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Programme

net zero futures
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This full-day conference includes speakers representing industry, funding bodies and academia, and provides workshops and tours of facilities at the Loughborough University campus. Full workshops descriptions are available at the bottom of the page.

19 September: Pre-conference dinner (cancelled)

  • 6:30 pm Pre-conference dinner – Please note that the dinner was cancelled in respect of the period of National Mourning for Her Majesty the Queen.

20 September: Conference Programme

  • 9:30am Registration and networking
  • 10:00am Welcome address by Dr Kathryn North, C-DICE Director, Loughborough University
  • 10:10am Panel discussion: Developing meaningful collaborations and engagement with your stakeholders for Net-Zero

    Panel members: Professor Liz Varga, FCABE, FAcSS, Professor of Complex Systems, University College London; Dr Maria Manidaki, Technical Director, Decarbonisation, Mott MacDonald; Dr Kieran Bjergstrom, Expert in Quantum Systems Engineering and Quantum Technologies; Dr Tom Dolan, C-DICE Postdoctoral Research Fellow and UKCRIC Senior Research Fellow

    Chair: Professor Sergio Cavalaro, C-DICE Principal Investigator, Loughborough University
  • 11:20am Coffee break
  • 11:40amParallel workshops – session 1
    Delegates can choose from 3 workshops:
  • 4:15pm Reflections on the day and poster competition awards
    Reflections shared by Professor Phil Longhurst, Chair of Environment and Energy Technology, Cranfield University
  • 4:25pm Upcoming C-DICE opportunities
    Presentation by Dr Kathryn North, C-DICE Director, Loughborough University

Workshop descriptions

A. Starting to build relationships with stakeholders

Led by Jamie McCallum from Skillfluence, this workshop provided insights into how to take the first steps to actively and purposefully engage with key stakeholders including industry partners and businesses. It also explored how you can approach and start conversations with key stakeholders with the aim of developing mutually beneficial relationships. As a result, participants felt more confident and motivated to proactively engage and network with industry and business to advance their research and career aims.

B./E. Creating impactful videos to engage stakeholders

Can you pitch your research idea in 3 minutes? Are you interested in using video to tell your story? Have you ever considered how a 3-minute thesis could look using video? This workshop led by BBC-trained Video Journalist Rob Glass provided expert guidance on how to meet the challenge of presenting your research in an engaging way through videos. Rob shared the framework for impactful videos and demonstrated how all elements come together. Participants also had the opportunity to do a practical exercise using only their smartphones to start them on their journey of producing excellent, engaging videos.

*Please note that this workshop runs twice.

C. Facilities speed networking

This speed networking workshop aimed both to develop new and expand existing collaboration across the ERA, UKCRIC and C-DICE networks of facilities, laboratories, and research groups. The workshop started with an overview of our partners participating in the session, including where they were based, what their main capabilities were, and example problems that they solve. The rest of the session focused on developing new collaborations and exploring the grants you can apply for, both via C-DICE and externally, to capitalise on these collaborations.

D. Collaborating with stakeholders

Led by Jamie McCallum from Skillfluence, this workshop focused on what to do once you have established relationships with stakeholders. It provided insights into where you can add value so you can connect the dots between their challenges and needs and your research, skills and interests. This will help you to spot and create opportunities to engage more confidently and purposefully with key stakeholders, translating your research and academic experience in a way that is relevant to them.

F. Hints and tips on getting that fellowship

Sinead Balgobin from EPSRC shared information, hints and tips on applying for EPSRC funding. She then joined a panel discussion with researchers who have been awarded fellowships style funding at various career stages. Panel members included: Sinead Balgobin, EPSRC Head of Regional Engagement West Midlands; Dr Oluwasola (Sola) Afolabi, RAEng Engineering for Development Research Fellow and Senior Lecturer in Water & Environmental Engineering, Loughborough University; Dr Ana Blanco, Senior Lecturer in Infrastructure Engineering, Loughborough University, who was recently awarded a New Investigator Award from EPSRC; Dr Matthew Deakin, C-DICE Research Fellow and Senior Research Associate in the electrical power systems group, Newcastle University.

G. Tour of Centre for Renewable Energy Systems Technology (CREST)

For over 25 years CREST has overseen the research and development of the most progressive renewable energy technologies. This was an opportunity to have a tour of this fantastic centre that has over 1,200m2 of laboratories dedicated to the research of renewable energy systems, including PV, wind, and energy storage. Areas of interest include PV Materials research, PV Characterisation, Energy Storage Characterisation and Systems, Power Electronics and Renewables for Developing Countries.

H. Tour of UKCRIC National Facility for Infrastructure Construction (N-FIC)

Funded by EPSRC, this facility focuses on modern methods of delivery and maintenance of infrastructure. During this tour participants visited a suite of state-of-the-art equipment including a full-scale automated flexible mould controlled by 100 actuators, new robotic cells for 3D printing and spraying, a 200 m2 simulator including a high-accuracy tracking system to assess small- and large-scale construction processes, a robotic manipulation and jet spraying cell, UAV system with a suite of long-distance assessment tools and a near-surface automated repair cell.