£4.5m boost for Tyndall Centre

The Tyndall Centre has received £4.5 million of new investment to further groundbreaking and independent research. The funding, a combination of UK Research Council and University of East Anglia (UEA) investment, will ensure the long-term continued development of the Centre

The increasingly urgent dimension of climate change demands interdisciplinary and systems-oriented research. With this new investment the Tyndall Centre and its UEA headquarters are now further equipped to respond to these challenges. “In a very short time the Tyndall Centre has developed an outstanding international reputation and UEA is working together with the Tyndall partnership to ensure that its intellectual contribution continues to analyse what is needed for humankind to respond to climate change,” said Prof Trevor Davies, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research at UEA. The increasingly urgent dimension of climate change demands interdisciplinary and systems-oriented research. With this new investment the Tyndall Centre and its UEA headquarters are now further equipped to respond to these challenges.

“UEA’s ongoing support will aid the further internationalisation of the Tyndall Centre’s distinctive research and partnerships through new developments across science, the social and economic sciences and engineering.

“I am also delighted that Prof Kevin Anderson from Tyndall’s University of Manchester team has joined Prof Robert Watson at the University of East Anglia to oversee the centre’s new and developing research agenda.”

Professor Anderson’s new role as Research Director is shared between the University of Manchester and UEA.

Prof Anderson said: “Only when we bring together our understanding of science, technology, politics, behaviour and economics we will be in a position to respond to the urgency and magnitude of the challenge we now face. I will ensure that Tyndall continues to apply its expertise to the increasingly international climate change agenda.”

The funding from the Research Councils is for a re-orientated research programme in three cross-cutting themes critical to responding to climate change: transitions to a low carbon society; food, water and human security; and resilience for vulnerable people and places. This new research programme maps to the recently launched Living with Environmental Change partnership of the Research Councils and Government and public bodies.

“The UK and EU cannot tackle the issue of climate change alone,” said Prof Robert Watson, Tyndall’s Director of Strategy and Chief Scientist at the UK’s Department for the Environment and Rural Affairs. Engaging the wider international community, particularly the emerging industrial nations of China and India and Latin America, is central to tackling climate change mitigation and adaptation. The Tyndall Centre and the University of East Anglia are uniquely placed to contribute to this international agenda through its cutting-edge interdisciplinary research.”