The Elsevier Foundation Chemistry for Climate Action Challenge 2025

Climate change is the most important challenge for the future of the planet, affecting every country on every continent, and it is essential that they take action. Climate change is not only causing rising sea levels and changing weather patterns but is also disrupting national economies and affecting lives.

Chemical sciences play a critical role in developing a sustainable future: whether it’s CO2 reduction and utilization, cleaner production, energy conversion and storage, entire lifecycles of chemical products, or waste reduction.

Through its focus on Climate Action, the Chemistry for Climate Action Challenge also aims to recognize the pivotal role women play in combating climate change. UN Women reports that globally, one fourth of all economically active women are engaged in agriculture, where they must contend with climate consequences such as crop failure, and also have the disproportionate responsibilities for collecting increasingly scarce water and fuel. Projects submitted to the Challenge must therefore take into consideration gender components such as addressing the role of women in adapting to climate shifts and participating in policymaking and leadership roles.

What is in scope and what is out of scope for the Challenge?

• 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.

Prize Information

• The Elsevier Foundation Chemistry for Climate Action Challenge awards 2 prizes of 25,000 dollars (USD) each.
• The Challenge awards projects that use green and sustainable chemistry solutions to tackle some of the developing world’s greatest sustainability challenges – encouraging researchers to come up with new solutions.

Challenge Criteria

• Proposals need to have all the criteria described below, namely have a strong green & sustainable chemistry component, using a novel approach for a solution to an urgent problem, be applicable in and suitable for low- and middle-income countries, replicable, scalable, sustainable and, have an impactful gender component.
• Provide a description of the project background and include a description of the broader context, the urgency of the problem, and highlight how the project links to the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Particularly describe how the project links to SDG13 Climate Action and the sub-targets of this SDG such as: strengthening resilience to climate-related hazards, improve education and awareness, address the needs of low- and middle-income countries. Additionally, describe if and how the project interlinks with other SDGs (e.g., SDG3 Good Health and Well-being, SDG5 Gender Equality, SDG15 Life on Land, etc.), resulting in co-benefits.
• The project utilizes innovative green and sustainable chemistry and chemical sciences approach, for example:
  • CO2 reduction and utilization, cleaner production, energy conversion and storage Reduces or eliminates the use or generation of one or more hazardous substances or materials;
  • More sustainable use of resources and cleaner low energy production;
  • Increase reuse or recyclability of chemicals/product;
  • Designs a new business model related to the circular economy.
• The project is replicable, scalable, sustainable (make sure to specify why), and sets a benchmark for innovation – new ideas or concepts in development will be given preference over more advanced projects.
• The proposal highlights the novelty of your approach and gives a short literature overview of what has been done before, both by you and others (“background”).
• The project is applicable in and suitable for low- and middle- income countries. Describe the project’s social impact on local communities, including gender equality either in design or implementation.
• The project must have an impactful gender component, and if relevant describing the sex/gender dimensions of the research.
• The project must include an implementation plan.
• Please note: that if the project has been developed in a high-income country, contextually appropriate knowledge transfer to the lower income country is needed to be demonstrated, for instance through a developing country implementation or research partner(s). If the idea presented is already patented, it will not be eligible.

For more information, visit The Elsevier Foundation.