Yale University has announced the creation of a new fund intended to support early-stage research on solutions related to climate change.
The new Climate Impact Innovation Fund will be spent down within the next 30 years, following the urgency of responding to the climate threat. It will be one of the primary funding sources supporting the Planetary Solution Project’s current request for proposals.
This is the latest step in the university’s wide-ranging efforts to promote bold innovations in dealing with global environmental crises.
The Climate Impact Innovation Fund which was established with an initial $15 million contribution from anonymous donors, will operate as part of the Yale Planetary Solutions Project, a campus-wide initiative launched in December 2020 to identify and advance powerful, integrated solutions to global environmental threats.
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Provost of the University, Scott Strobel said that Innovation is about approaching existing problems in new, creative ways and that the Climate Impact Innovation Fund is aimed at offering Yale faculty the support to do just that.
With the help of the new fund and the initiatives of the Planetary Solutions Project, Yale intends to leverage the University’s tremendous intellectual and leadership resources to catalyze innovation and progress.
The fund is expected to focus largely on developing new ideas and solutions aimed at net-zero carbon emissions and a sustainable future, including a focus on greenhouse gas emissions and cleaner energy sources, resilient ecosystems and infrastructure, and protecting public health—particularly for communities and populations that are disproportionately harmed by a warming planet.
According to Strobel, “We are in a unique position at Yale where we have the expertise and the will to help solve global problems,”. “That means we also have a responsibility to do so. This fund and the Planetary Solutions Project exemplify our commitment to make substantial progress on healing our planet.”
Planetary Solutions Project director Casey R. Pickett said that the Climate Impact Innovation Fund will enable Yale faculty and staff to explore bold ideas that could be game-changers.
“We are deeply grateful for this generous gift, and for the faith the donors have in the ingenuity and commitment of Yale’s faculty and staff” he said.
