Deadline: 26-May-23
Do you have an idea for a solution that could help Ireland become an environmentally sustainable economy? If yes, then apply for Sustainable Communities Challenge that gives academic research teams a unique opportunity to contribute to Ireland’s transition to an environmentally sustainable and climate-neutral economy.
The Sustainable Communities Challenge gives academic research teams a unique opportunity to contribute to Ireland’s transition to an environmentally sustainable and climate-neutral economy. Following successful review of applications, teams will receive funding of up to €250,000 and training to accelerate development of their idea. A number of teams will then be selected as finalists and receive up to €500,000 to further develop their idea before an overall winner is selected for the €2 million prize award.
The National Challenge Fund is an agile, fast-paced programme that allows research teams to work with societal stakeholders to deliver tangible impact through their research. In addition to funding, teams are provided with training and mentoring to support acceleration of an idea and to demonstrate how it can solve real-world problems. Participation has the potential to open up significant career development and collaborative opportunities.
Challenge Description
- The Sustainable Communities Challenge focuses on creating sustainable and inclusive ways for all people to live, be productive and creative, and to thrive in balance with nature, the environment, and the planet. The challenge provides researchers with the opportunity to explore solutions that will support a sustainable future for Ireland’s urban and rural populations. At the heart of the Green Transition and Digital Transformation is imagining how they will live in the future. As society is transformed, they must consider what innovations and improvements are needed and how research now can prepare them for the decades to come.
- Under this Challenge, applications would be considered in areas including but not limited to:
- Built environment – solutions that will address the impact of the built environment, for example, through construction materials, energy efficiency and enabling energy neutral or positive energy communities.
- Transport and mobility – solutions for clean transport in cities, towns and rural communities, in areas such as planning and modelling, novel modes of transport, driving modal shifts and enabling technologies.
- Resilient infrastructure – Solutions for sustainable provision of power, water, waste management, transport and other services to communities using new technologies or nature-based approaches.
- Under this Challenge, applications would be considered in areas including but not limited to:
Funding Information
- Phase
- Concept
- No. Teams: 12
- Duration (months): 6
- Funding (€): 50,000
- Seed
- No. Teams: 12
- Duration (months): 12
- Funding (€): 200,000
- Grow
- No. Teams: 5
- Duration (months): 12
- Funding (€): 500,000
- Prize Award
- No. Teams: 1
- Duration (months): 24
- Funding (€): 2,000,000
- Concept
Eligibility Criteria
- Applications are welcome from teams of academic researchers based at eligible Irish research bodies. Teams are strongly encouraged to consider including researchers from different and diverse disciplines, at all career stages.
- Applications should be submitted by two academic researchers who will act as team lead and co-lead. It is strongly recommended that applications also identify a Societal Impact Champion to act in a non-technical leadership role. Where a Societal Impact Champion is not identified at the time of application, teams successful in their applications will be expected to have the Societal Impact Champion in place soon after their award commences.
Key Dates
- Call launch: 20 February 2023
- Application deadline: 26 May 2023
- Award decision: June 2023
- Concept phase: 1 September 2023
- Seed phase: Q2 2024
- Grow phase: Q2 2025
- Prize Phase: Q2 2026
For more information, visit Sustainable Communities Challenge.