IGSD News
3 July 2025: Warwick Sustainability Forum
In its second iteration, the Warwick Sustainability Forum (WSF) brought together a passionate community of researchers with a focus on sustainability across and beyond Warwick, to collectively plan our actions towards addressing global planetary challenges in 2025/26, and to discuss the next BIG ISSUES for the sustainability agenda, regionally, nationally and internationally. The WSF was attended by nearly 60 researchers from across all Faculties representing many disciplines, to:
- To report on the Sustainability Spotlight KPIs for 2024/25 premised on Sustainability Spotlight Report 2024: Time to Talk.
- To take stock of new ideas and priorities for the Sustainability Spotlight 2025/26, and identify champions to lead them
- To collectively discuss the NEXT BIG ISSUES for sustainability for the UK and globally, in conversation with a higher-level roundtable.
- To develop an Action Plan for 2025/26 – for finalisation in September 2025
The Sustainability Spotlights leads reported about the year's activities, challenges and achievements. Their presentations were continued with reflection and action sessions, planning 2025/26. The WSF also involved external stakeholders, including from partner universities in Uzbekistan (Akram Umarov UWED), Azerbaijan (Nargiz Ismayilova, ADA University) and India (Seema Mundoli, Azim Premji University), to shape the next year's agenda together. It concluded with a high-level roundtable, masterfully chaired by Stuart Coles (WMG), to discuss the next BIG Issues of the sustainability agenda, locally and globally. The speakers included Lord Teverson, Dr Kathryn Magnay (EPSRC), Fajli BIB (GSI), Julie Walden (E.ON), Margot James (Coventry Climate Change Board), and Muneeba Amjad (Warwick SU). Thereafter people continued their conversations and networking on a FAB terrace, enjoying beautiful weather and wine reception!
The WSF will produce a ‘From reflection to action’ report 2024/25, outline ideas for the 2025/26 Action Plan and identify champions for 2025/26 (to become new members of the Steering Group). We conclude this year's forum on a positive note, with a high appraisal from the University Review Board, and a lot of achievements to celebrate. We look forward to the next year, and thank all those who got involved with us this year - especially Sustainability Steering Group members! - Sustainability Professional Support Team - Cher Zou and Tanya Liguori - and our Facilitation team - Christine Bell and Amelia Wakeford.
For more information please visit the WSF page here.
2 July: international visit from ADA University (Azerbaijan), UWED (Uzbekistan) and Ajim Premji (India)
IGSD and the Sustainability Spotlight Steering Group hosted meetings of international partners from Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and India. Ms Nargiz Ismayilova from, Head of Partnerships from Ada University, Dr Akram Umarov, Vice-Rector of UWED and Director of the Institute of Advanced International Studies, and Dr Seema Mundoli from the Climate Change Centre and Sustainability at Azim Premji University, presented their research to the Steering Group, and discussed research projects and suitable funding opportunities with IGSD. In the afternoon they also interacted with EUTOPIA partners at lunch, and met to discuss MOUs with Prof. Michael Scott, PVC International.
3 June 2025: 'Manufacturing and Circular Economy' conference organised by IGSD, WBS, and WMG was a great success!
Warwick’s Sustainability Spotlight, in partnership with WMG, WBS, and IGSD delivered a dynamic workshop at The Shard, London. Themed as 'Manufacturing and Circular Economy', the event brought together leaders from industry, businesses, academia, and policy to explore practical solutions for circular economy and sustainable manufacturing in a rapidly changing global context. The workshop was designed to foster open dialogue, shared learning, and actionable outcomes. Through a structured series of conversations, attendees shared insights and examples of best practice, creating space for collaboration across sectors and disciplines. Delegates were encouraged to take away tangible strategies - as part of the CE TOOLKIT, fostered by Warwick - that could be applied immediately in their own organisations and communities.
The workshop attracted over 80 participants, and spotlighted Warwick's research and impact leadership in CE, business sustainability and manufacturing. The event has an open padlet for anyone who wishes to contribute their thoughts further. It will produce a report and a series of policy recommendations for the government CE TASK Force, to encourage further thinking about how to put CE to practice.
The organisers are very grateful to the Sustainability Spotlight Professional Support Team, and to Christine Bell from the Facilitation Centre.
HoPE NEXUS EUTOPIA Connected Community has been informally launched today!
HoPE NEXUS EUTOPIA CC has been informally launched today with a meeting of all key partners from the University of Warwick (IGSD, SCFS), NOVA University Lisbon (Julia Sexas), University of Ljubljana (Bostjan Kenda), Monash University (Filia Garvaldis), Stellenbosch University (Guy Midgley), and CY Cergy Paris Universite (Dominique Sciamma). Participants focused on defining HoPE key activities, which will include a Sustainability Training School, thought leadership podcasts, a manual of new ideas and interdisciplinary methodologies on researching sustainability, and a Sustainability Forum among others. We look forward to working with everyone and expanding our membership to the newcomers!
CAPTURED Horizon Scanning Workshop 1, 17 March
Professor Elena Korosteleva was invited to give a talk on 'Why we should think 'Resilience' when we talk about Green Transitions?' to the CAPTURED project organised by Warwick's Policy Lab. Elena focused on understanding the Anthropocene through the lens of a VUCA-world and complexity-thinking, and why we need to understand resilience as a way of living, relating, and managing complex life. Green transitions - whichever ways we think of them - will not happen if we 1) don't have a holistic approach; 2) don't change our thinking & behaviour; and 3) don't facilitate agential change, through nurturing resilience as political agency.