4 March 2026: Applications for the TERA-Award 2026 programme are now open, supported by an expanded $1.15 million prize fund, underscoring the urgent need to scale breakthrough technologies capable of driving the global energy transition. Now in its fifth year, the Award continues to invest in innovators developing solutions that can deliver measurable, real-world climate impact. A first prize of $1million will be awarded to the overall winner.
Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) has joined the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) as a strategic international partner for the TERA‑Award 2026 programme for a second year - significantly expanding the programme’s global reach and accelerating efforts to deploy breakthrough technologies for the energy transition.
Launched in 2021, the TERA‑Award programme identifies and scales frontier energy innovations capable of addressing climate challenges. The collaboration with CISL will deepen the programme’s evaluation rigour, ensuring the most promising technologies are grounded in scientific excellence and are ready for commercial deployment.
James Cole, Chief Innovation Officer at CISL, said:
“Accelerating the energy transition is critical for long‑term societal and market resilience. This creates an enormous opportunity for innovation, capital, and solutions with global‑scale potential. Our partnership with the TERA‑Award programme reflects CISL’s commitment to cross‑border approaches to innovation, ensuring that the most promising solutions are not only technically strong but deliver real‑world impact where it is needed most.”
As the UN’s focal point for trade, investment and sustainable development, UNCTAD will contribute its international policy and industry expertise to link TERA‑Award innovations with global markets and application scenarios. Together, the partners will help accelerate the pathway from laboratory to large‑scale adoption.
Alan Chan Ying‑lung, Executive Chairman of the TERA‑Award Organising Committee, said:
“UNCTAD, CISL, and the TERA‑Award programme share a strong commitment to advancing technological innovation as a solution to climate challenges. By collaborating with international organisations and governments worldwide, we aim to accelerate real‑world deployment of TERA‑Award projects and deliver practical technology pathways for the global energy transition.”
In response to rapidly evolving technological frontiers, the 2026 programme introduces two new categories alongside its established focus areas of green fuels, energy storage, CCUS and smart energy systems:
AI – supporting the integration of artificial intelligence into energy systems to boost efficiency and resilience, while also tackling the rising energy demand of the AI sector itself.
Next‑generation energy technologies – exploring advanced nuclear solutions such as fusion and small modular reactors (SMRs).
The TERA‑Award has already attracted nearly 2,000 projects from 76 countries and regions and has awarded over US$4.65 million in prize funding since 2021.
For 2026, the TERA‑Award offers a total prize pool of US$1.15 million. Global innovators are invited to apply online until late April. CISL, in partnership with the TERA-Award programme, will host roadshows and outreach events in the UK and Europe. Additional events are also due to take place in Singapore, and China in the coming months.
Applications for TERA‑Award 2026 are now open at: www.tera-award.com