Elsevier Foundation Chemistry for Climate Action Challenge

The Elsevier Foundation Chemistry for Climate Action Challenge is now accepting applications. This initiative supports organizations and individuals tackling sustainability challenges using green and sustainable chemistry solutions.

📜 About the Challenge

The Chemistry for Climate Action Challenge is one of the Elsevier Foundation’s flagship partnerships. Together with Elsevier’s Chemistry journals, the foundation provides $25,000 USD in funding for two winning projects per year. These projects aim to implement green and sustainable chemistry solutions in the Global South, advancing both Climate Action (SDG 13) and Gender Equity (SDG 5).

Opportunity Details:

• Date Published: August 27, 2025
• Application Deadline: October 01, 2025
• Category: Fully Funded, Grants
• Opportunity Location: Germany
• Sponsor Organization: Elsevier Foundation

🎁 Benefits

• Each winning project will receive a $25,000 USD prize.
• Winners will be announced at the 10th Elsevier Green & Sustainable Chemistry Conference (May 18-20, 2026) in Dresden, Germany.

✅ Eligibility Criteria

The challenge is open to:

• Individuals and organizations whose projects use green and sustainable chemistry solutions to address major sustainability challenges in the developing world.

📋 Selection Criteria

Projects will be reviewed based on the following criteria:

1. Urgency of the Problem: The proposal must clearly describe the urgency of the issue being addressed.
2. Innovation: The project must utilize innovative green and sustainable chemistry approaches.
3. Scalability and Sustainability: The project should be replicable, scalable, and sustainable. Preference will be given to new ideas or concepts in development over advanced projects.
4. Novelty: The proposal should highlight the novelty of the approach and include a short literature review of previous work (both by the applicant and others).
5. Applicability in Developing Countries: The project must demonstrate its social impact on local communities, including gender equality in design or implementation.
6. Gender Component: The project must have a strong gender component, clearly describing the sex/gender dimensions of the research.
7. Implementation Plan: A detailed implementation plan must be included.
8. Budget Plan: A full and detailed budget plan in USD must be disclosed, highlighting any funding already raised and plans to close any funding gap between the prize money and total project costs.

📅 Application Date and Process

• Application Deadline: October 01, 2025
• Submission Platform: Proposals can be submitted via the Elsevier Foundation Chemistry for Climate Action Challenge platform.
• Important: Familiarize yourself with the full description of the Challenge and criteria before submitting your proposal.

🌐 Additional Information

For more details, visit the official challenge page.
To apply, go to the submission portal.

🗓 Key Dates

• Application Deadline: October 01, 2025
• Winner Announcement: May 18-20, 2026, at the 10th Elsevier Green & Sustainable Chemistry Conference in Dresden, Germany.

• 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.