Industry Meets Academia Day 2026 (IMAD2026) is the ZERO Institute’s flagship ECR engagement event connecting research, industry, policy and investment across the net-zero ecosystem.
Theme: From Innovation to Implementation: Research, Industry, and the Reality of Net Zero
As public funding for commercialisation becomes more constrained, translating research into deployable systems has never been more complex. IMAD2026 moves beyond innovation alone to examine implementation under real-world financial, regulatory, and operational constraints.
What to Expect
IMAD2026 offers a structured forum addressing the widening “valley of death” between academic excellence and commercial deployment through:
- Three high-level panels: Industry, Policy, Investment
- Cross-sector moderated dialogue
- Audience Q&A
- Six venture and research pitches
- Structured networking reception
Featured Contributors
The programme brings together senior leaders including:
- Industry: Nicola Beaumont (Oxford PV), Roger Morton (EMR), Emma Guthrie (Hydrogen Energy Association)
- Policy: Benoit Sibert (Nesta), Vira Veselukha (Startup Coalition), Naomi Baker (Energy UK)
- Investment: Julie Blane, Nishul Saperia
- Academic contributors: Prof Sam Fankhauser, Prof Tina Fawcett and Katy Tuncer
Discussions will focus on scale-up bottlenecks, regulatory design constraints, investment readiness, capital allocation, and how research can be designed to remain rigorous and deployable.
Who Should Attend
If your work sits at the intersection of research and real-world implementation, this event is designed for you; whether you’re an early-career researcher (DPhil, Postdoc, MSc, Final-year Undergraduates), an academic PI exploring commercial pathways, a deep-tech founder, an industry R&D leader, a policymaker shaping net-zero regulation, a climate and energy investor, an innovation manager or a tech transfer professional.
Places are limited to maintain a high-quality, engaged discussion. We encourage early registration to secure your place.
