The global climate discussion will soon receive new science-based input when the Global Climate Research Prize will be awarded for the first time in June. The Global Prize is a biennial environmental award recognising already published, high-quality research with transformative and transboundary impact on climate change related challenges worldwide. The winner will be chosen from among a unique group of global leaders in academia.

“When treaties expire and headlines fade, universities remain – as well as their duty to think and act for the planet. From literature to physics, we need every mind at the table”, says LUT University’s professor Hannele Seeck, who is also affiliated with Clare Hall, University of Cambridge.

The Prize is awarded to member university endorsed researchers at any career stage. The winner receives a €200,000 award, allocated to their university to help sustain and expand their truly exceptional research as recognised by the Prize.

Top finalists to be revealed on 8 May

The winner of the Global Climate Research Prize will be chosen from among the researchers and research teams submitted by the Prize’s member institutions. Applications across all sciences were welcomed, as climate change requires a cross-disciplinary approach. The top finalists will be revealed on 8 May at the British embassy in Helsinki and on the GCRP’s website.

The partner universities of the Prize include Harvard University, the National University of Singapore, the University of Toronto, the University of California, Berkeley and San Francisco, Tsinghua University, Stanford University, Imperial College, Yonsei University, the University of Tokyo, the Technological Institute of Monterrey, the University of Cape Town, the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, the University of Delhi, the Weizmann Institute of Science, and ETH Zurich, with more institutions joining.

“It doesn’t matter who gets the first prize. We want to exhibit and publish all our candidates’ work and give the public and policymakers a good insight into the spectacular research happening in this field”, says Alan Short, President of Clare Hall and award-winning professor in sustainable architecture.

The inaugural judge panel consists of:  Pro-Vice Chancellor for Education and Environmental Sustainability and Professor Bhaskar Vira, WWF Finland’s Secretary General Jari Luukkonen, Clinical Professor of Global Public Health and Sustainable Urban Development Tolullah Oni, Commercialization Officer of the European Space Agency Joana Kamenova, BBC Climate Editor Justin Rowlatt, Professor of Device Materials Sohini Kar-Narayan, LUT University’s Solar Economy Professor Christian Breyer and Global Prize cofounder and Leader of the Disinformation, Propaganda & Soft Power Research Lab at LUT, Professor Hannele Seeck.

The Prize Ceremony is to be held in the iconic Cambridge Union Society Chamber, the historic heart of the oldest debating and free speech society in the world, followed by a celebratory Feast at Clare Hall on Wednesday 10 June 2026.

The Prize Ceremony will feature a distinguished lineup of keynote speakers such as Finland’s Minister of Climate and the Environment Sari Multala, Vice-Chancellor Deborah A. Prentice, and Pro-Vice Chancellor for Education and Professor Bhaskar Vira and the first winner of the Global Climate Research Prize.

More information:

Juha-Matti Saksa, Rector, LUT University, Juha-Matti.Saksa@lut.fi, +358 40 016 6659

Francé Davies, Director of Development, Clare Hall, Cambridge, +44 1223767479, development.director@clarehall.cam.ac.uk

Elina A. Huculak, Coordinator, LUT University, elina.huculak@lut.fi, +358 50 593 3880

If you wish to attend the media event on 8 May, please reach out to media@lut.fi.

Clare Hall was founded in 1966 on the initiative of Clare College, University of Cambridge. It was envisaged as a college with three main classes of members: university teaching officers whose principal focus was research; visiting academics who would stay in Cambridge for between six months and a year; and graduate students. Clare Hall is modelled on the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton but is shaped by its being part of the University of Cambridge. Its Fellowship consists of academics who are leaders in their fields. Many former Clare Hall Visiting Fellows have been awarded Nobel Prizes. https://www.clarehall.cam.ac.uk/

LUT University seeks solutions to global issues with its expertise in technology, business, and social sciences. LUT is a trailblazer in promoting the energy transition and the regenerative use of natural resources and helps build resilient communities, industry, and businesses through data, research, and education. LUT’s campuses are in Lappeenranta and Lahti, Finland, but its impact is global. Lut.fi/en