Energy Seed Grants
Enabled by the generous support of its industry partners, the Energy Institute funds groundbreaking research at The University of Texas at Austin to solve the world’s greatest energy and climate challenges. Over the past seven years, the Energy Institute has funded 86 seed projects involving 102 faculty and staff researchers from 21 departments across the Forty Acres.
In 2026, the cornerstone Strategic Energy Seed Grant program funded 19 interdisciplinary projects to accelerate scientific, engineering, technological, techno-economic and policy innovation in all fields of energy research.
Program Impact
The Strategic Energy Seed Grants program builds on a strong and evolving foundation of Energy Institute research support at The University of Texas at Austin. Over the years, the program has evolved through initiatives including the 2022–2023 Energy Seed Grant Program, collaborative research partnerships such as the Energize Program with Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), and thematic efforts like Fueling a Sustainable Energy Transition (FSET), all designed to catalyze interdisciplinary innovation.
The Strategic Energy Seed Grants program supports early-stage, interdisciplinary research that addresses critical challenges in the energy sector. Funding enables faculty to explore innovative ideas, establish new collaborations, and generate results that lead to larger external funding opportunities.
Projects span a wide range of topics including advanced energy systems, data and computational approaches, materials innovation, and policy-relevant research. The program accelerates impactful discoveries while strengthening connections across departments, centers, and industry partners.
- Supports high-risk, high-reward research ideas
- Builds interdisciplinary collaboration across UT Austin
- Advances technologies critical to energy transition and security and climate resilience
- Strengthens partnerships with industry and stakeholders
Contact
Monique Hennington
Managing Director of Regional Initiatives
Email:
Christa Hopkins
Assistant Director of Operations