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Venture Catalyst

Aggie Climate action for Equity (ACE):

Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Climate Change Solutions

The Aggie Climate action for Equity (ACE): Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Climate Change Solutions grant is an initiative to spur UC Davis-based translational research, pilots, and commercialization aligned with California’s Climate Action Priorities. In collaboration with an established cadre of on- and off-campus stakeholders and InnovationAccess, Venture Catalyst will leverage existing infrastructure and form new partnerships to yield a climate innovation pathway that accelerates the translation of nascent technologies into applied projects aimed at addressing the effects of climate change.

Individuals and companies with a UC Davis affiliation (current faculty, staff, & students who can partner with a PI) are eligible to apply.

What is ACE?

The UC Davis Office of Research’s Venture Catalyst group was recently awarded a $1M grant. It is funded via the CA State Legislature AB 179 and administered by the UC Office of the President. University of California’s Climate Action Innovation & Entrepreneurship grant program’s goal is to amplify the number and quality of translational and proof-of-concept pilot projects emerging from the University of CA. Funds are dedicated for the purpose of nurturing technologies, policy interventions, and behavioral innovations that can play a meaningful role in climate change mitigation, resilience, and adaptation, with a specific attention to end-user engagement and a focus on positively impacting communities most vulnerable to the effects climate change.

The program seeks technologies and other behavior- or policy- based innovations that can be readily deployed in a pilot or proof-of-concept study that could lead to further scale-up within 2-5 years. Applicants must address one or more of the following categories in their project:

  • Mitigation is an action or set of actions to reduce or capture emissions of greenhouse gases.
  • Adaptation is an action or set of actions that reduce physical climate risk.
  • Resilience describes a state of readiness to face climate risks.

Grant Information for Potential Applicants and Partners:

  • The RFP (Request for Proposals) will be released in December 2023. Applications can be sent through the Office of Research’s InfoReady grant application platform (Kerberos login required).
  • Awardees will be announced in March 2024 with funding to be released.
  • The grant year runs from March 2024 – March 2025

More information about applying will be released shortly. Please check this website periodically for updates.

Resources:

Questions? Please email ace-grants@ucdavis.edu.