The concept for an Institute for Sustainability in the Thames Gateway originated from work by three members of the board to deliver a model for eco-cities in China.

Arup, HSBC and Sustainable Development Capital identified the need for a research facility to capture and disseminate learning on sustainability and to attract environmental technology businesses.

Turning their attention to the Thames Gateway, they identified an ideal opportunity to twin best practice in a brownfield development with that of the Dongtan greenfield development in China and to form part of an emerging global network to support sustainability best practice.

The initiative was so strong that even before the Institute was officially established, we had attracted interest from institutes in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australasia and the Americas, keen to form part of an emerging international network.

However, our initial focus is directed at our sister institute in China and we cemented this relationship at February’s UK-China Business Summit in London. At this event, representatives from the Institute signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tongji University to promote collaboration on research in sustainable design and construction of the urban environment.

The MoU formalises the shared intent of the UK and China to collaborate on sustainability and marks the establishment of sustainability research institutes in both countries. It will also support the UK and China’s endeavours to become leaders of the environmental technologies industry – already worth £25 billion to the UK economy alone.

Work also is underway to join up the activities of the EPSRC funded Eco-cities Networks (whose aim is to identify collaborative research projects with Chinese universities, related to sustainable urban environments) with those of the Institute.

These new and lasting international links with well respected organisations will enable the Institute to create powerful research teams, and build policies and best practise for sustainability in the UK, China and worldwide.

In addition a team is in the early stages of planning for World Expo 2010 which starts in May next year, in Shanghai, China. Under the theme ‘Better City – Better Life’ we will work with our sister institute in Shanghai to showcase examples of sustainable urban living. Expected to generate the largest number of visitors ever to any event of its kind, this will be an ideal platform for the Institute to demonstrate the achievements of international partnerships.