Whether you're starting a career in climate, hiring talent, or building on the latest research, London's universities are the place to start.
Imperial College London, University College London, London School of Economics anchor the region's climate research and feed talent into the industries doing the work. Read on for a starter guide to the major programs and centers.
Imperial College London
Undaunted: Centre for Climate Change Innovation
Undaunted's flagship is The Greenhouse, a 12-month equity-free climate accelerator run with the Royal Institution and Imperial's Grantham Institute for pre-seed hard-science founders around TRL 3 to 5. Selected startups get equity-free grant funding, masterclasses and coaching from technical and commercial experts, free central-London workspace, and access to Imperial's lab benches, prototyping, investor network, and alumni community, closing with a Demo Day. Admission is highly competitive and graduation requires raising a set investment threshold.
Grantham Institute: Climate Change and the Environment
Imperial's Grantham Institute is a climate and environment research institute, not a standalone founder program, but it is the academic half of Undaunted and co-runs The Greenhouse accelerator. For founders it is the research engine and institutional home behind that program rather than a direct route in. Approach it for research collaboration, credibility, and talent.
Energy Futures Lab
Energy Futures Lab is Imperial's cross-faculty energy research institute, convening hundreds of researchers across energy systems and the transition. It is a research, convening, and education body, not an accelerator, with no cohort, investment, or founder space. Founders route to Undaunted and The Greenhouse for acceleration and to Imperial Enterprise for spinouts and prototyping.
University College London
UCL Energy Institute
The UCL Energy Institute, within the Bartlett, researches energy demand, buildings, modeling, and shipping. It is a research and teaching institute, not a founder accelerator or fund. Founders route to UCL Business for spinouts and IP and to UCL Innovation & Enterprise for general startup support.
Bartlett School of Environment, Energy & Resources
BSEER is UCL's academic school housing the Energy Institute and institutes for environmental design and sustainable resources. It is research and teaching, not a founder program. Founders route to UCL Business and UCL Innovation & Enterprise.
London School of Economics
Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment
LSE's Grantham Research Institute is a climate economics, finance, law, and policy research institute, the clearest pure research and policy body on this tab. It runs no accelerator, fund, or founder program; its output is evidence and credibility, from climate-law databases to transition frameworks. Founders needing general entrepreneurship support route to LSE Generate.
King's College London
Climate & Sustainability Research
King's Climate & Sustainability is a university-wide research program, with a Net Zero Centre covering decarbonization, sustainable manufacturing, and resilient infrastructure. It is research, not a founder program, and its internal seed fund supports King's researchers rather than external startups. Founders route to the King's Entrepreneurship Institute for general support.
Queen Mary University of London
Centre for Sustainable Engineering: Materials & Energy Research
Queen Mary's sustainable-engineering research spans solar and perovskites, redox-flow batteries, cleaner combustion, and carbon storage within its School of Engineering and Materials Science. It is research and teaching, not an accelerator. Founders route to Queen Mary Innovation for spinouts and IP.
Brunel University London
Institute of Energy Futures
Brunel's Institute of Energy Futures, in West London, is strong in cooling, refrigeration, waste-heat recovery, and energy in food chains, hosting a national center for sustainable energy use in food chains. It is a research institute, not a founder accelerator. Founders route to Brunel's research and enterprise office.