The first round of University-Wide Collaboration Grants on Climate Change will fund eight Duke University faculty teams to lay the groundwork for new research on climate change and its impacts. The teams will investigate topics including planetary engineering, climate justice, low-carbon heating and cooling methods, lithium mining, agricultural histories, coastal resilience, and the impacts of extreme weather on forest ecosystems.

The eight teams include Duke scholars representing seven schools, thirteen departments, and eight university-wide interdisciplinary initiatives, institutes, and centers. The new grant program provides funding of up to $5,000 for faculty and staff who are interested in collaborating with colleagues—both within and across disciplines—around a shared intellectual interest that targets a climate-related challenge. The fund is administered by the recently merged Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions and Duke University Energy Initiative.

The program is part of Duke University’s broader efforts to accelerate sustainable and equitable solutions to the climate crisis while developing the next generation of thought leaders and change agents. The climate initiative will build on Duke experts’ track record of substantial contributions to understanding and addressing climate change and its impacts.