AXA New Gen: Responsible Nature-Based Solutions for a Resilient, Sustainable and Inclusive Future

The New Gen initiative of the AXA Foundation for Human Progress are 2-year grants supporting promising early-career researchers to foster transformative, transdisciplinary research networks, at the intersection of multiple fields and societal actors. The support of the AXA Foundation should be transformative for the researchers and the advancement of their field.

To tackle the intertwined climate, biodiversity and societal crises, we urgently need solutions that address human needs while respecting planetary boundaries. According to leading scientific assessments, nature-based solutions like actions that protect, sustainably manage and restore ecosystems, could provide up to 30% of the cost-effective mitigation needed to keep global warming in check by 2030, while also playing a critical role in adaptation. At the same time, evidence shows that well-designed nature-based solutions can significantly reduce the impacts of natural hazards such as floods, storms, droughts and heatwaves on communities and economies.

Yet, the rapid rise of interest in nature-based solutions (NbS) brings major challenges. On the one hand, NbS are increasingly integrated into climate strategies, urban plans, agricultural policies and disaster risk reduction frameworks. On the other hand, they risk being reduced to simple “greening” measures or used as a form of greenwashing if they are poorly designed, inadequately governed, or implemented without regard to local contexts and social justice. Ill-conceived interventions can lead to land grabs, displacement of communities, “green gentrification” in cities, and biodiversity loss when monoculture plantations or hard infrastructure are favored over diverse, functioning ecosystems.

Moreover, the multiple objectives attached to NbS, climate mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity conservation, food and water security, health and well-being, disaster risk reduction, and economic development, raise complex questions. How can we assess trade-offs and co-benefits across these objectives over the long term? What governance arrangements and financing models are needed to scale up effective NbS while ensuring that benefits and burdens are shared fairly? How do we avoid locking in short-term, low-quality solutions that undermine ecosystem integrity and social cohesion?

In this context, the AXA Foundation for Human Progress is launching a new call for post-doctoral research on nature-based solutions, aimed at supporting cutting-edge work that will help build a more resilient, sustainable and inclusive future through the responsible use of nature. We seek innovative and transdisciplinary projects, at local, regional or global scale.

The AXA Foundation for Human Progress will support post-doctoral projects that combine scientific excellence with a strong ambition to produce actionable insights and recommendations for decisionmakers in the public and private sectors, as well as for civil society. Through this call, we aim to contribute to the emergence of a robust, interdisciplinary field of research on nature-based solutions, capable of informing the policies and investments needed to deploy NbS at scale, in ways that truly enhance resilience and protect both people and the planet.

Please review the guidelines document (https://institution.axa-research.org/guidelines.pdf) for further information on potential research topics that are most aligned with the AXA Foundation’s goals for this opportunity.

Eligibility Requirements

Project requirements:

• The research program should demonstrate its scientific originality and innovative nature and have the potential to contribute to a step change in the field considered. It must include at least one transdisciplinary aspect with a collaboration with:
• Discipline: one from social sciences / humanities / economics and natural sciences / engineering / technology;
• Actors: societal partners (e.g. public authorities, NGOs, communities).

Researcher must:

• Hold a PhD for no more than 5 years.
• Candidates must be awarded their PhD and have defended their PhD certification before submitting their Expression of Interest.
• Researchers must not have a permanent (tenured or tenure-track) position.
• Be of the highest academic caliber and have demonstrated outstanding research achievement, evidenced by research outputs, research activities, and research impact.

Application Instructions

Please submit in a combined pdf:

1. An LOI including the following information:
1. Project title (200 characters max)
2. Project description (3000 characters including spaces)
3. Disciplines Involved, besides main research field (250 characters max)
4. Non-academic sectors involved (indicate from following: public authority/agencies, civil society/NGOs, public hospitals, professional associations, and other)
5. Name of non-academic partner organization(s) (1000 characters max)
2. Short CV (maximum of 2 pages)

to limitedsubs@uw.edu by 5pm PT on Wednesday, November 4. A similar set of information is due to the sponsor 11/12/2026 if given the go‐ahead by the review committee. Central CFR will support the selected candidate with their submission.

Please direct questions to Sumathi Raghavan (sumathi@uw.edu) and Andrew Storms (as89@uw.edu) in Central CFR.

Other open limited submissions opportunities, as well as the limited submissions review committee review and selection process, are here: http://depts.washington.edu/research/funding/limited-submissions. Please feel free to email us at limitedsubs@uw.edu with questions or information on any limited submission opportunities that should be but are not already listed on that page. If you are interested in other private funding opportunities, visit the Corporate and Foundation funding opportunities page.