#PlanetPartners: Global co-operation to save the planet
15 October 2019
The University of Reading is leading the fight against climate change and other global challenges by continuing to build strong international partnerships.
While the UK government and parliament continue to discuss Brexit and details of Britain's future relationship with the European Union, Reading is reaffirming its commitment to working more closely than ever with European and international partners, wherever possible.
This week, the #PlanetPartners campaign will highlight some of the many important partnerships between the University of Reading, and its academics, with international collaborators around the world. These include:
- European funding: a major new multi-million-Euro research project, to help cities respond to climate change, funded by the EU
- Global health: continuing work on the impact of climate change on global health - with a major public lecture by Professor Elizabeth Robinson
- Investment in research: highlighting progress towards providing a new home for the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts at the University's Whiteknights campus
- Advising the UN: showcasing the leading role played by Reading scientists through the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and work to influence the relevance of their reports.
In addition, all week, staff, students and partners of the University are being asked to share their stories of international collaboration using #PlanetPartners on social media.
'The University of Reading has been a global organisation since its creation (and) our global outlook will only strengthen in the future' -- Professor Robert Van de Noort
Professor Robert Van de Noort, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Reading, said: "We live in a connected world. Pollution, climate change, and ecosystems do not stop at national borders, and neither must our study of them.
"As an EU national living in the UK, I understand the uncertainties facing people and organisations working with UK institutions in our current climate. Yet the University of Reading has been a global organisation since its creation nearly a century ago.
"Our global outlook will only strengthen in the future, bringing many benefits to Reading and to the world."