Challenges

We focus our activities on three key areas directly related to societal challenges that will impact how we live in the future.

Transport and mobility

Improving the sustainability of transport systems

Energy generation and management

Changing how we produce, store and use energy

Communities and built environment

Developing innovative solutions for how we live

Our themes cut across these three challenges.

If you take the example of the topic of Hydrogen

• the fundamental research theme impacts transport challenges in terms of storage materials or new fuel cell materials, or the use of hydrogen to generate new fuels or blend with ammonia in engines; in communities challenges hydrogen research for heating systems; in energy generation and management challenges in sustainable hydrogen production as well as fundamental approaches such as water splitting materials.
•  the  social science theme crosscut the challenges too from hydrogen sub economies, business modelling, social and industrial acceptance barriers transport, in communities and in local and regional generation.
• the modelling theme explores new materials and the research and  civic demonstrators play an important role in pushing technology in all three challenges.
• Public policy and engagement theme  and industry links is critical in adoption of new technologies and bringing different demonstrators to the region to each of the challenges.

The breadth of expertise in Nottingham is reflected in the themes and their relative emphasis on different topics related to energy. The theme leads and challenge leads will help prioritise these topics to try and maximise opportunities.