Deadline is Nov. 13
For the last five years, university students around the world have brought their innovative climate solutions to the United Nations in New York, competing for prestige, mentorship, a $10,000 prize and, of course, the opportunity to help save the world. The annual competition, Universities for Goal 13, aims to recognize student talent and the critical role it plays in the quest for new technologies and creative solutions to combat climate change and its impacts.
This year, for the first time, Universities for Goal 13 is open to students at UC Davis.
What is Goal 13?
One of 17 sustainable development goals for the U.N.’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Goal 13 aims to “take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.”
For the competition, sponsored by Siemens Energy in collaboration with the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, or SDSN, solutions should be focused on tackling issues related to climate change. Organizers are especially welcoming ideas that intersect with energy transition, sustainable technology or clean energy access. They also want solutions to be innovative, disruptive, technically feasible, multidisciplinary and aligned with Sustainable Development Solutions.
The solutions can be at any development stage: an idea, a pilot project or an existing project that needs further development.
Round 1: UC Davis competition
Professor Christina Cogdell, who specializes in biodesign, is leading the charge on the competition among UC Davis students, partnering with the Student Start-Up Center and the Mike and Renée Child Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. In the past, Cogdell has brought student teams to design competitions around the U.S. This is her first time hosting, but it’s a natural fit for her and for students across the university.
“I came to UC Davis because I was excited to teach biodesign at a university where there's interdisciplinary excellence across the colleges — I was hoping to collaborate with people and, over the 20 years I've been here almost, that's become fully possible,” Cogdell said.
Though based in the Department of Design, Cogdell saw the potential in being able to work with researchers in other departments across the College of Letters and Science, and across UC Davis.
“I saw that UC Davis had the potential to be a hub for sustainability and growing the research area I saw as my niche, biodesign, so it’s really exciting for me to see us recognized for that and for our students to be on the world stage," she said.
Round 2: International competition
The top teams will be announced on Nov. 20 followed by a live pitch competition at the Student Startup Center on Thursday, Dec. 3 from 2 - 5 p.m. The final three teams will receive mentorship from representatives from Siemens Energy or Siemens Gamesa industry leaders from January through May 2027.
Those three teams will pitch virtually to an international jury convened by UN SDSN. One team will be selected to represent UC Davis in the final competition. In September 2027, finalist teams submit a video for the international competition. The winning team receives $10,000, opportunities to develop its idea further and an opportunity to present in New York City during the UN General Assembly meetings.
Last year’s participating institutions included Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, Monash University in Australia, Tsinghua University in China, the Bucharest University of Economic Studies in Romania, DEUSTO University in Spain, University of Hamburg in Germany, University College London, the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) in Brazil and Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden.
Eligibility and team requirements
- The competition and award is open to all undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled at selected universities, including UC Davis, that are invited to participate in the UN SDSN 2026 competition.
- Participants must be students at the time of submission.
- The projects require a multidisciplinary approach, which is essential for developing solutions for energy transition. Teams should consist of at least three students, preferably from different fields of study.
Interested in taking your idea further?
Those who compete in UN SDSN Universities for Goal 13 may wish to develop their idea further to compete in the Little Bang! and Big Bang! business competitions in early 2027. Participating in the UN SDSN competition is a great way to test an idea before developing it further over the course of the year through the Startup Center and the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship's workshops, networking events, entrepreneurship academies, fellowships, and competitions.
Both competitions open in early 2027. Meanwhile, the Ideas Competition is open now through Oct. 23.
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