DETAILS: ECR Net Zero Conference – Manchester, 30 November – 1 December 2022

IDRIC is co-hosting the first ECR Net Zero Conference with eight other fantastic organisations working in the Net Zero space – UKCCSRC, C-DICE, CO2RE, CREDS, ERA, EnergyREV, TFI Network+ and UKERC.

Taking place at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester, on Wednesday 30 November – Thursday 1 December 2022, the conference aims to provide an opportunity for key research organisations and ECRs to meet and network with peers from different research communities within the wider net zero research community,  and build a collaborative community.

In-person bookings have now closed, but there is still an option to attend virtually – register here.

Recordings and slides (where we have permission to share them) will be available after the event.

Here’s the agenda:

Day 1 – Wednesday 30 November 2022
11:30-13:00 Registration and lunch

13:00-13:45 Welcome Carys Blunt, UKCCSRC (on behalf of the organising committee)
Keynote: Mercedes Maroto-Valer, IDRIC

13:45-14:45 Plenary session 1: COP27 – Reflections and actions
William Blyth, Oxford Energy Associates
Mathieu Blondeel, Warwick Business School
Laura Stefanini, University of Sheffield
Mirjam Roeder, Aston University
Chaired by Pooya Hoseinpoori, Imperial College London

14:45-15:30 Coffee break

15:30-17:00 Parallel sessions: Skills based workshops

Net Zero Policy workshop
Run in collaboration by C-DICE and UKERC, this workshop will provide participants both with the theoretical framework on contributing to the policymaking process and the opportunity to take the first steps in their policy engagement journey. Participants will also hear from academia and industry representatives who will share their experiences and practical tips for successful engagement.
Speakers: Will Blyth, Jude Asibor, Vivien Chow and Anna Pultar

Effective Industry Engagement
In the initial panel session, you will hear insights from successful industry-academic collaborations, who will discuss how to effectively communicate research to industry audiences, and build effective working relationships with industry partners. In the second half of this session, you will have the opportunity to workshop with fellow ECRs to discuss ways to better engage with industry, through oral, written and presentation means.
Speakers: Lindsay Armstrong, Kyra Sedransk-Campbell, Rhys Jones, Cheryl Anderson and Jeannie Tan (chair)

Net Zero Career Pathways: Knowledge Exchange
This practical and interactive session will help you make the most of your current research in shaping your future career. It will involve theoretical input and talks by ECRs who are now working in industry, government, academia and the voluntary sector.
Speakers: Amish Sarpotdar, Timur Yunusov, Abdul’Aziz Aliyu, Alice Garvey, Jon Runyon

17:00–19:00 Networking reception

19:00-22:00 Conference dinner

Day 2 – Thursday 1 December 2022
08:30-09:00 Arrivals and coffee

09:00-10:30 Parallel sessions: Net zero topical discussions

Industrial Decarbonisation: People and Place
Industrial emissions are some of the hardest to abate. In this session, we will look at the activity happening on the ground in the UK’s industrial clusters, with a particular focus on the just transition, social licence and skills needed to meet the industrial decarbonisation challenge.
Speakers: Bryony Livesey, Jen Roberts, Kirstie Simpson and Rachel Bray

COP27 World Café
Based on The World Café method this workshop will bring together ECRs to discuss ways to tackle challenges identified by COP27 and how to make the resolutions agreed a reality. Each station will cover a different challenge or resolution with participants moving between stations to discuss their ideas.
Led by Tom Dolan

Social and Environmental Challenges of Net Zero
Led by ECRs, this session will bring different ECR perspectives to the social and environmental challenges of meeting the 2050 Net Zero targets. The session will then break out into an interactive element to discuss some of these challenges further.
Led by Catrin Harris and Genevieve Hodgins

10:30-11:00 Coffee break

11:00-12:00 Plenary session 2: What are the main challenges in delivering Net Zero – Bottlenecks and barriers
Nick Eyre, University of Oxford
Rob Gross, Imperial College London and UKERC
Emily Cox, University of Oxford
Uttara Narayan, University of Oxford

12:00-12:30 Keynote
Matthew Winning, UCL
Closing remarks

12:30-14:00 Networking lunch and departures

More information about speakers is available here