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Environment

Environment

Environment leads the international research agenda across our disciplinary spectrum and through interdisciplinary initiatives to support a sustainable future for our planet and its peoples.

Collaborative research and consultancy

A driving aim behind LEC is to assemble and optimise cross-disciplinary research teams, to address 21st century environmental challenges, especially those related to environmental change, sustainable (water, energy) resource and chemical management, biodiversity and ecosystem function, and sustainable agriculture in tandem with the social challenges associated with sustainable development. We have a broad range of inter-disciplinary research areas which drive our research activity. These are:

  • Atmospheric Science
  • Biodiversity and Global Change
  • Environmental Geosciences
  • Society and Environment
  • Chemicals Management
  • Sustainable Agriculture
  • Sustainable Water Management
  • Sustainable Energy

Research and outreach are facilitated by LEC’s dedicated Enterprise and Business Partnerships team. We form one of the largest concentrations of environmental researchers in Europe.

Our Partners

Currently we have strong collaborations with major international companies such as, Unilever and a range of medium sized research intensive companies within the UK and across Europe. Our resident businesses range from university spin-out companies to international environmental businesses. We have developed strategic relationships with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Environment Agency, CABI Biosciences (a UN chartered NGO) and a number of corporate partners including Waitrose Supermarkets, training over 200 of their staff, and United Utilities.

We are currently working with 4 Chinese institutions focusing on the sustainable supply of clean water and safe, healthy food. We also work with public sector institutes such as Centre of Hydrology and Ecology and AstraZeneca, Voluntary Organisations, Charities, Social Enterprises and Schools.

Co-location

We provide office space and hot-desk space for up to 38 environmental businesses. Businesses co-locate alongside over 300 environmental researchers from disciplines across the natural and applied sciences, humanities, management sciences and engineering in the Lancaster Environment Centre and InfoLab21.

Why locate in LEC

Each business is allocated a relationship manager to match the business to the appropriate skills and facilities they need. Renting offices alongside us enables faster business growth by providing easier access to our research, knowledge, state of the art laboratories, clean rooms, workshops and specialist instruments. In particular we are interested in a wide range of research partnerships from across the environmental sector. Companies can access these resources for research, new product development, managing environmental impacts, developing environmental CSR programmes and responding to legislative or consumer pressures.

Student Placements

We evaluate the needs of each business and match these to the appropriate student resource across Science and Technology. We place around 80 students a year in 60 companies.

Graduate Consultancy Scheme

Lancaster Environment Centre has a Graduate Consultancy Scheme which provides companies access to the skills and expertise of high calibre current university postgraduates, to undertake a range of projects including the development of new products and services, assessment of environmental impacts, improved resource use efficiency and market research analysis. The projects deliver real environmental benefits to the participating companies and provide students with valuable experience before they embark upon a career in the environmental field. Several of the students undertaking industry based dissertation projects have gone on to be employed by the host company on completion of their Masters.

Case Studentships

CASE stands for Collaborative Awards in Science and Engineering and offer one way for businesses to develop a long term partnership with Science and Technology at Lancaster through a heavily subsided long term R&D project.

CASE awards are a key way in which companies working in collaboration with LEC, who have 17 funded PhD studentships through Industrial CASE awards from EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Science Research Council), BBSRC (Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council) and NERC (Natural Environment Research Council).

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and Training

We run challenge-led CPD courses in conjunction with business co-located in LEC, including:

  • Postgraduate Certificates in Competence in REACH Registration
  • Energy & Fuels from Waste

We host a range of events, workshops and seminars for external organisations across different environmental issues.

Facilities

Our facilities include:

  • Extensive, state-of-the-art research laboratories
  • 15 glasshouses
  • 10 walk-in controlled environment rooms
  • High-grade containment facilities for research with genetically modified organisms and radionuclides
  • Environmental data sets for analysis.

For more information and bespoke quotations contact Ruth Alcock.

Product Development and IPR

We have helped set up spin-out companies from LEC such as The REACH Centre and developed products including seed treatment to cut pesticide use we have the benefit of being able to tap into the university’s experienced IPR experts to ensure that for every partnership we enter into, any IPRs are addressed and agreed amongst all parties involved.