The Compute for Climate Fellowship is a global R&D funding program that empowers climate tech startups to leverage advanced cloud computing and AI in the fight against climate change. The Fellowship was founded in 2023 by the International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence (IRCAI), under the auspices of UNESCO, and Amazon Web Services (AWS). Each Fellow company accepted into the program builds a groundbreaking proof-of-concept (PoC) climate solution that is funded by AWS, with technical and scientific advisors from AWS and IRCAI.

In addition to the eight solution areas above, the Compute for Climate Fellowship is also seeking proposals for tech-enabled climate solutions that are built by, with, and/or for Indigenous Communities. The Fellowship recognizes that Indigenous People are important leaders in addressing the climate crisis. These communities around the world are both widely impacted by climate change, and at the same time have traditional knowledge, innovations, and practices that offer powerful solutions to the climate crisis and biodiversity loss. The Fellowship is eager to support Indigenous innovators and indigenous solutions to the climate crisis and is putting out a call for proposals.

More background about the call here →.

Who can I contact with questions?
Please reach out to info@ircai.org with the subject “IRCAI AWS Fellowship”

I applied to the Fellowship before but wasn’t selected. Am I eligible?
Yes, please submit a new application and you will be considered for the next program.

What happens if I’m not selected for the Fellowship?
Startups that aren’t selected can apply for $5k in AWS Credits. Eligibility criteria includes: 1) Have not previously received AWS Activate credits of equal or greater value, 2) Self-funded or pre-Series B (most recent funding round must be within the last 12 months, if applicable), 3) Have a fully-functioning company website, and 4) Founded in the past 10 years. All AWS Activate credits are in USD and subject to the AWS Promotional Credit Terms & Conditions.

Will AWS build the PoC with my team?
Selected startups will be responsible for building the PoC. IRCAI scientific mentors and AWS technical expert mentors will advise on the design of the PoC, but will not build it. The startups will own IP resulting from the PoC.

Who can apply?
Private climate tech companies formed within the last 10 years, from any country.

How long is the PoC build phase?
2-3 months of development time.

Who owns the IP?
Startups retain ownership of all IP resulting from the POC.