CLIMACT Starting Grant 2022

CLIMACT launched its second annual call for projects on 15 March 2022, offering seven new CLIMACT Starting Grants to support new climate related seed research. The deadline is set on Monday 20 June 2022 (17:00 CEST).

We asked Nicolas Tétreault, Executive Director of CLIMACT, to tell us more about what makes the CLIMACT Starting Grant call for proposals so special and what would be his best pieces of advice to the participating teams.

NT: Through the CLIMACT Starting Grants, we aim to support seed research that has the potential to grow into full-scale interdisciplinary research projects. The grants are designed to foster novel collaborative research efforts, which will explore new ideas, solutions, and communication methods to maximize societal impact.

In addition, each proposal requires an interdisciplinary team with at least one researcher from UNIL and one from EPFL. There is no need to be a professor to apply but holding a PhD at the time of application is mandatory. All details are available here.

Most importantly, what we need to see, is that the project results and deliverables will benefit society directly through tangible actions from the project team. Thus, we ask you to elaborate a concrete strategy which should ensure that your results directly reach your target audience. That could be through a white paper for decision-makers, an exhibit destined to a large audience, a series of YouTube videos or even a new app. Be creative and ambitious!

NT: To be successful, a project must show high research excellence and originality, be truly interdisciplinary and address a societal challenge linked to climate change and a sustainable society. Make sure your proposal makes these aspects of your project very clear as well as the strategy that will help guarantee a direct impact on society. You can find the evaluation criteria here.

NT: In order to expedite the application process for the CLIMACT Starting Grant, we simplified the application process as much as possible. It consists of a 3-page project proposal template and a budget template. In addition, it was important for us to offer personalized support to our applicants, therefore, if you need any assistance with the process, requirements, or eligibility, feel free to simply drop us an email and we will be more than happy to help you: calls@climact.ch. 

NT: Precision, conciseness and persuasiveness go hand in hand – the number of pages is restricted to three, which should be enough to convey your key ideas.

Do not forget to address both the academic excellence of your project and the societal impact. This is different from traditional calls for proposals. Both criteria are worth 30% of your final evaluation note.

Also, at the risk of stating the obvious, we recommend that you discuss your project and have your proposal proofread by different people before submission.

Finally, the evaluation panel may make recommendations regarding your budget. Thus, we strongly suggest that your budget be realistic and clear to the reviewers.

NT: Their true interdisciplinarity nature. With UNIL and EPFL researchers working together on societal issues related to climate change, they can go beyond their individual expertise to propose systemic solutions to society’s stakeholder.

More about CLIMACT:

Discover our upcoming events, watch our CLIMACT Seminar Series on Youtube, read our articles and follow us on Twitter (@ClimactSuisse et @ClimactSwiss) and Linkedin.

Find out more about the seven beneficiaries of the 2021 CLIMACT Starting Grant.