Cabot Institute End Use Energy Demand research workshop

7 September 2011, 10 am

The UK Research Council Energy Program will shortly be issuing funding calls for interdisciplinary projects focused on End Use Energy Demand - the reduction of energy demand by end users in domestic, commercial and public sectors. The remit appears to be broad, and will most likely include such research areas as: embodied energy (e.g. in food and consumer products); social and individual behaviour in technical environments (including buildings, urban systems, ICT interfaces, etc); transport and mobility usage; whole systems approaches to transition pathways; the use of ICT in increasing operability, control and visibility; effective end-user energy policy; end-user energy and organisational behaviour; and inequality. The funders seem to be particularly interested in research which brings together social and technological interventions with an understanding of behaviour at various scales [micro, individual, group, and macro (eg. economic) levels].

The RCUK Energy Programme is seeking to encourage new interdisciplinary research approaches which will include the social sciences (behavioural, political, legal, economic, and policy research) with engineering and physical sciences. The funding call will most likely also place some importance on the integration of policy makers, industry, NGOs, communities, and/or charities in various phases of research projects. This workshop aims to start conversations in Bristol about potential work in this area, involving Bristol academics, local stakeholders, and potential collaborators from other academic institutions.

The workshop format will be as follows;

• An overview of the funding area, and the expected shape of the future call.
• A small number of briefings on the EUED problem from different perspectives, including technical, psychological, and social.
• 5 minute mini presentations on individual's research interests and ideas
• Open space and networking

Confirmed external presenters include:

• Ben Ross - Forum for the Future
• Rob Knight - Sustain

To register your interest and receive further details of the event, please email Jenny Jennings