by Shane Henson — October 10, 2012—CBRE Group Inc., a worldwide provider of commercial real estate services, including property, facilities and project management, recently launched the Real Green Research Challenge (RGRC), a four-year, $1 million commitment to fund leading-edge sustainability research and innovation relating to commercial real estate.
CBRE is accepting submissions for research proposals from all academic and professional research teams and individuals, with the goal of developing solutions to the industry’s critical environmental challenges, it says. Selected applicants will receive up to $250,000 for basic research and implementation, with initial funding in February 2013. In addition to monetary funds, RGRC-funded projects will have access to CBRE’s global market data and resources, which can help them to commercialize their ideas.
CBRE says it has assembled an authoritative panel of internal and external global experts and thought-leaders to evaluate research proposals. The judges include members of academia, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and industry. The types of research the RGRC program will fund include productivity studies, large-scale predictive modeling, energy efficiency technologies, data management programs, diagnostic tools, and market-wide availability.
“We are pleased to announce the creation of the industry’s first dedicated funding mechanism to support substantive research for commercial real estate,” said Dave Pogue, CBRE’s global director of sustainability and head of the global sustainability taskforce that developed the RGRC. “Through this collaborative approach, we hope to create a meaningful impact in sustainable commercial real estate practices.”
Submissions will be accepted through December 31, 2012.
