The University of Exeter at COP26: The CE-Hub

The UKRI National Circular Economy Research Hub (CE-Hub) brings together researchers, industry, civic society, and policymakers to grow the circular economy community by raising awareness and building valuable partnerships.

The coordinating hub for the National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Research (NICER) Programme, launched in January 2021. The CE-hub is led by Professor Fiona Charnley and Professor Peter Hopkinson from the University of Exeter’s Business School.

Though it’s five specialist Circular Economy Centres and the coordinating CE-hub, this £30million Programme aims to accelerate interdisciplinary research, innovation, and impact to scale up a UK circular economy. The three main goals of the CE-Hub are:

1. Accelerate understanding and solutions to enable circularity of specific resource flows (including related waste streams and uses, and within sector contexts),

2. Provide national leadership, coordinate and drive knnational leadership, coordinate and drive knowledge exchange across the programme as a whole and with policy, consumer, third sector and business stakeholders,

3. Ensure research is embedded with stakeholders by involving businesses, policymakers, consumers and society, the third sector, and other affected groups and communities at every part of the programme, including funding to enable SME involvement.

The work of the CE-Hub and wider NICER Programme will ensure fewer resources are used and more waste materials reused – delivering considerable benefits to the environment and the UK economy. Please contact the Environment and Clean Growth team to find out more.