PRESS

Dec 1st, 2025

Datawheel Partners with Johns Hopkins Net Zero Industrial Policy Lab to Power the "Clean Industrial Capabilities Explorer"

A new platform enables access to the results of complex machine learning models, helping global leaders map clean energy competitiveness in the wake of COP30.

A panel of four men in business attire seated on chairs during a discussion or interview, with two water bottles and a notebook on small tables nearby, in a modern indoor setting with large windows.

Net Zero Industry Policy Lab Launch Event at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center

CAMBRIDGE, MA — Dec 1st, 2025 — Datawheel is proud to announce its role as the technology and design partner for the Clean Industrial Capabilities Explorer (CICE), a new digital platform officially launched by the Net Zero Industrial Policy Lab (NZIPL) at Johns Hopkins University.

Following the conclusion of COP30 in Brazil, where nations redefined their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the need for data-driven industrial strategy has never been more acute. The CICE platform translates NZIPL’s advanced machine learning models and two decades of trade data into an accessible, interactive interface to help nations meet these new goals.

Bridging the Gap Between Academic Research and Actionable Policy 

The initiative was led by the NZIPL, providing a rigorous analytical framework that predicts competitiveness across 10 clean technologies, including solar, wind, and batteries. To bring this research to a global audience, the Lab selected Datawheel to handle the digital execution. Datawheel focused on the engineering challenge of transforming these complex inputs into a user-friendly experience that democratizes access to the data.

The result is a tool that serves as a strategic compass. It enables governments and investors to visualize supply chains and assess national capabilities in five key areas: chemicals, electronics, machinery, metals, and industrial materials.

“Our work with the Net Zero Industrial Policy Lab demonstrates the power of user-centric design in industrial development strategies,” said Alex Simoes, Co-Founder & Co CEO of Datawheel. “NZIPL developed a sophisticated machine learning model to help countries avoid wasteful investments and identify genuine opportunities. Our collaboration focused on translating that complex logic into a responsive web experience, ensuring policymakers from Belém to Washington D.C. can instantly access the data they need.”

Illustration of renewable energy sources including wind turbines, solar panels, and a large dam with a green sky background and a view of Earth in the sky, with text about investment in clean energy.

Visualizing the Future of Green Industry 

The platform features custom interactive visualizations that help users:

  • Identify Comparative Advantages: See where countries hold manufacturing strength today.

  • Mitigate Risk: Navigate away from uncompetitive areas to avoid cancelled projects and overcapacity.

  • Target Investments: Pinpoint specific stages of the value chain where support is needed to improve competitiveness.

A web page showing India's industrial base case study with global rankings by technology, including wind 3rd, solar 11th, transmission 15th, nuclear 17th, geothermal 18th, magnets 31st, batteries 32nd, heat pumps 40th, electrolysis 88th, and biofuel 125th, 2023 data out of 155 countries.

By combining NZIPL’s domain expertise with Datawheel’s experience in digital product development and data integration, CICE ensures that critical research does not remain in static reports but becomes a dynamic utility for global development.

The Clean Industrial Capabilities Explorer The CICE platform is available now at cice.netzeropolicylab.com. It was developed to support the goals outlined in the Belém Declaration on Global Green Industrialization, providing the analytics necessary for people-centered green development.

About Datawheel 

Datawheel helps governments and research institutions drive economic progress with data science and AI. We specialize in building custom software, visualization engines, and digital products that transform complex datasets into actionable tools for decision-making.

Media Contact

David Anabalón | Marketing Lead

david@datawheel.us