In a next step towards a sustainable future, the University of Sussex Business School today launches the Energy Demand Research Centre (EDRC). Established in July 2023 with £15M in funding from EPSRC and ESRC, the Centre is set to deliver research for an affordable and secure low-energy future. 

Led by Professor Mari Martiskainen and Professor Sara Walker, the collaborative effort with Newcastle University also partners with Cardiff, Edinburgh, Imperial College, Lancaster, University College London,Leeds, Manchester, Reading, Strathclyde, and Surrey universities. The EDRC aims to deliver integrated technological and social change, rapidly reducing emissions, securing prosperity, and enhancing our quality of life. 

The research centre focuses on five thematic strands: Futures, Flexibility, Place, Governance, and Equity. These strands work in tandem to understand and address the underlying conditions necessary for a low energy future, the impacts and implications of demand-side flexibility, place-based approaches to policy-making, new governance systems, and the design of equitable energy demand solutions. 

EDRC's research themes are complemented by a focus on cross-cutting policy-driven transition challenges, including engineering an integrated net zero transition, delivery models for accelerating net zero transition, energy security through energy demand solutions, and realizing net zero through green jobs and skills. 

Collaborating with partners across policy, industry, civil society, and academia, the EDRC aims to identify and shape evidence-based energy demand solutions, paving the way for a sustainable and more equitable future. 

For more information about the EDRC and to explore opportunities, please contact Professor Mari Martiskainen at M.Martiskainen@sussex.ac.uk.

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