Post by UCL Grand Challenges

As London Climate Action Week brings global attention to accelerating action on the climate crisis, UCL Grand Challenges is pleased to announce the 2026/27 Climate Crisis funding recipients. A total of £549,138 has been awarded to 12 Strategic Climate Crisis projects and 4 Climate Network Accelerators, strengthening UCL’s role as a leading centre for interdisciplinary climate research and innovation. This brings the total number of funded Climate Crisis projects to 58. The funded work spans four strategic sub-themes: Climate Governance Projects exploring systems-level transformation, including transport decarbonisation, infrastructure resilience in Small Island Developing States, climate-resilient water access in Nairobi, and governance of heating transitions. Future Food Systems Research addressing food affordability, global markets, and the climate and nutrition impacts of everyday diets. Blue Skies Thinking New work examining how climate change reshapes organised crime and emerging global risks. Climate and Health Projects spanning infectious disease modelling, residential cooling and health co-benefits, climate and mental health, child wellbeing in school environments, and the links between climate, housing, and dementia risk. Four Network Accelerator awards will also strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration across UCL, supporting new communities focused on climate adaptation, child wellbeing, healthy housing, and climate resilience research networks. These awards reflect UCL’s continued commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration and generating evidence to inform policy and practice in response to the climate crisis. #LCAW2026 #ClimateChange #UCL #UCLGrandChallenges Lisa Vanhala Mark Maslin