Prince Charles visits University of Cambridge to hear about its work on sustainability
Prince Charles visited three University of Cambridge sites today to hear about their work on pioneering sustainability projects.
He attended the opening of the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership’s (CISL) low carbon HQ, called Entopia, and its new green entrepreneur hub.
And he visited the Whittle Laboratory to see how it is working to accelerate the transition to sustainable aviation.
He also went to King’s College to meet HRH Prince of Wales Commonwealth Scholarship recipients studying at Cambridge, and to welcome the launch of a new climate action scholarship programme for students from small island nations.
Professor Stephen Toope, vice-chancellor of the University of Cambridge said: “The University of Cambridge’s work on climate change and sustainability is an outstanding collaborative achievement. Today we celebrate projects that have the power to change the way we live and the way our industries operate, hastening the transition to a low carbon world. The new Entopia building is now the most sustainable premises in the university estate, and a key contributor to reaching the target of eliminating our carbon emissions.”
At the Entopia building in Trumpington Street, Prince Charles met with design and construction firms, owners of start-ups, small businesses and corporate CEOs.
He launched the Canopy incubator, which enables SMEs and entrepreneurs to join the organisation’s international network of corporate, finance and sustainability leaders to share ideas and gain access to the wider university community.
Clare Shine, CEO and director of CISL, said: “Bolder leadership and action are critical for human security and planetary health over the next 10 years.
“Today’s launch of the Canopy incubator at the heart of our groundbreaking retrofit HQ takes CISL’s global reach and impact to new levels.
“We’re creating new bridges between entrepreneurs, SMEs and the most powerful actors in the economy, to put their collective weight and innovation capacity at the service of inclusive and sustainable development. CISL thrives on openness.
“Through Canopy and our collaborations across Cambridge University, we hope to embrace fresh perspectives and forge solutions that work for people, nature and climate.”
The CISL headquarters have undergone a £12.8m retrofit, supported by a £6m donation from greentech leader Envision Group and a £3m grant from the European Regional Development fund (ERDF), which is also funding the operation of the Canopy.
The university has also invested its own funds in the project alongside an internal grant from its internal Energy & Carbon Reduction Project.
Then, at the university’s Whittle Laboratory, the Prince of Wales witnessed the progress made towards sustainable aviation.
Kwasi Kwarteng, the Secretary of State for the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), and key figures from the aviation sector, including business and government representatives, joined him to see zero emission technology under development and a new global whole-system model of the aviation sector developed by the Aviation Impact Accelerator (AIA), led by the Whittle and CISL. This industry-academic initiative was launched when the Prince of Wales issued his challenge in Cambridge to accelerate innovation towards sustainable flight.
Mr Kwarteng said: “We are determined to seize the economic opportunities of the global shift to greener aviation technologies, which will help to secure growth and thousands of jobs across the country. That is why just this week we have announced record levels of government funding for our Aerospace Technology Institute R&D programme.
“It has been fantastic to accompany HRH the Prince of Wales on a visit to one of our country’s great seats of learning to discover more about some of the incredible new zero-emission technologies that are currently under development at the world-class Whittle Laboratory.”
Professor Rob Miller,director of the Whittle Laboratory, added: “Achieving an aviation sector with no climate impact is one of society’s biggest challenges. Solving it will require a complex combination of technology, business, human behaviour, and policy.
“We have assembled a world class team of academics and industry experts to take on this challenge.”
The prince was brought up to date on plans for the new Whittle Laboratory that is under development and is expected to cut the time to develop technologies from years to months, while acting as a hub for the Aviation Impact Accelerator, a global network of experts working to provide evidence-based insights to unlock system-wide change.
The hub is intended to bring together multi-disciplinary global expertise from industry and academia in the drive for a climate-neutral future, while aiding the UK position as a leader in aviation innovation.
At King’s, Charles spoke to recipients of the HRH Prince of Wales Commonwealth Scholarship recipients and welcomed the launch of the climate action scholarship programme for students from small island nations.
Prof Toope has worked with the Prince of Wales on launching the initiative, designed to support skills and knowledge development for students at the frontline of the climate crisis.
The scholarships will be provided at the University of Toronto, the University of Melbourne, McMaster University and the University of Montreal, as well as by the Cambridge Trust which will offer 10 fully-funded HRH The Prince of Wales Commonwealth Scholarships over the next two years. The first recipients are expected to take up their places at Cambridge in October 2022.
Helen Pennant, director of Cambridge Trust, of which the Prince of Wales is patron, said: “The strength of the collaborative thinking between HRH the Prince of Wales and the university, and the scholars living with some of the most substantial impacts of climate change has the potential to make a huge difference - not only to support climate action in small island states, but also in seeding new conversations in the university and beyond that can widen the perspectives we need to see solutions to the climate crisis more quickly.”
The prince’s visit comes just four months after his last trip to the city, where he went to Cambridge market, Homerton College and AstraZeneca’s new R&D building.
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