CXC Newsletter: September 2024

This month we have news on three upcoming events, our new podcast episode, four new reports, our green economy event proceedings and two open project calls.

1. Enhancing proposals webinar on 8 October
2. Podcast episode with Professor Pete Smith
3. Scotland’s net zero economy – investment readiness
4. Heat in buildings reports - challenging dwellings, regulations and digital compliance
5. Research futures within a green economy proceedings
6. Two open research calls on excavated peat and community benefits from energy technologies
7. Event: Scotland's energy transition, with UKERC on 3 October
8. Event: Scotland's climate horizon 2040 on 4 February 2025

1. Enhancing proposals webinar on 8 October

Everyone is welcome to register for our next free lunchtime webinar guiding attendees through the elements of a typical ClimateXChange research call and offering insights on how to submit a successful bid.

The MS Teams webinar will be led by Emma Dore, our project manager for climate, business and industry on Tuesday 8 October from 12pm to 1pm.

Register for webinar

2. Podcast episode with Professor Pete Smith

Episode 2 of our new podcast features CXC Science Director, Professor Pete Smith from the University of Aberdeen, discussing his role in CXC, his experiences as a convening lead author on IPCC reports and the importance of staying connected locally.

You can subscribe to our podcast 'Evidence for climate policy in Scotland' on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to be alerted to new episodes as they are published.

ClimateXChange podcast

3. Scotland’s net zero economy – investment readiness

The Scottish onshore and offshore wind sectors are more established and mature markets than the hydrogen sector, this research has found.

The study developed a bespoke assessment methodology to investigate the investment readiness of net zero sectors in Scotland.

The report also includes key interdependencies, barriers and opportunities for priority action by the Scottish Government or its partners.

Investment readiness report

4. Heat in buildings reports

We have published three new reports to support policymaking around reducing emissions from homes and buildings.

• The suitability of clean heating options for challenging dwelling types investigates the feasibility of clean heating, especially heat pumps, in challenging home types in Scotland, in terms of practicality and cost effectiveness.
• Heat in buildings data for digital compliance explores the data sources that could be used to develop a digital compliance monitoring system for the proposed Heat in Buildings Standard.
• Providing flexibility in heat and energy efficiency regulations – personal circumstances reviews how energy efficiency regulations, both in the UK and internationally, account for personal circumstances, such as disability, age, or low income.

5. Research futures within a green economy proceedings

We held the first of our new series of thematic horizon scanning ‘ignite’ workshops in May this year, for people working in the broad area of the green economy. Participants discussed challenges and opportunities for knowledge exchange, future research and policy directions.

Find out more about the discussions - the proceedings and presentations from the workshop are available on our website.

Green economy workshop

6. Open research project calls

We commission our research projects on behalf of Scottish Government policy teams working to tackle climate change and meet Scotland's net zero targets.

To ensure you don't miss any calls between newsletters, sign up to receive all our invitations to quote directly in your mailbox: Subscribe to our emails

There are currently two open invitations to quote for specific research projects.

• Reuse of excavated peat on windfarm development sites - Closes 30 September
• Community benefits from net zero energy technologies - Closes 7 October

Open project calls

7. Event: Scotland's energy transition, with UKERC on 3 October

We are excited to be co-hosting an event on Scotland's energy transition with the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) on 3 October in Edinburgh.

The event is for policymakers, researchers and other stakeholders to discuss the latest research in this area, alongside policy opportunities and challenges for Scotland.

Places for the event were quickly taken and our waiting list is now full. We plan to make a recording available after the event, so keep an eye on our newsletters and social media for updates.

8. Event: Scotland's climate horizon 2040 on 4 February 2025

With the next Climate Change Plan due to cover the period up to 2040, Scotland is at a critical point for climate action to reach net zero emissions.

On 4 February 2025, ClimateXChange will host representatives from organisations across academia, business, local and national government, community groups and NGOs to discuss Scotland’s 2040 climate horizon.

Save the date and look out for registration details coming soon!

That's all for now - make sure to subscribe to get next month's update on LinkedIn.

You can also view and subscribe to our other longer emailed newsletter, which includes a selection of external developments and opportunities relevant to climate change research and policy in the Scottish context. ClimateXChange newsletter

ClimateXChange is Scotland's centre of expertise on climate change. We provide a research, advice and analysis service to policy teams and associated public agencies. We are funded by the Scottish Government.