Annual Report
2024
We are thrilled to share highlights from the second year of the Boston University Institute for Global Sustainability (IGS) as we continue building on our mission to advance a resilient future – through cutting-edge research, projects with impact, strategic collaborations, and student mentorship. In a short time, we’ve collaborated with partners on research initiatives now totaling $12.2 million in grant funding. This early momentum is working to support innovative, equitable, and just solutions in planetary and environmental health, climate governance and sustainability transitions, and energy systems of the future.
Highlights
→ Ongoing Projects: Five major multi-year IGS projects, totaling more than $8.7 million in funding to IGS faculty and partners, made important research progress in climate-health, justice in renewable energy supply chains, the sustainability aspects of data centers, the future of batteries, and building decarbonization.
→ New Projects: IGS and partners were awarded $3.5 million for new research initiatives. This included federal funding from the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy to advance projects on disaster resilience and offshore wind energy development. IGS received additional funding from Schneider Electric to continue examining building decarbonization. Funding from Eversource Energy is supporting research to advance equity in Massachusetts energy efficiency programs.
→ Stakeholder Engagement: IGS expanded engagement with decision makers and community stakeholders. IGS’s Power & People Symposium attracted close to 150 registrants, including representatives of state government, the City of Boston, community organizations, the director of the 5th US National Climate Assessment at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the senior vice president of environmental health of the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the dean of the BU School of Public Health. The Clean Energy & Environment Legacy Transition (CELT) initiative, co-led by UMass Lowell and IGS, engaged industry partners, and built on the participation of the BU provost, Gloria Waters, in Governor Healey’s first international trade mission to Ireland.
→ Student Funding: Under IGS’s leadership, in partnership with BU Sustainability and the Office of Research, BU Campus Climate Lab awarded more than $139,000 to student-led projects, surpassing last year’s support. IGS’s Graduate Student Summer Fellows program provided $40,000 in funding to eight students working on independent research projects.
→ New Office & Increased Capacity: Thanks to the support of the Office of Research, IGS moved back to the Charles River Campus in 2024, greatly facilitating further collaborations in sustainability and climate research with faculty and students. IGS’s overall administrative and research capacity also grew with the addition of two new full-time staff positions to expand the Institute’s communications and policy impact, two postdoctoral positions, and the Institute’s first visiting researcher.
