Building academic and industry climate finance partnerships

Last week, we had the pleasure of welcoming over forty academics and industry practitioners from business, NGOs, and government to our Climate Finance Marketplace.

When I joined the Business School last summer, this was exactly the type of event I wanted to see - looking outward and using our University expertise for practical, on-the-ground climate and sustainability action.

Instead of the usual panel discussions and Q&A, the Marketplace featured speed networking sessions. These paired academics with practitioners to explore practical collaboration and action on climate finance. We partnered with Scotland Beyond Net Zero, a collaboration of climate and sustainability experts from Scottish universities, thus building connections across academia too.

Whenever I organise an event I’m always uncertain about attendance, but in this case I needn’t have worried as the Marketplace was oversubscribed. I think this is testament to the value that academics bring to industry, including academic impartiality, credibility, and ideas from the latest research. And it shows universities’ eagerness to engage with “the real world”: businesses that understand how to make climate finance viable in the market; not-for-profits that offer deep contextual knowledge and mission focus; and government which provides the policy environment to make it all happen.

I was particularly encouraged by the diversity of attendees, including investment managers, heads of sustainability from various businesses, lecturers and professors from six of Scotland’s top universities, Scottish Government policy advisors, and NGO leaders interested in nature finance.

I'm genuinely hopeful that the connections made at the Marketplace will lead to meaningful partnerships, transforming academic insights into real investment opportunities and emission reductions.

With thanks to Kate Symons from Scotland Beyond Net Zero, Karishma Ansaram from the University of Edinburgh Business School, and Maria Chiara Iannino from the University of St Andrews.

Author

Elspeth Wray

Climate and Sustainability Portfolio Manager for the Centre for Business, Climate Change and Sustainability at the University of Edinburgh Business School