Established in December 2008, the Consortium for Clean Coal Utilization is a center for research in advanced coal and carbon capture technologies. The goal of the consortium is to foster the utilization of coal as a safe and affordable source of energy, and as a chemical feedstock, with minimal impact on the environment. The Consortium operates under the umbrella of the International Center for Energy, Environment and Sustainability (InCEES), which Washington University established in June 2007 to encourage and coordinate University-wide and external collaborative research on energy, environment, and sustainability. The establishment of the Consortium was made possible through commitments from the lead sponsors: Arch Coal, Peabody, and Ameren. Funding is used to support a variety of faculty-led research projects, build advanced research facilities, and support outreach activities relating to the clean utilization of coal. Research projects are proposed by faculty at Washington University, and are often performed in collaboration with faculty from the international partner universities.