BE Fellows — Explorer

BE Fellows' Explorer track is the earlier-stage research arm of Breakthrough Energy Fellows, organized under Breakthrough Energy Foundation for university researchers and research entities. It is built for proof-of-concept climate work at TRL 0 to TRL 2, where the science is still being tested and the lead investigator may remain in an academic post. Awards run from $50,000 to $250,000 as direct grants, with a one-year duration and overhead capped at 10 percent. The track is global, works on a rolling basis in 2026, and requires university or research-organization participation rather than a for-profit company. Projects also need to show the potential to reduce or capture at least 500 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent per year at scale, which keeps the bar on impact high even at the earliest technical stage. Explorer is the right fit when a climate idea is still a laboratory proposition but already has a credible pathway to major emissions reduction. Applicants tend to do best when they can make the physics, chemistry, or systems case cleanly and stay within the one-year support window. The program gives Breakthrough Energy a research-stage feeder line before teams graduate toward company formation or later-stage development routes.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.