News

On the 21st of October UK Research and Innovation hosted a parliamentary reception to highlight the role that their funded research and innovation investments play in tackling climate change.

Watch the video for the event here

Sponsored by Lord David Willetts, the event included a keynote addresses from UKRI’s CEO, Dame Ottoline Leyser, and the newly appointed Minister for Science, George Freeman. Hosted both in-person and online, UKERC formed one of the 11 interactive exhibition stands demonstrating the various facets of UKRI’s work on sustainability, from smart energy to construction and agriculture.

The UKERC display featured three of our most recent publications which focused on heat, green jobs and the impact of Brexit on net zero. A key component of the display was the development of a short video, which we used to highlight key messages from these publications, and to stich the three topics together. Alongside this we developed a short energy quiz as a means to engage in-person attendees.

We engaged with a number of parliamentarians, peers and specialists from academia and industry, holding a variety of conversations on various topics. Questions ranged from ‘could geothermal energy work for my constituents?’, to ‘my house is old and draughty is a heat pump appropriate?’, to ‘what questions do people most often ask when discussing energy’.

Overall the event was a real success with a number of high level conversations including those with Minister for Science, George Freeman and UKRI’s CEO, Dame Ottoline Leyser.

Download the publications here:

• The pathway to net zero heating
• Brexit implications for UK decarbonisation objectives 
• Green Jobs

Jessica Bays speaking with UKRI CEO Dame Ottoline Leyser

Will Blyth speaking with Minister of Science, George Freeman