Institute Research

Research Funding

Climate change is a multilayered challenge that requires an ecosystem of scholars with varying expertise coming together. As the hub for climate and energy research for the University, the Institute cultivates an ecosystem of collaboration to foster research that delivers high-impact results that benefit society.

The Institute breaks down traditional academic boundaries across the University of Chicago community. One way it does this is by supporting early-stage and interdisciplinary research across the University through two funds.

  • The Seed Fund fosters the advancement of early-stage research that explores a wide range of climate and energy topics. This includes providing research awards to both traditional climate and energy researchers and those who do not typically study climate and energy topics but who see connections between climate and energy and their areas of expertise.
  • The Venture Fund fosters an ecosystem of scholars from across UChicago around a central challenge to conduct more advanced research. These projects often include external collaborators such as government or industry entities to pilot and scale real-world solutions and provide impactful tools.

Applications are now closed.

Key Dates

April 15, 2025 – Application deadline

June 1, 2025 – Announcement of awards

June 2025 – Funds released to award winners

Explore the 2024 Projects