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Abrams Climate Academy Project Partnerships
The Abrams Climate Academy drives innovative change by pairing future leaders with organizations looking to address climate and sustainability challenges.
Why partner with us?
Join the Abrams Climate Academy and be a part of a one-of-a-kind academic program to achieve your organization’s sustainability goals, advance climate solutions and work with the next generation of climate leaders.
- Deliver on your organization's climate and sustainability goals.
- Harness the capability of graduate students from the Kellogg School of Management, McCormick School of Engineering, Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and more to drive measurable impact in emission reductions, climate resiliency, and biodiversity conservation.
- Work with a dedicated, interdisciplinary team of three to five graduate Northwestern graduate students providing up to 750 hours of consulting support.
- Each team is led by the Academy's Executive Director, a seasoned business consultant with over 20 years of experience.
- Teams will have direct access to Northwestern faculty and leading experts in environmental science, policy, and sustainable business.
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- Organization partners submit a proposal outlining a specific implementation-ready, high-impact climate project by spring.
- Partners are selected for consideration by summer.
- Fellows are selected and interdisciplinary teams are formed by Northwestern University by August.
- Projects are confirmed and matched with a team by August.
- Student teams work with organization partners on climate action projects from September to June.
- Fellows present the results of their year-long projects to organization partners at the annual Climate Action Summit in the spring.
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The program is designed to create mutual benefit between the organization partners and the Abrams Climate Fellows. Organization partners support the learning of the Fellows in the following ways:
- Committing to implement a high-impact climate blueprint or solution for their organization
- Collaborating with the faculty director, the advisory committee and the student team to scope the project
- Designating a project sponsor who collaborates biweekly with their student team to guide and shape the project
- Making information and resources available as needed (Fellows will sign an NDA as needed)
- Completing a quarterly assessment of the project work that will determine a Fellow’s grade
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- Projects can vary across sectors, such as energy, food and agriculture, built environment, financial services or transportation and mobility.
- Successful projects will be strategic, high impact and have a high level of sponsorship.
- Projects will have a clear scope, deliverables that correspond with the academic calendar and can be accomplished by a student team over the course of nine months.
- Projects will be outlined in the initial proposal and scoped in partnership with the program administration.
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- Interdisciplinary teams of select Northwestern University graduate students are formed based on the skills and expertise needed for each distinct project.
- Fellows leverage their expertise in business, engineering, law, technology, product design and communication to address complex challenges to the climate crisis.
- Fellows participate in the Abrams Climate Academy experiential learning course and are also enrolled in other climate, energy, and sustainability coursework at Northwestern University.
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- Email the Abrams Climate Academy to discuss your project ideas and learn more about the program.
We’re excited about the opportunity to create an interdisciplinary forum to find real world solutions to the existential climate crisis.
WENDY
ABRAMS ’90 MBA
Founder and CEO, Eleven Eleven Foundation