OUR RESEARCH APPROACH

The TomKat Center for Sustainable Energy funds research in science, technology and policy that will lead to a transformation of the world's energy systems for a sustainable future. The seed grants fund faculty research with the potential for high impact. These proof-of-concept awards enable researchers to move from theory to early experiments and analysis.

Our research portfolio program brings together experts from different disciplines to work on different aspects of a major problem. Researchers receive an individual seed grant in one of four areas of expertise: generation and conversion; transmission and distribution; energy storage; or land and water use. In addition, the researchers collaborate in the larger portfolio project activities. The strategy allows for advances in the individual disciplines, while also broadening the potential impact of the work as a whole.