Brief Description:

On April 7, 2014, President Drew Gilpin Faust announced the creation of the Harvard University Climate Change Solutions Fund to support research and policy initiatives intended to hasten the transition from carbon-based energy systems to those that rely on renewable energy sources, to develop methods for diminishing the impact of existing carbon-based energy systems on the climate, and to propel scientific, technological, legal, policy and artistic innovations needed to accelerate progress toward cleaner energy and a greener world. President Faust contributed $1 million to seed the Fund for the 2014 – 2015 academic year and challenged alumni and friends to assist in raising $20 million for the Fund as an element of broader campaign efforts in energy and environment.

Description:

Applications are invited from researchers and faculty – including clinical faculty – in all disciplines. Reviewers will evaluate applications on intellectual merit, interdisciplinary collaboration, innovation, and likely impact on all fields of energy and the environment. Strong consideration will be given to projects that demonstrate a clear pathway to application, as well as riskier proposals with the potential to be transformative over time. Proposals that demonstrate imaginative and promising collaboration among faculty and students across different parts of the University will receive special consideration, as will projects that propose using the university campus as a “living laboratory”. Applications should propose research that will advance solutions to climate change. Solutions may include both preparedness and mitigation. Applicants may apply for up to $150,000 payable over one or two years, as specified by the applicant in his or her proposal. Grants are non-renewable, but there are no limits on the number of times an individual may apply for funding. The Office of the Vice Provost for Research reserves the right to terminate any grant at any time for cause.

Application Information:

Application Requirements:

1. Contact information that includes applicant’s name, affiliation, rank, address, phone number, and email.
2. Two-page Proposal that describes the research project.
3. Description of the cross-school collaboration (not required, but encouraged) and a statement on how these funds will help leverage future funding.
4. Bio sketch, limited to two pages.
5. Project Budget requires both a Budget Form and Budget Justification.
a. Budget Form must be presented in tabular form, must use 9 point font, and should not exceed one page.
i. Non-allowable Expenses include:
1. Student tuition
2. Salary support for principal investigators. [Requests for partial support of principal investigator summer salary will be considered in limited circumstances.]
3. Renovation costs
ii. If the total cost of the proposed project is larger than the award requested from the Fund, please include an overall financial plan for the project that indicates other sources of funding.
iii. Applicants should note that any benefits-eligible personnel (e.g. faculty, exempt employees, union employees, post-doctoral fellows, teaching assistants, temps); expenses in the budget must include the appropriate fringe rates for each year of funding. If the application proposes to fund a certain amount of an existing employee’s
time, then the budget must also include that percentage of applied fringe. Applicants should consult with Human Resources at their home schools for applicable rates.
iv. Capital projects and renovation costs will not be covered.
v. The recipient of any funding involving travel should adhere to Harvard University’s travel policies.
vi. School assessments should not be included in your budget (the OVPR will arrange
this with home schools separately).
b. Budget Justification should explain each budget line item, in no more than 75 words per item.

Eligibility Criteria:

Full-time assistant, associate, or full professors from any Harvard School may apply for an award. HMS faculty must hold the title of assistant, associate, or full professor in one of HMS’s Basic or Social Science departments. Students and postdoctoral scholars may apply for an award provided they have an identified faculty mentor who will supervise their research. While staff are not eligible to apply as principal investigators, salary support can be requested for staff in the project’s budget.

Additional Information, Related Websites, and Proxy Instructions:

Submission Timeline:
1. The online application portal will open on July 1, 2015.
2. Full Proposals will be due on November 1, 2015.
3. Award Decisions will be made in early January, 2015. Fund Disbursal will begin in January.
4. Technical Research Reports of research will be due from award recipients 1 year after initial receipt of funds. Reports may be no longer than two pages.
5. Financial Reports will be due from award recipients 1 year after initial receipt of funds, concurrent with Technical Research Reports. Financial reports should be submitted using Harvard’s standard financial reporting template.
6. Final Technical Reports will be due after projects have been completed and/or when the project ceases.

For additional information please visit: http://vpr.harvard.edu/internal-funding-opportunities-1

Search Filters:

Institution

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Harvard Business School
Cambridge Health Alliance
Central Administration
Children’s Hospital Boston
Dana Farber Cancer Institute
Harvard Divinity School
Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Graduate School of Design
Graduate School of Education
Harvard College (Students Only)
Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
Immune Disease Institute
Joslin Diabetes Center
Judge Baker Children’s Center
Harvard Kennedy School
Harvard Law School
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
Massachusetts General Hospital
McLean Hospital
Harvard Medical School (Quad)
Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM)
Mount Auburn Hospital
Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare
Radcliffe Institute
Schepens Eye Research Institute
Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
Veteran Affairs Boston Healthcare System
Wyss Institute

Position

Undergraduate
Graduate Student
Postdoc/Fellow
Assistant Professor
Associate Professor
Professor

Type of Competition

Harvard Internal Funding

Discipline

Arts
Basic Science
Clinical Science
Environmental Science
Engineering
Humanities
Life Science
Population Science
Multidisciplinary
Physical Science
Social/Behavioral Science
Translational Science
Other

Type of Award

Prize/Award