Global Centers Track 1: CLEETS - CLean Energy and Equitable Transportation Solutions

Road transportation is essential to the global market and the economy. However, still largely powered by fossil fuel, it is also an important source of pollutants and carbon emissions which impact public health and the climate. Road transportation and the energy sector account for ~75 percent of all global carbon dioxide emissions.

The "CLean Energy and Equitable Transportation Solutions (CLEETS)" Global Center focuses on accelerating clean energy solutions to decarbonize road transportation. Led by the University of Illinois System, it leverages expertise and resources in the U.S. (Arizona State University, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research) and the U.K. (University of Birmingham, Cardiff University).

It engages community, governmental, and industrial partners to develop sustainable transportation strategies. The researchers assess the state of transport energy infrastructure and optimize it to accelerate the transition to zero-emission clean energy and connected vehicles (CECVs). The Center accomplishes this by developing converging scientific and technical partnerships among international governments, industries, and end users.

It quantifies the anticipated impact of clean transportation on public health and the economy. It examines data and cybersecurity issues that affect CECVs. It unveils governance and policy change scenarios that enable clean transportation options accounting for technological innovations, economic prosperity, public health, and minimum carbon emissions.

This NSF award also provides support and training for undergraduate and graduate students, and early-career scientists, at U.S. institutions, as well as educational outreach toward K-12 students, teachers, and the public.

More specifically, the Global Center designs rigorous decision-support tools for communities and policymakers. CLEETS uses a systems approach to inform and guide the transition while maintaining prosperity and addressing climate impacts. The test beds for this multidisciplinary approach are three regions sharing common traits: the Great Lakes Megaregion in the U.S. and South Wales and the West Midlands in the UK.

All three regions are manufacturing hubs with dense networks of roads and highways, national transport intersections vital for the economy yet threatening air quality. These regions' prosperity also depends on imported fuels and electricity. Yet, they also exhibit geographic and governmental/policy differences which can be tested.

This award is funded by the Global Centers program, an innovative partnership with funding agencies in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, to jointly support use-inspired research addressing global challenges in climate change and clean energy. Partnerships with the Commonwealth Science and Innovation Research Organisation (CSIRO), Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) leverage resources to tackle challenges at a larger scale than would be possible for one funding agency alone. This Center is jointly supported by NSF and UKRI.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.