ENSURE Joint Centre Workshop
18–19 May 2026 | University of Exeter
The University of Exeter was delighted to host the 2026 Environmental Sustainability and Resilience (ENSURE) Joint Centre Workshop, welcoming colleagues from across Exeter and The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). The Workshop was held at the Living Systems Institute (LSI) on Monday 18 May and the XFI on Tuesday 19 May, both located at the University of Exeter’s Streatham Campus in the City of Exeter.
Under the theme Global Systems for Sustainable Futures: Designing Resilience for the SDGs, this landmark two-day event brought together researchers, senior leaders, early career scholars and strategic partners to advance interdisciplinary collaboration in climate, biodiversity, energy, food, water and human systems research. Participants joined from across disciplines and with an interest in sharing best practice in behavioural change, climate resilience, nature-based solutions, biodiversity, energy and more.
The 2026 Workshop provided a dynamic platform to showcase progress across ENSURE-funded projects, catalyse new partnerships and identify future opportunities for impactful, externally funded research aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Combining keynote plenaries, themed TED-talk style moderated panel/audience discussion, breakout sessions and site-based engagement activities, the 2026 Workshop was designed to foster collaboration and future programme development, focussing on:
The workshop was structured around ENSURE’s six Grand Challenges, each directly contributing to delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals:
GC1. Biodiversity and Ecosystem Resilience
Conserving biodiversity and optimising societal benefits from genomic to ecosystem scale.
GC2. Climate Monitoring and Forecasting
Enhancing monitoring and forecasting capability of climate extremes, particularly in the developing world, to support economic and societal adaptation.
GC3. Ecosystem-Based Solutions
Promoting, managing and financing nature-based solutions to climate change, maximising co-benefits across multiple SDGs.
GC4. Sustainable Energy Systems
Building and financing efficient, equitable and low-carbon energy systems.
GC5. Food and Water Security
Ensuring food and water security for vulnerable communities from local to regional scales.
GC6. Behavioural Change and the Food–Water–Energy Nexus
Facilitating behavioural and societal transformations to address interconnected climate and sustainability challenges.
For more information, please visit the University of Exeter news item or contact us at global_partnerships@exeter.ac.uk