Sustainability Research Initiative Grant Background
Duke University’s Office of Climate and Sustainability and the National University of Singapore (NUS) are pleased to announce the launch of the NUS-Duke University Joint Sustainability Research Initiative Grants. This initiative aims to kick-start collaborations in climate and sustainability-related research between the two universities. Each institution has committed approximately $400,000 in funding to support up to four selected projects. At Duke University, these grants are being administered as part of the Duke Climate Commitment, which unites the university’s education, research, operations, and public service missions to address the climate crisis. At the National University of Singapore, this effort supports NUS Sustainable Futures—a community-building and agenda-setting platform, driving sustainability research and education to new peaks of excellence—aligned with the university’s Commitment to Sustainability. This funding opportunity complements existing climate and health collaborations between Duke University and Duke-NUS Medical School, which recently funded five joint projects focused on the impact of climate change on human health.
We invite proposals targeting the following priority research areas in climate and sustainability:
- Nature-based Solutions, Carbon Monitoring Reporting and Verification (MRV), Coastal Protection and Resilience
- Renewable Energy Systems, Decarbonization, Green Data Center Technologies
- Green Finance, Carbon-Market Integration, Climate-Related Decision Systems
- Health Impacts of Climate Change, Urban Heat, Air Quality
Projects may approach these areas from any disciplinary or interdisciplinary perspective. Proposals must entail demonstrable research collaborations between partners from each institution and be jointly led by a PI from each institution.
For each project, Duke will award up to $100,000 USD for Duke researchers, and NUS will award up to $120,000 SGD for NUS researchers.
RFP Launch Date: April 10, 2026
Submission Deadline: June 1, 2026
Grant Timeline
- April 10, 2026: Application period opens
- June 1, 2026: Application period closes
- Mid-to-Late July 2026: Successful applicants notified
- August 1, 2026 or September 1, 2026: Project start date
- February 1, 2027 or March 1, 2027: 6-month progress reports due (applicable to Duke lead PIs only)
- January 31, 2028 or February 29, 2028: Project end date
- February 29, 2028 or March 31, 2028: Final report submission due
Application
Please review the details of this call for proposal.
Duke PIs must submit proposals through this Kuali form (NetID authenticated) by June 1, 2026. Non-Duke affiliates can view the Kuali application through this link, but Duke PIs must submit the final proposal.
Contact Information
For further information or questions, please contact the point person for your respective university:
National University of Singapore
Brenda Lim, Manager
Office of the Deputy President (Research & Technology)
Duke University
Robin Fail, Assistant Director of Climate and Sustainability Research
Office of Climate and Sustainability