Royal Academy of Engineering Unveils £150M Funding Initiative to Propel Climate Innovation

Image Credit: Royal Academy of Engineering

The Royal Academy of Engineering has unveiled an ambitious new initiative, the Green Future Fellowships scheme, designed to distribute £150m over the next five years to scientists, engineers, and innovators working on breakthrough climate solutions. The aim is to back transformative ideas and technologies that can significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions and bolster society's resilience to the effects of climate change.

Through this scheme, up to 50 of the most promising and scalable climate innovations will receive up to £3m each in government funding, enabling them to advance and deploy their solutions over the next decade. Announced yesterday, the Academy emphasized that the program will target at least ten outstanding individuals annually, providing financial backing and tailored support to help turn their concepts into commercially viable climate technologies.

"The climate and sustainability crisis is the challenge of our generation, requiring era-defining solutions to be developed and deployed at scale and with urgency," said Dr Hayaatun Sillem, CEO of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

"The Green Future Fellowships programme provides a new opportunity to do just that, providing the flexible, long-term support required to accelerate scalable and commercially viable climate innovations at all stages of development."

The announcement of the Green Future Fellowships scheme coincided with the release of a new survey commissioned by the Royal Academy of Engineering. The survey revealed that nearly two-thirds of the 2,000 UK adults polled believe more needs to be done to scale up existing climate solutions.

Conducted by pollster Opinium, the survey showed that around 70% of respondents view engineers as crucial to developing climate adaptation and decarbonisation strategies. Additionally, 63% agreed that the UK requires more engineers to combat climate change effectively.

Respondents identified key areas where they believe the most significant impact can be made in addressing the climate crisis:

• Zero-carbon electricity

• Improved recycling and reuse of plastics and metals

• The recovery of waste heat and energy

Science Minister Lord Patrick Vallance remarked that the £150m in government funding for the fellowships will bolster the UK's ambition to become a "clean energy superpower" and achieve a net-zero emissions economy by 2050.

"Investing in innovation at every stage will give some of our most impressive researchers the support they need to help the UK tackle global issues like climate change, generate prosperity, and improve the lives of hard-working people across the UK for many years to come," he said.

Applications for the first wave of fellowships close on 5 November. Successful applicants will become Green Future Fellows for the 10-year duration of the award. The government said applicants must locate their work within the UK and their innovations must also provide tangible domestic benefits alongside any global impacts.