Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Deadline: October 1, 2025
The Elsevier Foundation Chemistry for Climate Action Challenge 2026 is now open for submissions from scientists, innovators, and research teams using chemical sciences to combat climate change. This prestigious global competition supports impactful projects that harness chemistry to address pressing environmental issues such as carbon reduction, renewable energy, sustainable materials, and pollution control.
Organized by the Elsevier Foundation in collaboration with Elsevier’s chemistry journals, the challenge offers participants the opportunity to gain international visibility, mentorship, and financial support. Two winning projects will be awarded €25,000 each to scale their solutions and drive tangible progress in the fight against climate change.
Benefits
Successful applicants will enjoy the following:
Award
- The winning projects will receive a prize of $25,000 each. The winners will be announced at the 10th Elsevier Green & Sustainable Chemistry Conference (18-20 May, 2026) in Dresden, Germany.
- Access to mentorship and networking opportunities with global experts.
- International recognition through Elsevier’s platforms and publications.
- A chance to present projects at high-level conferences on sustainability and climate action.
- Support in scaling innovative chemistry-based solutions to real-world challenges.
SEE ALSO: Coca-Cola HBC Technical Trainee Program 2025 for Young Nigerians (18 Months Non-Residential Training)
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for the Chemistry for Climate Action Challenge 2026, applicants must:
- Be individual researchers, teams, or organizations working in chemistry and related sciences.
- Propose projects that address climate change mitigation or adaptation using chemistry-based approaches.
- Demonstrate innovation, feasibility, and measurable impact.
- Be willing to engage in presentations, mentoring sessions, and knowledge-sharing events.
- In-scope: scale-ups of early-stage projects where the prize represents most of the overall needed budget; innovative green & sustainable chemistry solutions implemented in the global South. For example, projects looking at Sustainable Chemistry Solutions: Waste Utilization; Alternative Energy Sources; Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health; Climate Change Mitigation; Community Empowerment; Sustainable Agriculture; Water Resource Management; Health and Well-being.
- Out-of-scope: projects to be implemented outside of low-and-middle income countries; projects with no gender component, educational projects without a strong scientific green & sustainable chemistry component; prize money mainly used on expensive equipment; prize money mainly used on personnel; projects in the Global South without a local implementation partner.
Application Process and Documents Required
Interested candidates should:
- Complete the online application form on the Elsevier Foundation website.
- Submit a detailed project proposal including objectives, methods, and expected outcomes.
- Provide a CV or team profile highlighting relevant expertise.
- Include supporting materials such as previous research publications, prototypes, or proof-of-concept documents.
Applications will be reviewed by an international panel of scientists, sustainability experts, and climate action leaders.
