Cities IPCC Legacy Research Grant

In March 2018, the City of Edmonton hosted the inaugural Cities and Climate Change Science Conference (CitiesIPCC), attracting over 800 scientists, researchers and policy-makers to the city.

An outcome of this event was a research agenda, the Global Research and Action Agenda on Cities and Climate Change Science, that compiled an inventory of research and knowledge gaps critical for cities to make policy, growth and investment decisions.

This Global Research Agenda includes six different topic areas: Urban Planning and Design; Built and Blue/ Green Infrastructure; Sustainable Consumption and Production; Finance; and Uncertainty and Informality.

After the close of the conference, Edmonton created the CitiesIPCC Legacy Research Grant program to support research that would aid Edmonton in its science-based, climate-related decisions for both mitigating greenhouse gas emissions as well as to help the City to adapt to a changing climate. The City of Edmonton, with support from Alberta Ecotrust, partnered from 2019 to 2021 to deliver the research grants.

While this grant is no longer available, Alberta Ecotrust now offers the Climate Innovation Fund (CIF) grant program. This program targets the major urban greenhouse gas emissions sources in Edmonton, and aims to support a broad range of climate positive interventions while ensuring an equitable and just future for all Albertans.

Projects supported through the program may cover a diverse range of activities, from technology demonstration to collective impact and policy advancement.