UT Energy Institute Partners with Global Oil on Sustainable Energy Research
- Jun 13, 2023
The University of Texas at Austin’s Energy Institute is collaborating with global oil companies to fund sustainable energy research aimed at mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, with an initiative called the Strategic Energy Seed Grant program
Oil companies Chevron, Shell, SLB and longtime UT Austin supporters ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips each provided grants of up to $100,000 to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to spark innovation in climate security and decarbonization as part of the 2023 Strategic Energy Seed Grant Program.
In 2022, The Energy Institute awarded 17 interdisciplinary research teams more than $1 million to kickstart their projects and attract federal funding for initiatives focused on emerging energy technologies.
“This funding will help accelerate the scientific, engineering, technological, economic and policy innovations necessary to ensure that all people have access to the energy they need as global energy demand continues to rise,” says Brian Korgel, Energy Institute director and Rashid Engineering Regents Chair Professor in the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering. “It continues the momentum of initiatives aimed at dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions and harmful environmental impacts.”
The 2023 research proposals centered on energy solutions including industrial decarbonization, carbon capture and storage, water use and conservation, and low and zero-carbon fuels.
Korgel said this program directly addresses Energy and Environment, one of the key areas of research designated by UT President Jay Hartzell as an integral part of UT’s Strategic Planning Process.
Nine teams from the Cockrell School of Engineering and the Jackson School of Geosciences received awards from among 46 proposals. To learn more about the program, the teams and their projects, read more from the Cockrell School of Engineering.
