First announced by the Prime Minister in 2023, the Green Future Fellowships will provide critical funding to leading researchers and innovators to develop practical, breakthrough technologies and climate change solutions to achieve net zero.

As the UK’s targets to reduce carbon emissions by 68% by 2030 and 77% by 2035 approach, the novel research supported by the Green Future Fellowships will aim to limit global warming, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and help the UK adapt sustainably to the impacts of climate change.

The Green Future Fellowships endowment is one of the first of its kind to be given by the UK Government, in scale, ambition and approach. The programme represents a new, unique funding model geared to find the best applicants and solutions with useful, scalable technologies that will be critical to achieving net zero and climate targets. Around 10 researchers will each receive awards of approximately £3 million annually over the next five years totalling more than 50 awardees, with support for research at all stages of development. The programme will be open to applicants from universities and eligible businesses in the UK and around the world.

Baroness Brown of Cambridge DBE FREng FRS FMedSci has been appointed as Chair of the programme’s Steering Group, bringing unique experience from her time as Vice Chair of the Climate Change Committee, Chair of the Adaptation Committee and as the first appointee of the Academy’s Research Chairs scheme.

Speaking on Earth Day, Baroness Brown of Cambridge DBE FREng FRS FMedSci said: “The UK’s decarbonisation targets in 2030 and 2035 are fast-approaching and the next five years will be critical to achieving net zero. The Green Future Fellowships represent a significant opportunity during this critical period to develop and scale technologies at the cutting edge of climate research. I’m thrilled to be involved in the largest, most ambitious research programme undertaken by the Royal Academy of Engineering and to support some of the most exciting innovation in decarbonisation and sustainability.”

Designed to support engineering and scientific researchers from multiple disciplines working on novel, pioneering solutions, Green Future Fellowships may include but are not limited to projects such as: 

• Generating 24-hour, 365-day a year electricity without burning fossil fuels
• Reducing the energy usage of vital infrastructure like telecoms networks, data centres and sewage processing
• Building electronic memory that uses much less energy
• Making future electronic devices without relying on mining of rare and expensive minerals
• Creating new bacteria that will clean up pollution and waste faster
• Developing robots to keep our offshore wind turbines running more reliably, whatever the weather

The Academy will seek a broad portfolio of projects that include a mix of urgently needed technologies as well as novel, long-term innovations. Where there is existing research and application in these subject areas, the Green Future Fellowships will aim to support innovation in related areas to enable deployment of these solutions at scale.

Applications for the Green Future Fellowships programme will be open from summer 2024.

Science Minister, Andrew Griffith MP said: “New clean, low carbon technologies are one of the biggest opportunities for humanity today. British researchers are developing innovative solutions - from robots to maintain offshore wind turbines to future electronic devices that will reduce our reliance on mining of scarce and expensive minerals.

“With £150 million of government investment this fellowship programme will back innovators in the UK in practical, breakthrough technologies that will help us all lead cleaner, more environmentally friendly lives.”

Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE, CEO of the Royal Academy of Engineering said: “The global imperative to rapidly decarbonise and reduce our environmental impact cannot be achieved without the shared efforts of engineers and innovators from around the world. We’re excited by the potential to bring together pioneering researchers from the international community and within the UK to develop solutions to the most pressing challenges that we face today and in the future.”