The University of Exeter’s Innovation, Impact and Business (IIB) team have recruited a new Impact and Development Partnership Officer (IDPO) to expand SWeCAN, the South West Environment and Climate Action Network.
Organisations and individuals across Cornwall, Devon and the wider region are invited to indicate their interest in joining the system-wide network, and share ideas for how it can support innovative activity inside and outside the university. Anyone can be involved, from local authorities, charities and individuals to international business in the region or local SMEs.
The network will bring together research and tools to support decarbonisation and environmental gain with partners from businesses and communities to policy-makers and institutions. It will serve as a repository for existing and future developments and services, including the recently launched Impact tool to measure and compare local carbon footprints.
“We are hugely excited about the potential of SWeCAN to identify and respond to gaps in the existing inter-disciplinary and cross-sectoral work already taking place across the South West,”
“We have world-renowned research taking place on our doorstep, and SWeCAN will bring the capacity and perspective to translate this into practical actions that are accessible to businesses, local government, community groups and more. As well as responding to the current interconnected challenges being faced in our region, and in the wider world, we have an unprecedented opportunity to think ahead and co-create new systems to shape what happens next.”
(Peter Lefort, the new IDPO responsible for developing the network)
The University of Exeter is perfectly placed to develop a network to support organisations across the South West, being amongst the first Universities in the UK to declare a Climate and Environment Emergency in 2019. There are hundreds of academics working in climate science and related disciplines, including the top five most influential climate scientists in the UK according to the Reuters Hot List. In November 2020, their Climate Emergency Working Group has won the sustainability category of the Guardian University Awards.
Information on upcoming events, membership details and other ways to get involved will be launched on a new website in the coming months. In the meantime, anyone who is interested to find out more and discuss how SWeCAN could support their work can contact Peter at p.lefort@exeter.ac.uk.