Phase 2 Contract from NSF Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships
Boulder, CO – Virridy has been awarded a nearly $5 million contract from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) through the Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP) Convergence Accelerator Program, Phase 2 of the Future Water Systems track.
The award builds on Virridy's $650,000 Phase 1 grant, announced in February 2024, which funded the initial development of a carbon credit methodology for green infrastructure and watershed restoration in Colorado. Virridy was selected as a top performer among 15 competing Phase 1 teams.
What the Funding Supports
The Phase 2 contract will support:
- Scaling the carbon credit methodology for watershed-based water quality improvements
- Advanced data science methods to measure and attribute water quality improvements to green infrastructure practices
- Deployment of Virridy's sensor technology for continuous monitoring of watershed health
- Stakeholder engagement to build market demand for watershed carbon credits
Partnership
Virridy leads the project in partnership with the University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado State University, Friends of the Yampa, and the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed. The team combines expertise in water quality monitoring, data science, carbon markets, and community-based conservation.
A New Category of Carbon Credit
The project is pioneering a new category of carbon credit tied to watershed-scale water quality improvements. By demonstrating that green infrastructure practices, including cover crops, reduced tillage, and riparian restoration, can generate verified carbon credits, the program creates a private-sector financing mechanism for conservation practices that also improve water quality.
Success in Phase 2 will generate revenue through carbon credits, achieve measurable improvements in water quality, and secure stakeholder endorsements, with the goal of creating a scalable model for watershed restoration across the United States.
About the NSF Convergence Accelerator
The NSF Convergence Accelerator builds upon basic research and discovery to accelerate solutions toward societal impact. The program uses a convergence approach that involves multidisciplinary research, innovation, and partnerships.
About Virridy
Virridy specializes in water-focused carbon credit generation, leveraging digital monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) technologies to quantify water and climate benefits.