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.
4-5 June: EUTOPIA Network Studio - a great success!
Warwick hosted the Sustainability Network Studio on 3-5 June, an international event to facilitate the formation of interdisciplinary research collaborations in and around the area of Sustainability between researchers at three universities: Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) from Belgium; Technische Universitat Dresden (TUD) from Germany and the University of Warwick.
The event was organised as part of the EUTOPIA activities and under the aegis of the Sustainability Spotlight. It was led Prof. Elena Korosteleva in her capacity as Chair of the Sustainability Spotlight, and in partnership with the Sustainability Spotlight leadership team. The event was held over the three days, involving members of the Sustainability Spotlight networks. It was based around pitch presentations from each of the 23 researchers attending and consortium-building for European research funding. The event was facilitated by research support staff from each of the three institutions and is expected to lead to new research collaborations in and around the sustainability area in disciplines ranging from chemistry and engineering to political science, business and economics. From the Warwick team, it included Prof. Stuart Coles (WMG), Prof. Stefan Bon (Chemistry), Dr Fred Dahlmann (WBS), Dr Soroush Abolfani (Engineering), Dr Madeleine Fagan (PAIS), Dr Lory Barile (Economics), Dr Feng Mao (IGSD) and Dr Adela Glyn-Davies (Design).
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.
ECR STA, 30 March-5 April 2025, at Warwick's Venice Centre has been a success!
Warwick's Sustainability Training Academy (STA) in Venice (WVC) has now come to a close, but what an event it was bringing together 21 ECRs from 13 countries, to share and develop their creative skills, and engage with critical theories and interdisciplinary methods! Blue skies, organic food from Sant'Erasmo farm, and new CA'Foscari friends; amazing cookies from Chiara at WVC and loads of pasta, pizza and aperol spritz - what else you could wish for!! All of these however was made so special and possible by the whole bunch of people and we at IGSD are indebted to them - Prof Harini Nagendra, Dr Bryan Brazeau, Dr Harriet Richmond, Dr Adela Glyn-Davies, Nargiz Ismayilova, Dr Anar Valiyev, and Dr Fariz Ismailzade!
We are also immensely fortunate to gather such a fantastic group of ECRs, and we hope to keep in touch with every single one of them! We are also grateful to our former ECR @TieazaSantos from NASA Open Science, for sharing NASA learning resources with us, and to everyone who made this STA a success, including the support from Warwick's Sustainability Spotlight and COP29 Scientific Council Azerbaijan. Watch the space for 2026!