Partnerships

Most of our work is in partnership with industry, government and other academic bodies, ensuring that what we do has a real-world impact. We are always eager to discuss with organisations, big and small, different ways we can work together.

Contact:

For partnerships queries related to the UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources, please contact the Director, Prof Jim Watson.

For partnerships queries related to the UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering, please contact the Director, Prof Mike Davies.

For partnerships queries related to the UCL Energy Institute, please contact the Director, Prof Catalina Spataru.

For partnerships queries related to the UCL Institute for Sustainable Heritage, please contact the Director, Prof May Cassar.

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How to engage with us | Partnership case studies

7 ways to engage

There are seven different way to engage with us, you can explore the options and examples below. If you would like to engage with us our team would be happy to discuss your's and your organisation's needs. 

1. PhD studentships

Our doctoral training and research outputs are world leading. At the Bartlett School of Environment, Energy and Resources, we endeavour to closely align our PhD research with real-world needs and are always looking for suitable industry partners. Browse the range of research areas or speak to us about a particular question your business wants to explore through academic research.

The PhD student will work closely with your business and may spend time in your office as work experience – models of collaboration can be tailored to your requirements. Sponsoring doctoral research typically costs GBP 10,000 p.a. over a period of four years.

2. Scholarships and Awards

Both individuals and businesses have the opportunity to create scholarships for our undergraduate, postgraduate or PhD programmes. This could be aimed at high achieving students from lower income groups; particular countries, ethnicities or simply in a particular field. Giving an award to the best thesis, overall grade, special achievement etc. is a great way to raise your company’s profile publicly and within our student body whilst honouring the hard work that goes into gaining one of our Degrees. This can be wrapped in an open event or simply be named after you.

3. Knowledge Transfer Partnership

You can improve your business’ competitiveness and productivity through funded partnerships with one of our academics and/or graduates. The scheme can last between 12 and 36 months, depending on what the project is and the needs of the business.

A KTP is part-funded by a grant. You will need to contribute to the salary of the Associate who will work with your business, plus the cost of a supervisor who will oversee the scheme.

Find out more: http://ktp.innovateuk.org/

4. Bespoke short courses and training

We can deliver custom education for executives, business leaders and high potential professionals for organisations looking to drive innovation
and generate impact. We will work with you to design a programme built around your requirements, and transfer knowledge and insights that deliver impact in your organisation.
Training could be modelled around sustainable and circular businesses, climate change, energy efficiency, building physics, modelling, scenario planning, technical environmental design and engineering challenges you face and many more.

5. Open professional education courses

Our executive professional short courses will explore new futures in business and sustainability. Aimed at mid-senior level professionals, the courses support organisations and businesses
to develop and drive their strategies for long-term value creation and sustainable pathways.

The blend of face-to-face training and online learning provides likeminded professionals with the opportunity to network and share ideas whilst fitting around busy work schedules.

Business and Sustainability: high-level executive courses for career professionals in all sectors.
Moisture in Buildings CPD: the renowned UK Centre for Moisture in Buildings hosts a CPD programme for professionals in the building and construction sectors.

6. Consultancy

Your organisation can benefit from our academic expertise to help you solve technical challenges or research questions. We will provide innovative, cutting-edge insights
into sustainability, transport, energy and buildings that come with a long track record of multidisciplinary thinking. In the past, we have worked on grants with EDF; advised the UN and national governments on climate change policy; frequently provide BEIS with expertise on energy efficiency; evaluation of Calix with Ipsos Mori; low-carbon shipping solutions for the International Maritime Organisation and many others.

7. Donations

If you would like to become a donor to our School or one of our four Institutes (Energy Institute, Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering, Institute for Sustainable Resources, Institute for Sustainable Heritage) please contact us. Your donation will help fund pioneering research and develop the next generation of leaders in sustainability. Whatever global sustainability cause you are passionate about solving, we are likely to be so too and will be much stronger with your support.

Previous donations included a £5m endowment from BHP Billiton which with we were able to establish the Institute for Sustainable Resources.

 If you would like to discuss ways you and your organisation can engage with us, please do contact us.

Case studies

Industry collaboration in PhD research

Our new centre for doctoral training, Energy Resilience and the Built Environment, explores the interaction of people, buildings and energy systems and new relationships between energy supply and demand. This year, five PhD students started their training in collaboration with industry partners. Shai and Adria are working with the smart energy software solutions company PassivSystems on two very different research projects: pricing flexibility in emerging and future energy systems and comfort and control of low-carbon heating, from a social sciences perspective. Eleni is looking at university buildings and campuses in the context of climate change with the architectural practice Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios. Bentley Systems, a software company, and Shyam will be simulating and optimising the performance of the building stock together. The fifth research project concerns moisture and ventilation in dwellings and will be undertaken by our student Jalal in conjunction with Aereco, a company that develops innovative ventilation solutions for residential and office buildings.

Consulting on air quality

We always look for likeminded organisations that can put our research into action. There are many ways to get involved with us: you can commission us to conduct studies directly relating to your field and ask us to deliver training and CPD to your organisation. 

Last year, the Greater London Authority commissioned a piece of research in one of UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering's areas of expertise: indoor air quality. As the average person spends over 90 per cent of their time indoors, the quality of air we breathe inside is vital for our health and wellbeing. This is especially important for children who are more vulnerable to airborne pollutants than adults. The GLA wanted to know the implications of this for school-aged children who spend a great deal of time inside school buildings. For this task, the Mayor’s study on indoor air quality in London’s schools, we provided an extensive literature review on the subject and created six case studies: five of primary state schools and one of a nursery.

Bespoke training courses

Colleagues from the Institute for Sustainable Resources delivered a bespoke training programme to a large energy company in Armenia that wanted to upskill their employees and develop a competitive edge in renewable energy capabilities. We created a challenging 3-day learning programme covering the latest thinking around resource economics, environment and innovation. The programme was loosely based on one of our Masters courses, Economics & Politics of Energy and the Environment. 

Bespoke training courses are a possibility for any company or organisation. If you are interested, please get in touch with the partnerships team. 

Academic Heritage Partnership

The Academic Heritage Partnership between UCL Institute for Sustainable Heritage and Historic England joins together a heritage academic department and a heritage public organisation. The partnership was created to strengthen the link between heritage public policy, practice and its broad academic research base. It is designed to enhance heritage education and training, research outputs, outcomes, skills and service. 

The partnership’s characteristics are a formal partnership agreement; shared personnel; an organisational structure to allow the sharing of resources between the institutions including staff, equipment, expertise and skills; collaborative education and training opportunities for students and heritage professionals; joint research projects; shared support for and participation in providing historic environment services and shared institutional networks. Stage 1 of the implementation of the AHP was the co-creation and delivery of a Connected Curriculum short course to pilot the Heritage Evidence Foresight and Policy MSc.