Funding opportunity for complex, and critically important, climate solutions research

The Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS) is accepting project applications under its $1M Theme Partnership Program, which supports research into particularly complex—and critically important—climate mitigation and adaptation challenges.

Theme Partnership projects are funded to a maximum of $250,000 per year for up to four years. There is one award available in this call announced today. The program promotes the creation of interdisciplinary teams of researchers and climate solution decision makers (from the private and public sector) working together on thematic areas of high complexity and impact – from project outset, to results implementation.

PICS executive director Sybil Seitzinger says these partnerships will generate not only new knowledge, but also build international leadership within British Columbia’s research community, which will help drive further innovation in critical thematic areas.

“The level of ambition must be high. Theme projects not only tackle complex climate-related challenges, they also create a legacy to build upon.”

Seitzinger says Theme Partnerships offer BC-led teams the opportunity to pursue potential game-changers for combatting, and adapting to, climate change, and to be leaders in the emerging low-carbon economy.

“For example, our first Theme Partnership project, “Solid Carbon”, comprises an interdisciplinary international team which aims to turn carbon dioxide from the air into rock. The goal is to advance this ambitious, negative emissions technologies study to commercial viability by mid-century.”

The deadline to submit a Letter of Intent to apply for Theme Partnership funding is 14 February, 2020.

Visit the PICS website for more details on project criteria and evaluation methods. The institute launched the program in November 2018, and plans to maintain a renewing portfolio of three-to-four theme projects.

PICS is hosted and led by the University of Victoria, in collaboration with the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, and the University of Northern British Columbia.

Download this media release.