THE UNIVERSITY of Reading has been chosen to lead a major group of world universities in the global response to climate change.
The International Universities Climate Alliance (IUCA) has announced it will be hosted by Reading from next year until 2028.
The Climate Alliance is a central hub for universities to share the latest climate research with the public and enable greater collaboration between leading research teams, global leaders, policy makers and industry.
Among the members are Oxford, Cambridge, and Kings College London, alongside Reading, as well as national institutions such as Caltech, UC San Diego, and the universities of San Diego, Bremen, Hamburg, Helsinki, and Melbourne.
As the next host of the Secretariat, the University of Reading will advance IUCA’s global impact and maintain the foundations established by founders UNSW Sydney.
It means that Professor Robert Van de Noort, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Reading, will chair the IUCA.
As part of its hosting duties, the University of Reading has also appointed an IUCA Secretariat Operations Director, who will be responsible for the development and execution of IUCA’s strategic plan and programme of work.
The university has laid out a number of commitments as host, including expanding the organisation’s membership to 60 members, offering new placement opportunities to students as part of the IUCA, and establish an annual day of action aimed at improving exchange between sustainability teams.
Professor Van de Noort said: “The University of Reading shares IUCA members’ deep commitment to understanding and addressing global environmental challenges.
“So, we are delighted to be the new host of the IUCA Secretariat, and we are excited to work with UNSW to engage with all of you and chart our way forward.
“With the appointment of our Secretariat team due in October, we look forward to leveraging the natural synergies between Reading’s strengths and IUCA’s mission.”
