Applications for 2025–26 awards are now open. Submit applications to wcet@uw.edu.
Thanks to generous philanthropic support, the Washington Clean Energy Testbeds established a student research award to support undergraduate students pursuing research in clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and related fields. All University of Washington undergraduate students in their third academic year or higher are eligible to apply for a $3,000 award to fund research activities at the Testbeds. Award funds must be used to support work at one or more of the Testbeds facilities, but can be applied to equipment fees, staff support fees, and materials and supplies purchases.
Eligibility
- Applicant must be an undergraduate student of the University of Washington that has completed 2 full academic years.
- Applicant must propose an independent research project. Funding from this award cannot be used to support group-based (i.e., Capstone) or class-assigned projects. This award can be combined with other funds provided academic departments for undergraduate research or by grants to the applicant’s faculty mentor.
- Applicant must be mentored by a member of the University of Washington faculty and that faculty member must agree to either mentor directly the awardee during their work at the Testbeds or appoint a senior member of their research group (i.e., graduate student, postdoc, or research staff) to be a delegated mentor to the awardee. Applicants seeking a mentor in clean energy should refer to the list of faculty that are members of or affiliated with the Clean Energy Institute found here. Note that faculty mentors can be from any department at the University of Washington and do not need to be affiliated with the Clean Energy Institute.
- Applicant must apply during the designated application period in the Fall Quarter and all funded work must be conducted between the start of the Winter Quarter and end of the Summer Quarter of the academic year during which the awardee applied.
Application
All applicants must submit a complete application package consisting of the following documents:
The technical volume may not exceed two pages when printed using standard letter-size (8.5 inch x 11 inch) paper with 1-inch margins (top, bottom, left, and right). The font must not be smaller than 11 point. Figures and references, if included, must fit within the two-page limit.
| Components | Description |
|---|---|
| Project Overview | The Project Overview must contain the following information: Background: The applicant should briefly discuss the scientific or engineering problem to be solved and provide historical context for the research. Explain the relevance of the problem to clean energy or advanced manufacturing technologies. Project Goals: The applicant should explicitly identify the goal(s) of the work to be conducted. |
| Project Proposal | The Project Proposal should contain the following information: A discussion of the applicant’s planned activities at the Washington Clean Energy Testbeds. Technical feasibility. Technological compatibility with resources available at the Testbeds. Testbeds staff can help verify compatibility. Email wcet@uw.edu to request a meeting. |
| Project Impact | The Project Impact section should contain a clear and concise statement regarding the impact of the work with regards to the current state-of-the-art of the relevant technology and future innovation. |
The Testbeds use justification may not exceed one page when printed using standard letter-size (8.5 inch x 11 inch) paper with 1-inch margins (top, bottom, left, and right). The font must not be smaller than 11 point. Figures and references, if included, must fit within the one-page limit.
| Components | Description |
|---|---|
| Testbeds equipment | List the Testbeds equipment that is required to conduct the proposed work. An equipment cost budget is not required. |
| Materials | List materials that are likely to be purchased for the proposed work and the estimated costs. A materials budget is not required; however, materials costs covered by the award should not exceed $1,000. |
| Additional funding | List additional funding sources and amounts, if any, that will be applied to this work in addition to this award. Otherwise, state that no additional funding sources will support the work. |
| Components | Description |
|---|---|
| Resumes | The applicant’s resume must be included at the end of the proposal. Resumes may not exceed one page in length. |
| Components | Description |
|---|---|
| Letter of Support | A letter from a University of Washington faculty member endorsing the proposed work and agreeing to mentor applicant must be submitted with the application. If applicable, the name of the delegated mentor from the faculty member’s research group must be provided in the letter. |
Additional Details
Proposals must be submitted to wcet@uw.edu and are due no later than 11:59 PM on November 21, 2025.
Awardees will receive $3,000 in funding. Funding provided by this award can only be used to support work at the Washington Clean Energy Testbeds facilities in the Bowman Building and the NanoES Building. Testbeds staff will work with applicants to manage equipment use, staff time, and purchases within this budget. Awardees will not receive cash.
The period of work to be funded shall not exceed 3 academic quarters. All work must be conducted by the applicant with the support of their faculty or delegated mentor and the relevant Testbeds staff. All participants will be expected to write a brief report of their work and make poster presentation of their findings at an end-of-year event.
Descriptions of the Testbeds’ equipment and services can be found on our website at wcet.washington.edu. All questions regarding the use of the Testbeds for the proposed work should be submitted to wcet@uw.edu.
Expected Timeline
- Application Period: October 22 to November 21
- Application Review: November 22 to December 1
- Finalist Budget Review & Interviews: December 2 to December 9
- Notification of Awards: No later than December 12