A new institute for a
new type of revolution
University of Exeter
The University of Exeter is seeking funding from the Convergence Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly to create a new research institute focused on the environment, sustainability and human health. This will be a major part of the third phase of growth at the University of Exeter’s Cornwall Campus. The University’s current strengths in science mean that it faces an achievable target of being truly world-leading in the field of environment and sustainability.
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| Helping to realise a sustainable future for Cornwall |
The institute will use innovation and research to help drive forward economic development in Cornwall, enabling the region to capitalise on the opportunities of the future in a way that resonates with its past. Worldwide, we are on the verge of a new industrial revolution; one which will require the vision and ambition shown by that earlier generation of Cornwall-based entrepreneurs.
Unbeatable assets
The institute will be a catalyst for this vision and will further develop the knowledge economy, innovation and business growth in Cornwall, while also helping the region become the first in the United Kingdom (UK) to have a carbon neutral footprint and to be self-sufficient in renewable energy.
Cornwall has natural advantages and possesses a distinctive identity and knowledge based on the environment, epitomised by the Eden Project and the Wave Hub renewable energy project. This is reinforced by the University of Exeter’s expertise in climate change, ecology and conservation and renewable energy. The University’s aim is to be renowned internationally for its expertise in understanding environmental change and its consequences, and to use that knowledge as a driver of economic growth.
The University supports a thriving international research community with ten established research groups working on climate change and sustainability issues, spanning physical, social and political sciences, engineering, and the arts. Our plans for the institute, supported by European Union funding, involve drawing together existing research groups in one building with over 20 new staff and state-of-the-art equipment, to facilitate interdisciplinary working between three distinct research areas – clean technologies, natural environment, and systemic socio-economic research.
Interdisciplinary approach
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University of Exeter in Cornwall |
The institute will be one of the largest groups of researchers investigating environmental issues in the world, generating world-class research and knowledge transfer. As environmental questions cut across traditional academic disciplines, a key feature of the institute will be this interdisciplinary approach and research into the causes and consequences of environmental change; how to manage the effects, technologically, politically, economically, socially and behaviourally.
- Socio-economic research will examine how we need to adapt socially, culturally and politically to climate change, and how we can change to reduce our impact on the environment, with output in both areas requiring rapid translation into businesses.
- Clean technologies will enable us to further develop our strengths in renewable energy and become one of the UK’s principal renewable energy research groups.
- We will build on our research strengths in sustainable mining and marine renewable energy; we are one of the leading partners in the Peninsula Research Institute for Marine Renewable Energy (PRIMaRE) together with the University of Plymouth and the South West of England Regional Development Agency. The South West has been designated as the UK’s first Low Carbon Economic Area because of its strength in marine energy.
- We will be expanding our research in conservation biology and ecology to cover wildlife disease and epidemiology, as well as developing our expertise in the marine environment, linking with expertise in environmental health in the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry.
- The institute will enable such research expansion and collaborations with other research groups and other higher education institutions in Cornwall, as well as centres such as the Met Office and the Eden Project.
As a University, our range of research programmes on climate change already places us in a unique competitive position. We aim to build on this existing strength to create a new centre, presenting significant opportunity for knowledge transfer and commercial exploitation.
 University of Exeter
W: www.exeter.ac.uk/cornwall
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