Innovative research
Research and innovation are fundamental to addressing many of the challenges of living sustainably, by enabling data-led decisions to be made and impact to be realised.
Our world-leading research focuses on finding solutions to major global challenges, through significant international collaborations and connections with industry and government.
iNetZ+, our Global Research Institute for Net Zero and Beyond, connects researchers spanning multiple disciplines and all our campus locations, in tackling one global challenge - climate change. Founded on our leading expertise in energy, engineering and construction, we're building a new future through systems decarbonisation, the energy transition and radical innovation. We're pioneering ground-breaking solutions that redefine environmental stewardship to help propel humanity towards a carbon-neutral future.
At Heriot-Watt, research addressing sustainable development spans almost every discipline, and at local, national and global levels, Plays a pivotal role in providing for the needs of people and the planet.
Energy transition
Energy transition is a complex challenge needing multidisciplinary solutions. Within iNetZ+ our research teams across energy, construction and manufacturing collaborate to develop technologies and engineer the way forward.
Responsible Electronics
With the use of new technologies comes greater demands for the materials they are made from.
The Responsible Electronics and Circular Technologies (REACT) Centre is finding practical solutions in addressing the material demands of the building retrofit process.
Research itself can be energy and resource intensive, utilising equipment and materials associated with high degrees of waste production in addition to promoting travel between centres of collaboration and research locations.
We are working to reduce the environmental impact of our research through the development of best-practice guidelines for researchers and by improving the sustainability of our research facilities themselves.
Heriot-Watt have joined the LEAF (Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework) programme to promote and support actions to reduce the environmental impact of laboratory-based research. We will be rolling out recommendations and access to resources as part of the programme.
If you carry out laboratory-based research and would like to learn more about LEAF, please contact our Environmental Sustainability team at SustainableHWU@hw.ac.uk.