Luna Initiative

The world’s most pressing environmental challenges, from climate change to biodiversity loss, will not be solved by incremental advances alone. They require bold, untested ideas.

Yet the ideas with the greatest potential for impact are often the least likely to be funded. They are early-stage, interdisciplinary, and carry real risk.

The NCEAS Luna Initiative is designed to change that.

Luna takes a portfolio approach to innovation: supporting a diverse set of high-risk, high-reward ideas at their earliest stages, knowing that while not every idea will succeed, those that do can unlock transformative impact.

By creating a structured, collaborative space to explore, test, and refine bold concepts, Luna helps move breakthrough ideas forward

Luna brings together small, diverse teams to develop and refine ideas through collaborative synthesis. The goal is simple: Turn promising ideas into actionable directions for science and decision-making.

Each year teams will:

• Participate in a 4-day, in-person working meeting at NCEAS
• Integrate data, perspectives, and expertise
• Explore feasibility, opportunities, and challenges
• Define a clear pathway toward impact and next steps

The inaugural Luna cohort focuses on climate change. We are seeking ideas that:

• Improve how we understand and respond to climate impacts
• Connect science to real-world decisions
• Integrate across ecological, social, and/or technological systems

Luna is designed to rapidly test a portfolio of ideas and identify those with the greatest potential for impact. Some ideas will grow into full working groups. Others will spark new collaborations and directions. Others will find that the ideas need more time or aren’t sufficiently grounded to continue. All will move the conversation forward.

Incubator Phase
Interdisciplinary teams explore and refine a focused idea through a structured, collaborative process as part of a 4 day in person Incubator Meeting at NCEAS. Applications for this phase are due on August 17, 2026. Applications will be reviewed by a scientific advisory panel and groups will be notified by mid October 2026. Groups should be prepared to meet in person in Santa Barbara between the months of January and April 2027.  All groups will submit an Insights & Outcomes report by May 15, 2027.    

Next Steps
Groups interested in pursuing their idea may advance into a full NCEAS Working Group, with expanded support and funding. Full working groups consist of 12-16 people funded to move the idea forward over the course of 3 in-person meetings in a 2 year time period. Groups interested in this option will indicate this in their Insights & Outcomes report. Groups will be evaluated on creativity, feasibility, interdisciplinary strength, and potential for transformative impact. Groups moving into the full working group phase will be notified by the end of June 2027. 

Luna offers:

• A chance to develop and strengthen a promising idea
• Collaboration with a diverse, high-caliber team
• Support from NCEAS synthesis experts
• A pathway toward larger-scale impact

We welcome interdisciplinary, cross-sector teams who are:

• Interested in developing innovative climate solutions
• Motivated to connect ideas to real-world applications
• Excited to collaborate and think creatively
• Able to dedicate one week between Jan-April 2027 to travel to Santa Barbara for an incubator meeting.

Opening May 26, 2026!

Informational Webinar, Tuesday, June 23 - Register Here