University takes role in regional centre to tackle climate change

The University of Sheffield has joined together with other Yorkshire universities and regional development agency Yorkshire forward to form an innovative research centre which will address the global challenge of climate change. The Centre for Low Carbon Futures is a new £50 million venture focusing on low carbon technologies and the impact of climate change, and is led by the universities of Sheffield, Hull, Leeds and York. The aim of the centre is to build a competitive, sustainable and carbon efficient regional economy, in addition to providing solutions to climate change on a national and international scale. Through an approach which will bring together expertise from sciences, engineering and social sciences, it is hoped the Centre will identify ways in which organisations and communities can adapt to the challenges of climate change. The centre´s initial research projects include working towards a low carbon economy, the development of biofuel plants and the capture of carbon from exhaust emissions. Professor Chris Wilson, from the University of Sheffield´s Department for Mechanical Engineering , and Professor Lenny Koh, from the School of Management , are two of the principal investigators for the project. Yorkshire Forward are providing £17m towards the Centre, with the remaining money being sourced from external sources.