Partners for a changing planet

The UPL Sustainability Fund

Anew Sustainability Fund has been launched this year between global agribusiness UPL and the Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development, supported by Somerville College.

The partnership was agreed in December 2019 at a meeting in Mumbai between our Principal Jan Royall and Sandra Shroff, UPL’s then-Vice Chairman. The new Fund will support groundbreaking research at Somerville into climate change, food and water security, clean energy, healthcare innovation, sustainable cities and environmental sustainability.

As part of this new collaboration, UPL and the OICSD will co-host the OpenAg Symposium, a series of annual conferences on sustainable agriculture and the future of food in a changing climate.

The conferences will examine the opportunities and challenges for industry and business innovation in transforming food systems and promoting sustainable agricultural practices on a warming planet. The initiative will create an open network for agriculture, activating connections across the world’s agriculture system. It aims to power new levels of sustainable growth – for farmers, for producers, for customers, for partners, and for communities everywhere.

The first conference is expected to be held in June 2021, subject to Covid-19.

“We are proud to contribute to the excellent work of the OICSD,” said Mr Jai Shroff, UPL’s Global CEO.

“Now more than ever, world agriculture and farmers themselves are directly affected by climate change, food and water security and environmental sustainability. Our future relies on the expertise of the next generation of leaders in sustainable development, many of whom will begin their research and careers at the OICSD.”

“We are very proud to establish this relationship with UPL,” added Jan Royall, Somerville’s Principal. “The OICSD is committed to collaborating with the most progressive leaders in sustainable development. UPL’s backing will enhance the work of the OICSD, enabling us to fund essential research and tackle some of the biggest environmental and social questions facing the world.“

Subscribe to the OICSD mailing list for updates on the OpenAg conferences and our wider research activities by writing to oicsd@some.ox.ac.uk.