Campus Sustainability Innovation Fund announces call for research proposals

The Harvard Office for Sustainability has announced a call for proposals for the 2018 round of grants through the University’s Campus Sustainability Innovation Fund (CSIF). The Fund, created in 2016, supports projects that use Harvard’s campus or the neighboring community as a test bed for envisioning and piloting innovative solutions to sustainability challenges, including, but not limited to, climate and health. The deadline for applications is Feb. 20, 2018.

CSIF provides support for both research assistantships and original projects, and is the centerpiece of Harvard’s Living Lab initiative aimed at bringing students, faculty, and staff together to use the campus and surrounding community as a test bed to incubate exciting ideas and pilot promising new solutions to real-world challenges threatening the health of people and the planet — at Harvard and across the world.

Projects must tackle real-world challenges faced directly on campus or in the community, and lead to the practical application of emerging technologies or strategies that can be used to inform the University’s implementation of its Sustainability Plan. Successful projects will aim to have an impact on operations and decision-making at Harvard’s campus, but should also provide scalable solutions that can be applied to other organizations or lead to a commercialized venture.

Five innovative and multidisciplinary student research projects were awarded funding in CSIF’s inaugural round of grants. The diverse group of undergraduate and graduate students, as well as postdoctoral fellows, are using the funding to leverage their expertise in public health, design, psychology, and chemistry to research healthier buildings, vibrant public spaces, behavior change, and green agriculture.