UCCRI uniquely delivers impact in the conservation sector in three critical areas:
Cross-disciplinary research excellence:The University currently has more than 20 conservation related research groups with over 150 researchers spanning a diverse mix of disciplines including geography, plant sciences, zoology, economics, environmental law, politics, architecture, anthropology, management science, engineering, psychology and public health. Of these, about 100 staff, postdocs and students are now co-located in the University’s flagship David Attenborough Building. In the last 12 years these scientists and scholars have published over 600 research papers in high quality peer-reviewed journals.
Collaboration beyond academic boundaries: The growing concentration of conservation organisations with a presence in Cambridge is striking. Sixty-two NGOs, governmental and intergovernmental bodies have between them more than 3,500 professional staff headquartered in and around Cambridge. Further clusters of conservation organisations exist in Geneva, Washington and Nairobi, and other leading universities have strong programmes in conservation, but the Cambridge region is unique in having both a world-leading university, and a concentration of conservation professionals. UCCRI harnesses this critical mass of expertise to deliver an ambitious programme of cross-sectoral research which has impact on policy and practice in the business, civil society and public sectors.
Training the next generation of conservation leaders:UCCRI plays a key role in supporting the delivery of teaching on the MPhil in Conservation Leadership, alongside practitioners from the nine partner organisations that make up CCI, together with the University. These organisations also host group consultancy and professional placement projects. The combination of interdisciplinary academic teaching with experiential learning provided by conservation organisations makes the MPhil unique.
For the last 20 years, Cambridge has established and led a global network of Student Conferences on Conservation Science (SCCS), the only international series of conservation conferences aimed entirely at students. SCCS Cambridge has hosted more than 3,400 delegates from 136 countries worldwide. UCCRI is committed to expanding learning opportunities for future leaders in sustainability and conservation across the University, building on the successes of the MPhil in Conservation Leadership and SCCS.