08.12.08: Top Minds Come Together to Find Solutions to Carbon Challenges
Researchers from academia and industry collaborate on low-carbon energy solutions
NESTA (National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts) and the UK Energy Research Centre will this week bring together thirty up and coming researchers from across the world of science, technology and social science, for a series of workshops that will develop innovative interdisciplinary solutions to our low-carbon energy challenge. The first workshop is taking place in London from 7 – 9 December
The 'Carbon Crucible' programme is a unique and cutting-edge initiative that aims to inspire innovative thinking in sustainable energy research by attacking the issues from a range of different perspectives.
"There are many challenges that cannot be solved by experts from one discipline or sector alone. Carbon Crucible aims to overcome this by connecting different types of researchers in a way that will stimulate exciting new collaborations and spark new ideas. This sort of research increases our ability to provide radical solutions to today's most pressing environmental challenge," said Helen Gresty, Executive Director of Innovation Programmes at NESTA.
"This week the Committee on Climate Change has clearly outlined the scale of the challenge ahead in reducing UK carbon emissions 80% by 2050. We will only achieve this target through innovation and by approaching the issues from new and radical angles. This is exactly what we are hoping to start with our Carbon Crucible programme," said Dr Jeff Hardy, Network Manager at the UK Energy Research Centre.
The Carbon Crucible program involves four residential workshops over the course of six months. During this time collaborative ideas will be generated, developed and fine-tuned. Participants will then be able to apply for small grants of up to £20,000 to work together in developing their ideas further. We expect the participants to go on to apply for further funding from public and private bodies to fully realise their ideas.
The programme also provides personal and professional development opportunities and will allow researchers to develop their understanding of the wider energy policy environment. The first workshop programme includes a 'Question Time' session with Energy and Climate Change Minister Joan Ruddock and the opposition shadow ministers, Gregory Barker (Conservative) and Steve Webb (Liberal Democrat).
Researchers involved in the program will come from a variety of disciplines such as plant science, chemical engineering, physics, economics, sociology, psychology architecture and mathematics. Their work covers fields such as biofuels, marine energy, nuclear energy, carbon capture and storage, energy efficiency and energy economics. The programme also has researchers from companies such as Johnson Matthey, E.ON and RWE Npower.
One of the exceptional participants attending is Gavin Killip, a senior researcher at Oxford University's Environmental Change Institute. Gavin co-authored 40% House in 2005 and a consultancy study for the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution's report The Urban Environment, published in 2007. He is currently working on a PhD focusing on delivery mechanisms for low-carbon housing stock and has refurbished his own terraced house in Oxford to achieve a 65% reduction in CO2 emissions.
Gavin Killip commented: "Most people think of new technology when they hear the word "innovation" but it's not just about gadgets. Innovation for sustainability means new ways of doing things and new people to work with. Which is why I'm excited about the Carbon Crucible - it should spark some new thinking and new collaborations"
Also attending is Matthew Finn, a Research and Development Coordinator at the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney. He has been working at the forefront of developing marine renewables, experiencing the first steps of the industry coming into fruition.
Matthew Finn commented on the Carbon Crucible programme; "It's rare that researchers from such a varied range of disciplines can come together in this way to pool their ideas and potentially turn them into something greater that will have a potentially lasting impact on society. I personally look forward to the opportunities that the carbon Crucible programme will offer to help enthuse and develop proactive relationships in the renewables field"
Carbon Crucible is co-organised by NESTA and the UKERC and sponsored by the Technology Strategy Board and the RCUK Energy Programme
NESTA
NESTA is the National Endowment for Science, Technology & the Arts. Its mission is to transform the UK's capacity for innovation. With the largest portfolio of early-stage businesses in the country, it is a leading authority on how to grow new ideas. We also stimulate imaginative solutions to pressing social issues and shape policy to help the UK meet its national innovation challenges. www.nesta.org.uk
Technology Strategy Board is an executive non-departmental public body (NDPB), established by the Government in 2007 and sponsored by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS). The activities of the Technology Strategy Board are jointly supported and funded by DIUS and other Government Departments, the Devolved Administrations, Regional Development Agencies and Research Councils.
The Research Councils' Energy Programme aims to position the UK to develop, embrace and exploit sustainable, low carbon and/or energy efficient technologies and systems to enable us to meet the Government's energy and environmental targets for 2020 and beyond. The Programme is co-ordinated by EPSRC and includes ESRC, NERC, STFC and BBSRC
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