions both organisations as genuine architects of long-term, scalable solutions to one of aviation's most pressing global challenges.

The award, announced on 24 February 2026 at the Clayton Hotel, Burlington Road, reflects a collaboration grounded in ambition and scientific rigour.

Judges left no ambiguity about what made the submission stand out, saying, "MBC Aviation Capital, working in partnership with Trinity College Dublin, demonstrated ambitious leadership through a world-first research lab integration that goes far beyond business as usual sustainability.”

“By combining infrastructure investment, scientific rigour, and direct support for EU certification and policy development, the collaboration is helping to shape real, long-term solutions for a critical global challenge. Purposeful, influential, and deeply collaborative, this partnership shows how industry and academia can come together to drive meaningful change at scale," the judging panel added.

The Green Collaboration Award recognises partnerships that go beyond goodwill to produce tangible, verifiable environmental progress. SMBC Aviation Capital and Trinity College Dublin have met that test emphatically — demonstrating that when commercial ambition and academic independence are properly aligned, the outcomes can influence an entire industry's trajectory.

As the Green Awards near their two-decade milestone, this partnership takes its place among a cohort of winners who have shown that meaningful climate progress is built not on individual effort but on the strength and depth of collaboration.

For the complete 2026 winners list, category insights, and organisation profiles, visit the official Green Awards website and subscribe to the newsletter.