IGSD News

We have been awarded a British Council #TNE #Exploratory grant 'HoPE - a HUB of Planetary Ecologies - for sustainability through research, education and societal impact', to build a new partnership with @ADA University in Azerbaijan. Looking forward to renewing our successful relations with Nargiz Ismayilova, Dr. Fariz Ismailzade and their colleagues! And to growing our CPD offerings on Sustainability, further research funding opportunities, and developing a platform for a dual PGR degree.

Delighted to report that our joint article with Albena Azmanova titled 'The Politics of Precarisation in Times of War and Crisis: from Paralysis to Transformative Resilience' has now been accepted for publication in Contemporary Security Policy Journal as an introduction to the hugely exciting and innovative Special Forum on the nexus of #Precarity and #Resilience. The Special Forum addresses the politics of increasing precarisation of society, on the one hand, and on the other, the precarisation of politics itself with the growth of autocratic rule. Our focus is on the way this affects democracy’s prospects, especially in extreme circumstances of war and crisis. We introduce the concept of “transformative resilience” as a potential antidote to precarity. Going beyond an entity’s capacity to absorb shocks (“restorative resilience”) and maintain continuity (“adaptive resilience"), “transformative resilience" denotes an entity’s capability to acquire political agency and deploy it creatively in imagining and enacting alternative futures. Exploring the dynamics of transformative resilience, especially in the context of acute crises, allows us to discern new pathways for reducing precarity in a way that does not replace it with oppressive stability, but instead enables us to creatively engage our agency in navigating the complex uncertainties of modern life.

More about the Special Forum later! DOI - 10.1080/13523260.2026.2726503

We have now completed our first international CENSE NOVA (Portugal)-Warwick (UK) Sustainability Training Academy (STA), which brought together 25 participants from 16 countries. The STA was held in ARRABIDA National Park of Portugal and the focus was on human-nature connectedness.
My own takeaway was the community that has emerged as a result of our many learnings, outings and discussions: we all tuned in to each other and the Park around us.
In all this endeavour I'm exceptionally grateful to our hosts at CENSE & NOVA University - Fransisco, Nuno, Yorgos and Sofia- and to the Warwick team - Dr Harriet Richmond , Dr Jane Webb, Dr Adela Glyn-Davies, Dr Lory Barile, Dr Mélina Delmas and EUTOPIA Connected Communities for contributions and financial support! We are also indebted to Prof. Harini Nagendra, and Prof. Chris Ives from Nottingham University for your keynotes which enticed our participants for more in-depth thinking, and, of course, to all the participants who made the community so easy-going and possible!
Have a great summer, and connect with Nature!!

Dr Hita Unnikrishnan, an assistant professor at the Institute for Global Sustainable Development, has been appointed to the Executive Council of the International Association for the Study of the Commons (IASC). The appointment follows the unexpected and tragic loss of previous council member Raul Pacheco-Vega, prompting the organisation to invite new academic perspectives to help steer its mission.

The IASC is a globally recognised professional body dedicated to improving the governance, management, and long‑term sustainability of shared resources — from forests and fisheries to digital commons and urban spaces. It brings together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers from multiple disciplines to advance understanding and develop solutions for commons and common‑pool resource challenges.

Founded in part by Elinor Ostrom - the 2009 Nobel Laureate in Economics whose groundbreaking work reshaped global thinking on collective resource management - the organisation continues to play a central role in shaping policy and research worldwide.

Dr Unnikrishnan’s appointment places her among an international group of experts guiding the strategic direction of the association. The current list of council members can be viewed on the IASC website: IASC Council.

The annual Warwick Sustainability Forum in its third iteration took place on 2 July, bringing a community of researchers, practitioners and policy-makers together at Warwick. It broke its record again(!) in terms of number :) having attracted nearly 70 participants from across the University and beyond!

For the first time, the WSF connected to the Spotlight's Sustainability Training School (STA), which was held in March 2026: the participants learned about the results of three fantastic group projects - on sustainable heritage; student retention, and green composting in the area led by the ECRs - and the support they received from Coventry City Council (Giuliana Famiglietti and her team in particular). The forum also brought three established thematic networks with their champions - Circular Economy; Sustainable Food/Agritech; RIFT - to hear about their work and plans for the future. There was an opportunity thereafter to hear new voices and submit thematic ideas/champion names for the next year. The Forum concluded with the stakeholder round-table, involving the Provost's keynote, and members of the House of Lords and local council, SOS UK, VUB HOST and experts from EU-US and UK consultancy companies.

IGSD was prominently represented there, building on the opportunities the Spotlight offers, and the expertise it connects.