UK-CSR

Manchester Met has a long tradition of teaching and research in sustainable development. We are one of the most sustainable universities in the UK — placing in the top three since 2013 in the People and Planet University League.

We have set up the UK Consortium on Sustainability Research (UK-CSR) to build on our commitment and experience.

Our mission

Our mission is to network and provide support to sustainability research. We work with organisations from across the UK, including universities, the national government, local authorities, social actors and the private sector. This will contribute to the implementation of the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

How the UK-CSR will work

Through the consortium, we will:

  • network and link sustainability research experts across the United Kingdom

  • facilitate joint research funding bids to national and international bodies

  • provide technical support and guidance for the design and implementation of sustainable development projects, including those addressing the United Nation’s 17 SDGs

  • organise activities to build sustainability skills in public and private organisations across the country, such as training courses, seminars and specialist events

  • research the sustainable development needs of the public and private sectors, showing us how to best implement the SDGs, taking into account the local contexts, potential and limitations

  • collaborate to gather the best available knowledge on sustainability, enabling our members to undertake joint projects, publish in high-calibre journals, and provide scientific advice and technical assistance to organisations

UK-CSR events

Upcoming events

Past events

  • European Symposium, 23-24 February 2023

    European Symposium on Sustainability in Business Education, Research and Practices

    Many business schools are trying to adapt and appeal to students’ and recruiters’ demands to embrace social values and sustainability. At present, more and more business schools are integrating sustainability as a whole, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in particular, into their core courses and MBA programmes, helping their graduates to become even more attractive to employers.

    While integrating sustainability across all core business teaching is a logical step for impact-based business schools, it is unclear how best this work should be undertaken, and which approaches, methods and strategies may yield the highest impact. To address this perceived need, and to foster a dialogue among providers –and users – of business education, the symposium ‘Sustainability in Business Education, Research and Practices’ was organised by the European School of Sustainability Science and Research (ESSSR), the Inter-University Sustainable Development Research Programme and the UK Consortium for Sustainability Research (UK-CSR).

    The symposium discussed how sustainability may be incorporated into business education, in the research programmes of business schools, and in business practice as a whole. It was part of the ‘Accelerating the Implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals Series’, with events aimed at fostering the implementation of the UN SDGs.

    The European Symposium on Sustainability in Business Education, Research and Practices was held in Liverpool, UK, on 23-24 February 2023. It was hosted by the Liverpool Business School, at Liverpool John Moores University. It was primarily aimed at European participants, but delegates from other parts of the world were also welcome to attend and use this unique opportunity to document and disseminate their work.

    As an output and long-term documentation of the event, selected papers were published in the book ‘Sustainability in Business Education, Research and Practices’, which followed the success of the ‘Encyclopaedia of Sustainability in Higher Education’ and the ‘Encyclopaedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals’, the world’s largest editorial project on sustainable development ever undertaken.

  • UK-CSR Symposium, 16 September 2022

    Climate change: the contribution of UK universities to addressing climate change from a sustainability perspective

    Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time, and a threat to the achievement of sustainability. The goal of a sustainable future cannot be fully achieved if we do not address climate change and the many environmental and socio-economic problems associated with it.

    There are currently many efforts to better understand the contribution of UK universities to addressing climate change from a sustainability perspective. But these initiatives often take place in isolation, with little connection or communication between them.

    To fill this gap and promote greater interaction between university stakeholders working on the climate change – sustainability interface, the UK Consortium on Sustainability Research (UK-CSR) organised the Symposium ‘Climate Change: the Contribution of UK Universities to addressing Climate Change from a Sustainability Perspective’.

    Objectives of the symposium
    1. To disseminate information on ongoing research projects and research results in the field of climate change and sustainability at UK universities
    2. To present innovative approaches in teaching and research
    3. To facilitate the exchange of experience and information between researchers from universities, but also from research centres, companies, and other institutions
    4. To provide opportunities for further networking and contact building
    Programme
    • 8:45am – 9:30am: Arrival, registration, and refreshments
    • 9.30am – 9.40am: Welcome and opening. Walter Leal and Liz Price, Manchester Metropolitan University
    • 9.40am – 10.00am: The fastest warming place on earth: what can UK HEIs learn about climate change education from pedagogical practice in the High Arctic town of Longyearbyen? Simon Boxley, University of Winchester.
    • 10.00am – 10.20am: Voices of the future: Collaborating with children and young people to re-imagine treescapes. Samyia Ambreen, Kate Pahl, Manchester Metropolitan University
    • 10.20am – 10.40am: Visual Images of Sustainability in Higher Education. Debby Cotton, Jennie Winter, Joe Allison, Rachel Mullee, Plymouth Marjon University
    • 10.40am – 11.00am: Art for climate change in, around, and through institutional spaces: possibilities and modalities. Tony Wall, Ann Hindley, Liverpool John Moores University
    • 11.00am – 11.10am: Discussion
    • 11.10am – 11.40am: Refreshment break
    • 11:40am – 12.00pm: The Carbon Literacy for Universities and Colleges Toolkit: A first step in responding to the climate crisis. Rachel Dunk and Jane Mork, Manchester Metropolitan University
    • 12:00pm – 12.20pm: Climate Literacy for all! An exploration of the impact of Carbon Literacy training for students and staff in a UK Higher Education Institution. Steve Cayzer, Hannah Hogarth, Eliane Bastos, Nicki Schantz, Clare Power, Tianqi Lu, University of Bath
    • 12:20pm – 12.40pm: A curriculum topography approach to learning about climate change in higher education. Tristan McCowan, University College London
    • 12:40pm – 13.00pm: Preparing university students for a perfect storm! An experience in curriculum development on skills for a sustainable environment at Ulster University. Farshad Amiraslani and Adrian Moore, Ulster University
    • 13:00pm – 13.10pm: Discussion
    • 13.10pm – 14.10pm: Lunch
    • 14.10pm – 14.30pm: Aviation and Climate Change - Bringing Hard Science to the Sustainability Debate. David Lee, Manchester Metropolitan University, Susanne Becken, Griffith University, Australia
    • 14.30pm – 14.50pm: Public Value, climate change, and sustainability in Cardiff Business School: A holistic approach. Peter Wells, Cardiff Business School
    • 14.50pm – 15.10pm: The Climate Emergency in Business, Community and Campaign Groups - Driving Change for the Common Good. Simon O’Leary, Agnes Gulyas, Sarah Lieberman, Matthew Ogilvie, David Bates, Canterbury Christ Church University.
    • 15.10pm – 15.30pm: Meeting stakeholder needs through authentic assessment of Carbon Literacy and digital skills. Ann Hindley, Liverpool Business School
    • 15.30pm – 15.45pm: Final discussion
    • 15.45pm: Close

    Download the conference abstracts