MAIN PARTNERS
At the highest level of association with and contribution to the project are four Main Partners, each in a different field of activity. These partners are named on the airplane, on the pilots' uniforms and on those of the Solar Impulse Team, on all construction and operations sites and during all flight missions. Our Main Partners’s reputation and influence are essential to the success of the project. They help to relay its key messages and also benefit from the project’s enormous communications potential.
Right now three of the four Main Partner slots have been filled. These Main Partners, who have already guaranteed 65% of the Solar Impulse budget, are
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 Advanced Materials Solution Provider |
SOLVAY, the international industrial group active in chemistry and headquartered in Brussels, is providing provided the Solar Impulse project with vital R&D resources. SOLVAY is contributing research into innovative materials (plastics and polymers) and technical solutions, modeling and simulating their behavior in extreme conditions, evaluating them technically, and undertaking a whole range of tests. "The partnership between our Group and Solar Impulse translates the confidence we place in personal commitment, in the spirit of enterprise and in technological innovation as responses to the challenge of sustainable development. In joining the project we also accept another challenge that will take us to the furthermost frontiers of technology by confronting us with the best experts on the planet in each discipline. This partnership assumes a definite economic dimension as an excellent springboard for promoting and developing the products, services and solutions that the Group will be in a position to bring to it." Jacques van Rijckevorsel, Directeur Général Secteur Plastiques, Solvay Press Release 13 June 2005 by Solvay Solvay's contributions to the project [pdf 37ko] |
 Technology Provider and Time Keeper |
From the moon to the sun... a step that OMEGA is keen to take alongside Solar Impulse. Being a partner in this challenge of a round-the-world flight in a solar airplane provides OMEGA with the opportunity to set out again on the pioneer's trail and relive an adventure, in which passion goes hand in hand with avant-garde technological innovation. What could be more natural for OMEGA than to support a revolutionary airplane project and to participate in a futuristic epic in the service of renewable energies? As a company aware of the environmental stakes, OMEGA recognizes the importance of making commitments to safeguarding our planet. OMEGA is proud to be associated with the values defended by Solar Impulse and shares the enthusiastic and innovative impetus, which is driving such an enterprise. "The project is fascinating. It's a dream, but at the same time you need the capacities to carry it out, you need financing, you need the technology, you need to make the public dream. (...) People are concerned about resources of this planet. People always speak about luxury. Omega is in the business of luxury, but the greatest luxury we have are the resources of our planet. It is important to set an example and to invest in projects which create a change in people’s habits." Nick Hayek, Swatch Group CEO 2007-05-21 Release [pdf 59ko] Omega's contributions to the project [pdf 57ko] |
 A Passion for Innovation |
With the first circumnavigation of the earth in a solar airplane, Solar Impulse and Deutsche Bank want to facilitate the breakthrough of a more broad-based use of solar energy, and thus make an important contribution to the responsible use of available energy resources. The partnership also underlines the great importance that Deutsche Bank attaches to sustainability - both from the strictly banking viewpoint and from that of its responsibility as a corporate citizen in the international community. Deutsche Bank is a leading global investment bank with a strong and profitable private clients franchise and mutually reinforcing activities. A leader in Germany and Europe, the bank is continuously growing in North America, Asia and other key emerging markets. In addition to community development and educational programmes, Deutsche Bank's support for art and music is a cornerstone of its social commitment. With a sponsorship volume globally of approximately EUR 85 million in 2006, Deutsche Bank, together with its foundations, is one of the world’s most socially committed companies. "Deutsche Bank, like Solar Impulse, stands for innovation, sustainability and performance. Since our foundation in 1870, we have made a large number of technological innovations possible - from supporting railway construction in the 19th century up to the financing of modern wind power and solar cell technologies. Furthermore, responsibility for our environment and society is a significant part of our identity as a corporate citizen. Deutsche Bank thus has quite a lot in common with Solar Impulse. We are looking forward to a great and exciting undertaking, and wish the team led by Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg every success." Josef Ackermann, Chairman of the Management Board and the Group Executive Committee of Deutsche Bank Press release (19.03.2007) [pdf 121ko] Deutsche Bank's contributions to the project [pdf 56ko] |