Integrated Hubs for Green Chemistry Research Aim to Transform How Chemicals and Materials Are Designed

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation today announced four Integrated Research Hubs to explore new frontiers in chemical design, from materials that respond to their surroundings to molecules designed for safety from the start. Bringing together global researchers across institutions and disciplines, the hubs will investigate fundamental principles that could enable new capabilities in chemicals and materials while improving performance and protecting human health and the environment.

The research priorities emerged through extensive engagement with the scientific community to identify the questions that could transform what chemistry can achieve. Each hub will connect researchers across institutions around one of four green chemistry focus areas:

Safer molecular design: Led by The George Washington University, this hub will combine artificial intelligence and quantum chemistry to embed safety into chemical design from the outset.
Adaptive catalytic systems: Led by the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion, this hub will investigate catalysts that respond to light, electricity, or chemical signals, with the goal of making chemical production more flexible and efficient.
Weak interactions: Led by McGill University, this hub will study how weak forces between molecules guide reactions and shape material properties, opening possibilities for chemistry that uses less energy and produces desired results more precisely.
Complex mixtures: Led by the University of Kansas, this hub will investigate the local conditions within complex mixtures that determine how chemical systems behave, seeking principles that make processes and products more predictable by design.

“Nature gives us a glimpse of what chemistry can do: materials that assemble themselves, respond to their surroundings and repair damage,” said Paul Anastas, Program Director of the Green Chemistry Initiative. “As we uncover the principles behind these capabilities, we can begin to design them into the materials that shape our lives. These hubs bring together the expertise to tackle questions we could not answer before and open possibilities for invention we are only beginning to imagine.”

The scientists involved with these hubs will explore what makes these capabilities possible and under what conditions they can be reproduced. The goal is to develop principles that researchers can apply across different materials and processes, helping them design a material’s full life cycle, from production and use to what happens after its useful life.

The hubs are part of the Foundation’s Green Chemistry Initiative, recently expanded to $196.25 million over 10 years. More than $40 million in grants will be awarded to The George Washington University, the Max Planck Society, McGill University, and the University of Kansas, but the work will extend beyond those four institutions. In total, 19 universities and research institutes in eight countries are participating as part of the Integrated Research Hub teams.

A connected research network

Each hub will connect researchers across multiple institutions, with a lead institution coordinating the collaboration. Teams will combine their expertise and share advanced equipment and computational resources to pursue questions beyond the reach of any single institution. The hubs will take advantage of the systems and infrastructure across the collective network, leveraging an estimated $656 million of in-kind resources.

The four hubs will also exchange discoveries, data, tools and techniques across their research areas. A green chemistry consortium will help connect this broader network and facilitate communication and collaboration.

“Our goal is to transform the chemical industry with a comprehensive framework for designing chemicals that achieve high performance while protecting human health and the environment, using quantum chemistry and AI,” said Jakub Kostal, Associate Professor of Chemistry at The George Washington University and Director of the Safer Molecular Design Hub. “The Moore Foundation’s Green Chemistry Initiative recognizes that this transformation begins with how we design chemicals, building safety and performance into new products from the outset.”

“Chemistry of the future can create wealth and prosperity for a growing population while protecting the natural systems we depend on. This opportunity cannot be realized by a single breakthrough, but only by a systems-level transformation,” said Walter Leitner, Director of the Adaptive Catalytic Systems Integrated Research Hub, led by the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion. “Our focus on adaptive catalysis could make chemical production more flexible, allowing processes to adapt to fluctuations in renewable energy and a wider range of raw materials. Being part of this connected research network will help us turn fundamental discoveries into new possibilities for safer, more efficient chemistry.”

“Weak interactions can steer how a reaction runs and how a material behaves, with far less energy than strong bonds require, yet they remain poorly understood,” said Chao-Jun Li, Director of the Beyond the Molecule Hub, led by McGill University. “Understanding and harnessing these forces could help us design chemical processes that use less energy, produce the intended products more precisely and generate less waste, opening new possibilities for green chemistry.”

“Our team will advance a new paradigm for chemistry that treats complex mixtures as systems that can be deliberately designed and controlled, rather than optimized through trial and error,” said Bala Subramaniam, Director of the complex mixtures hub, led by the University of Kansas. “Such an approach will enable us to reliably engineer technologies that sustain our planet’s precious resources for future generations.”

“The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation’s support for establishing four integrated Research Hubs will create the beating heart of green chemistry for the future,” said Ben Feringa, a 2016 Nobel laureate in chemistry.

Extending the impact of discovery

In addition to the hubs, the Foundation will fund satellite projects that work closely with the hubs, testing ideas and exploring potential applications while generating findings that help the hubs uncover fundamental principles. Discoveries will move in both directions: Hub insights will inform satellite research, and satellite findings will deepen the hubs’ understanding.

The research enabled by the Green Chemistry Initiative could lay the groundwork for advances across materials, manufacturing processes and industries. By publishing and sharing fundamental discoveries, the teams will give researchers, companies and startups knowledge they can build on to address their own challenges.

That potential aligns with industry interest in advancing the field. In a 2026 survey conducted by Morning Consult for the Moore Foundation, 75% of U.S. technology and research and development leaders supported greater investment in green chemistry research and innovation.

About the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

Gordon and Betty Moore established the foundation to create positive outcomes for future generations. In pursuit of that vision, the foundation advances scientific discovery, environmental conservation, and the special character of the San Francisco Bay Area.

About The George Washington University

In the heart of the nation’s capital with additional programs in Virginia, the George Washington University was created by an Act of Congress in 1821. Today, GW is the largest institution of higher education in the District of Columbia. The university offers comprehensive programs of undergraduate and graduate liberal arts study, as well as degree programs in medicine, public health, law, engineering, education, business and international affairs. Each year, GW enrolls a diverse population of undergraduate, graduate and professional students from across the United States and around the world.

About the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion

Following Max Planck's guiding principle "Insight Must Precede Application", science at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion in Muelheim an der Ruhr, Germany, creates a comprehensive understanding of catalysis and molecular processes essential for the interconversion of energy and chemical bonds. The generated knowledge contributes to the development of sustainable technologies based on renewable energy and feedstocks.

About McGill University

Founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1821, McGill University is consistently ranked as one of the top universities, not only nationally, but internationally. It is a world-renowned institution of higher learning with 12 faculties, 14 professional schools, 700 programs of study, over 40,000 students, including more than 10,000 graduate students, and research activities spanning three campuses. McGill attracts students from nearly 150 countries around the world, its 11,000 international students making up 27% of the student body. Over half of McGill students claim a first language other than English, including approximately 20% of our students who say French is their mother tongue.

About the University of Kansas

The University of Kansas (KU) is a Carnegie R1 institution of higher education with more than 31,000 students over five campuses. KU offers more than 400 degree and certificate programs and has nearly 40 research centers and institutes supported by more than 40 core research labs. KU’s research excellence is reflected in its membership in the Association of American Universities. Recent rankings place 55 of KU’s academic programs in the top 50 among public universities. As the state's flagship university, KU hosts the sole medical and pharmacy schools in Kansas. It also operates one of only two law schools in the state.