Case Study: SDG 2 - Zero Hunger

A unique £3m plant lab will put researchers on the frontline in the fight against climate change and create crops for “tomorrow’s atmosphere today”.

The new flagship facility at Essex will allow scientists to adapt plants for a hotter drier planet as food security is increasingly threatened.

The new lab boasts a cutting-edge commercially standard vertical farm, an indoor field that replicates real environments anywhere in the globe, and suites that imitate a warming world – with researchers able to raise CO2 concentration and temperature levels at will.

Computer plant scanning technology will also be used to monitor plants as they grow – and pinpoint precise changes in photosynthesis.

The research will be underpinned by AI and robotics that will develop new ideas, technologies, and strategies to predict how agriculture and the natural world are changing.

Case Study: SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being

The University of Essex is training a new generation of fully qualified therapists and counsellors. Inspired by their experience at Essex, some are setting up their own therapeutic practices and helping to train future professionals.

The Masters in Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychotherapy course, delivered by the Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies, is making a growing impact on our communities.

Over the past 10 years, more than 100 students have become professionally qualified counsellors and in the next three years another 100 will join them – making a bigger and bigger difference in their communities.

Even during their studies students are making a difference by taking part in a whole range of placements.

After completing her studies, Kate Beckwith set up her own pioneering therapeutic practice for children, adolescents, and their families. Set in a private woodland on the outskirts of Colchester, Kate’s Garden is the only practice of its kind in the country. 

She said: “The MA in Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychotherapy at Essex was a completely transformative experience that profoundly impacted my personal and professional life."

• Read our 60 Stories article: Training Counsellors of the Future

Case Study: SDG 4 - Quality Education

More than 100 teenagers explored green careers by building wind turbines, investigating animal smuggling and even eating insects.

Students learnt from researchers and eco experts as part of the annual event hosted by the University of Essex to mark Green Careers Week.

Youngsters aged 14 to 17 from Clacton County High School, Clacton Coastal Academy, Colchester Institute, Colchester Academy and the Sixth Form College enjoyed the interactive workshops.

The Greenest Generation event was organised by the University’s Outreach team to show teenagers how they can fight the climate crisis.

Presentations included the School of Life Sciences showing how to clean up oil spills and staff from Colchester Zoo explaining how rare animal pelts were traded by villains on the black market.

The event was part of a bigger NHS project funded by the Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board to showcase green skills.

Organiser Olivia Solanke, Outreach Officer, said: “We really wanted to show them how they can make a difference in the world and I’m so proud of the teams from our own School of Life Sciences and Sustainability department in addition to the Galloper Wind Farm, Colchester Zoo, Writtle College and Adult Learning Community.”

Case Study: SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth

Essex Startups has developed a series of initiatives that reflect the needs of under-represented groups within our start-up community.

Empower, for female founders, BE:ME, for black and ethnic minority entrepreneurs, and Thrive, for those with freelancing ambitions, incorporate interactive workshops with expert external speakers to inspire students and assist in broadening their professional networks. 

iTeams, which runs annually, provides students with the experience of working for an external organisation on a tangible, real-world business challenge. Over eight weeks, teams participate in workshops, mentoring, and self-directed work to develop a deeper understanding of the problem and present solutions to overcome it.

Essex Startups' home in the Innovation Centre on the Colchester Campus offers state-of-the-art equipment and space for our community of entrepreneurs to work independently and collaboratively, as well as providing a registered business address and the exposure to established local businesses operating within the building.

Head of Start-up Support Andy Mew said: “We're committed to supporting those individuals within our community who are driven to break the mould and maximise their ambition and creativity to do something different.”

• Find out more about Essex Start Ups

Case Study: SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

The University of Essex teamed up with five organisations as part of a brand-new knowledge transfer programme.

Among the winners of Innovate UK Accelerated Knowledge Transfer funding were farming business G’s Growers and the Colchester-based community organisation, Changing Lives Community Services CIC.

Innovate UK’s Accelerated Knowledge Transfer (AKT) scheme is designed to create short-term collaborations between businesses and knowledge bases, such as universities.

The programme is inspired by the highly successful Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) model and aims to accelerate the evaluation or development of an innovation project or concept, which has the potential for significant impact for a business or organisation.

Other firms which partnered with the University through the AKT programme include mobile-app only bank, Atom bank, planning specialists Iceni Projects and tech security firm Glasswall.

Rob Walker, Head of Business Engagement at Essex, said: “These shorter, more tactical funds help lay the groundwork for broader collaborations, enhance a business’s understanding of collaborative potentials, and provide a low-risk opportunity to innovate new products, services, or concepts."

Case Study: SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities

The complex challenges facing our diverse UK coastal areas are the focus of a major new multi-million-pound project led by the University of Essex.

The £2.9 million ARISE project – Advancing Resilience and Innovation for a Sustainable Environment – is one of four projects to receive a total of £14.8 million from the UKRI and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

ARISE will focus on the Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Kent coasts, which include communities from England’s highest and lowest levels of deprivation. This coastal region also has more inequalities in health, wellbeing, life expectancy, earnings and education compared to nearby inland communities.

Project Director Professor Gina Yannitell Reinhardt, from the Department of Government, said: “Our coasts provide food, jobs, coastal protection, cultural enrichment and benefits to health and wellbeing.

“However, our UK coastal areas are facing increasingly complex, interrelated challenges from factors like climate change, population and infrastructure pressures and the cost-of-living crisis.

“We want this ARISE Toolkit to be a legacy, offering ways to confront and mitigate these pressures to help strengthen coastal community resilience and our collective ability to thrive after disruption and change.”