Can you help us measure carbon in nature? Apply now!
Calling all innovators! The moment you’ve been waiting for has finally arrived. Applications for WWF-Canada’s Nature X Carbon Tech Challenge are officially open. Apply here or find out more about the challenge below.
WHAT is the Nature X Carbon Tech Challenge?
WWF-Canada’s Nature X Carbon Tech Challenge is looking for technologies that will make it easier to measure carbon in nature. This will help us to understand and enhance the role that the natural world can play in mitigating climate change while validating how well conservation actions — such as protecting areas from disruption or restoring damaged ecosystems — are sequestering and storing carbon from the atmosphere.
Some carbon measurement technologies already exist, but they’re often costly, difficult to implement at scale, and both labour- and expertise-intensive. The Nature X Carbon Tech challenge is encouraging both the development of innovative solutions and supporting the transition of technologies that could be repurposed from unrelated fields, such as drones or apps.
As you can imagine, it is completely different to measure carbon in a tree versus an eel grass seabed. That’s why we are accepting proposals for technologies with different functionality. Find out more about the difference between measuring carbon in biomass, soils and holistic ecosystems here.
WHY apply to the Nature X Carbon Tech Challenge
Innovators will not want to miss out on the exciting awards package, which is designed to help scale up their technologies. Five finalists will each receive a $25,000 grant to support their participation in the validation phase, as well as access to a spot in the Microsoft Global Social Entrepreneurship Program.
Of those finalists, three will become final award recipients and will each receive a contract valued at up to $100,000 to deploy their technology or approach in the field on a nature-based climate solution project alongside WWF-Canada and conservation partners. Learn more about our awards package here.
WHO can apply to the Nature X Carbon Tech Challenge?
The challenge is open to participants from Canada who are over the age of majority. We’re looking for academics, scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs and innovators.
WHERE can you apply for the Nature X Carbon Tech Challenge?
Register online at techhub.wwfcastg.wwf.ca to submit your application. You’ll also have access to exclusive content, and resources for preparing a competitive application.
WHEN are the key dates of the Nature X Carbon Tech Challenge?
Online applications are now being accepted through our online technology hub. Proposal submissions will close November 8, 2021, when our team of experts will review submissions and invite selected applicants to participate in Pitch Week, scheduled for January 17, 2022, to compete for a chance to move on to the validation phase of the challenge.
HOW to apply to the Nature X Carbon Tech Challenge
Follow our step-by-step guide for submitting your application!
- Register at the Tech Hub
- Take a minute to read through the Eligibility Criteria, FAQ, Terms and Conditions and other key resources specific to the Nature X Carbon Tech Challenge
- Download the proposal template to draft your submission in a savable format.
- Click ‘Start Submission’ to fill out and submit the application webform
- Have any questions? Feel free to contact us
Are you up for the challenge?
WWF-Canada’s Nature X Carbon Tech Challenge, supported by RBC Tech for Nature and Microsoft-Canada, catalyzes the development of user-friendly and innovative technologies to support community-led measurement of carbon in nature. techhub.wwfcastg.wwf.ca
