The University of Liverpool aims to create a fairer, better world through the global reach of its research. Our location within one of the world’s most famous maritime cities, combined with a history of innovation that spans life changing discoveries and partnerships, means that we are well-placed to tackle global challenges affecting our city region, as well as further from home.
Focussing on the physics and chemistry that will transform the future of energy, The Stephenson Institute for Renewable Energy commands £18m of active research funding that is helping governments and businesses across the world work towards reducing their carbon emissions. Combining our proven research strengths in the physical sciences with our strengths in AI and robotics, our unique infrastructure in the Materials Innovation Factory, and strategic industry partnerships such as our long-term agreement with Unilever, our research frontier on Materials Discovery is providing game-changing solutions aligned to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Elsewhere in our Faculty of Science and Engineering, the Liverpool Institute for Sustainable Coasts and Oceans is key to addressing the twin global challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss, and our new Centre for Doctoral Training in Maritime Net Zero Energy Solutions is delivering 52 highly trained researchers to address four vital net zero challenges currently facing the North West, the UK and beyond.
Our Faculty of Health and Life Sciences is at the forefront of health and climate research, having mapped vector-borne diseases in relation to climate change with the aim to protect society from some of the negative impacts of global warming. The Global Health Research Group Clean Air Africa conducts impactful research to inform policy and practice that raises awareness of household air pollution and its health impacts in communities reliant on solid fuels and kerosene for household energy. And we are proud of our partnership with the Institute of Cancer Research to quantify the carbon footprint of clinical trials, which has resulted in the first publicly available method and guidance to carbon footprint a clinical trial that can be used to inform lower carbon trial design.
Our world-leading research surrounding human rights law from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences is leveraging the shared vision of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and the newly launched Heritage Institute is key to establishing a better understanding of the past in order to create a more prosperous, fairer, and healthier world for everyone. Meanwhile the Hesletine Institute for Public Policy, Practice and Place brings together academic expertise with policymakers and practitioners to support the development of sustainable and inclusive city regions.
Our Commitments
Our commitments Develop new solutions through our interdisciplinary research and partnerships which accelerate the progress of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We will do this by:
Establishing an Interdisciplinary Centre for Sustainability Research
The centre will act as a nexus for interdisciplinary research and impact at Liverpool, bringing together researchers from across the University, as well as engaging with national and international experts, to tackle the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It will periodically focus on specific thematic SDGs, with an initial focus on the climate related goals. The University’s work in digital solutions and innovation will be fundamental in supporting a range of interdisciplinary research carried out through the centre.
Developing net zero solutions through our Materials Discovery Frontier: Harnessing Digital Materials Design for Net Zero Solutions
We have been at the forefront of developing and deploying AI and robotics for automating processes involved in materials discovery, and combined with our proven research strengths in physical sciences, unique infrastructure in the Materials Innovation Factory, and our well-established industry partnerships such as with Unilever, we are perfectly placed to contribute game-changing solutions that support the ‘Responsible Consumption and Production’ goal, SDG 12, and SDG 7 ‘Clean and Affordable Energy’.
Contributing new solutions through our existing research centres and projects
For example, the Centre for Sustainable Business which is at the forefront of debates on ‘business-not-as-usual’, reimagining how companies create net positive outcomes to restore our global socio-ecological systems and supporting policymakers in finding solutions to the climate emergency and social justice issues. The Operations and Supply Chain Management Group is also at the forefront of developing green shipping and agri-culture research.
Develop collaborative global partnerships to create knowledge and impact that make a positive difference to communities globally. We will do this by:
Using our networks to tackle shared global challenges
Networks allow us to collaborate with our partners, leveraging common strengths to address shared challenges and priorities. The RENKEI network prioritises climate change and health as themes for researcher networking, which has brought together expertise in climate-related machine-learning, financial analysis and agriculture from Liverpool and Japan. We have joined the University of the Arctic (UArctic), a global network of organisations focused on research in the rapidly changing natural and social environment on the Arctic. And, closer to home our Heritage Institute partners with many institutions both locally and nationally, including National Museums Liverpool and RIBA North.
Leveraging our existing strategic partnerships and initiatives to create outputs aligned with the SDGs
We work with strategic partners across the globe to deliver research results that produce insightful solutions that improve health, ensure social justice and combat climate change, allowing us to make a difference to the world we live in. From our local partnership with Unilever to our long-standing partnership with Xi’an Jiaotong University in China, you can read more about our global strategy and partnerships here.
Harnessing opportunities to develop new global partnerships aligned to the SDGs
Through our participation in the European Commission’s flagship Horizon Europe programme, we are building up and strengthening research partnerships linked to climate; health; culture creativity and inclusive society; digital, industry and space; and food, bioeconomy and natural resources. li>
Conduct our research in a way that supports both social and environmental equity. We will do this by:
Acting at an institutional level, and collectively across the sector, to achieve the six priority areas of the UKRI Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice
As a contributor and early signatory to the development of the Concordat, we will lead change by reducing and eliminating our environmental impacts and emissions associated with research and innovation practice.
Rolling out the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) across all labs and workshops
We recognise the significant environmental impact of the approximately 160 labs across our campuses, which are resource intensive, utilising considerable amounts of energy. Labs also utilise high volumes of water and produce a significant percentage of our plastic waste. Funders such as Wellcome and Cancer Research UK are also considering the impacts of the research they fund, and as such we have set a target to have all our labs on the LEAF framework to coincide with their deadlines.
Exploring opportunities to reduce the impact of carbon intensive research activities, such as energy-intensive computing and servers, and clinical trials
The impact of digital technologies and storage on scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions are rarely talked about, but our use of digital infrastructure to complete our activities is one of the main sources of our energy consumption across our campuses. We will consider this as part of the University’s Digital Strategy and Energy Strategy, with the aim of reducing our impact wherever possible. We will also promote our sector-leading research to quantify the carbon footprint of clinical trials to drive best practice and minimise the environmental impacts of health research.
Ensuring that data, guidance, and support, are openly available to staff, enabling them to meet external environmental obligations and maximise opportunities for funding
Aligning with the cross-cutting People and Culture theme in Liverpool 2031, we will enable our staff to respond to the increasing demands of funders to make research more environmentally sustainable. For example, Wellcome have put in place guidance on the use of their funding for travel and have stipulated that all lab-based projects must be on the LEAF framework by the end of 2025.
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