How can research, innovation and community collaboration help create a more sustainable and resilient future?
This panel event brings together recipients of Sustainable Futures’ Innovation Labs, Early Career Researcher Ideas Catalyst and Community Impact Fund to showcase how research can be translated into practical action. From recovering critical materials from electronic waste and unlocking geothermal energy potential to engaging the public in ethical debates around biomedical waste and improving community responses to wildfire risk, the projects demonstrate the diverse ways innovation can address environmental and societal challenges.
Through a series of lightning talks and a panel discussion, speakers will share what it takes to turn early-stage ideas into real-world impact, the value of working across disciplines and sectors, and the role universities can play in supporting innovation that benefits people, communities and the planet.
Audience members will learn about Sustainable Futures’ funding available to academics and external partners and explore common themes across the projects through an interactive Q&A.
This event forms part of the University of Manchester 2026 Innovation Festival - a week-long celebration of innovation, from Monday, 5 to Friday, 9 October 2026.
Speakers:
Dan Healy, LanthaGen Bio LtD
Dr Jingyue Hao, University of Manchester
Dr. Joe Glentworth University of Manchester
Dr Mark Shtanov, University of Manchester
Project summaries
Jingyue Hao ‘Geothermal energy: how far can we go?’ - Early Career Researcher Ideas Catalyst recipient
Geothermal energy could provide reliable, low-carbon heat and power in the UK, but development is constrained by technical, commercial and policy barriers. This pilot project brought together researchers, industry partners and policymakers to identify these challenges and strengthen links between academic expertise and real-world delivery. The work showed that substantial geological data and subsurface knowledge could support geothermal development, while a museum display demonstrated strong public curiosity about this largely invisible renewable resource
Dan Healy ‘Sustainable recovery of rare earth elements from electronic waste’ - Innovation Lab recipient
Rare earth elements are essential to low-carbon technologies and electronics, yet their concentrated supply chains are vulnerable and environmentally damaging. Valuable materials in electronic waste remain largely unrecovered, while University-connected start-up LanthaGen Bio needed a reliable way to detect them in complex waste streams. The project tested electrochemical sensing methods and demonstrated detection of europium and cerium at relevant concentrations and advanced the technology to Technology Readiness Level 2.
Mark Shtanov ‘Respectful Disposal’ - Early Career Researcher Ideas Catalyst recipient
Respectful Disposal explores the hidden infrastructure supporting modern biomedicine. It examines what happens to donated human bodies and anatomical specimens after medical training and research, highlighting ethical questions, regulatory gaps and the environmental implications of disposal through industrial waste systems. Through architectural research, large-scale drawings, co-design workshops and interactive exhibition elements, the project invites audiences to reflect on disposal practices, sustainability and the value society places on human remains.
Joe Glentworth ‘Peak Fire Reporter’ - Community Impact Fund recipient
Vegetation fires are an increasing risk in remote upland areas as climate change, land-use pressures and recreational activity intensify. Yet many incidents go unrecorded, limiting understanding of their effects on ecosystems, carbon stores, infrastructure, public health and air quality. Peak Fire Reporter used the Peak District as a case study to address this evidence gap. Project partners co-designed an interactive dashboard improving public awareness of wildfire and air-quality impacts, provide land managers with stronger evidence for decisions, and help residents and visitors interpret environmental risks.
