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After 20 years of advancing research, education, and policy in the energy sector, Energy Futures Lab is drawing its chapter to a close.

For two decades, Energy Futures Lab (EFL) has been at the forefront of tackling global energy challenges, driving innovation, and shaping the transition to a sustainable energy future. Founded in 2005 as 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ’s first Global Challenge Institute by Professor Nigel Brandon, EFL quickly became a hub for collaboration between academia, industry, policymakers, and wider society. Its vison and mission were clear: to inspire and develop world-leading energy research and education that addresses global challenges and to unite the best of science, engineering, and policy to accelerate the clean energy transition and deliver solutions with global impact.

Educating and inspiring future leaders

One of EFL’s proudest achievements has been nurturing the next generation of energy leaders. With its first cohort starting in 2007, the MSc in Sustainable Energy Futures remains a flagship programme, unique in its multidisciplinary approach. Throughout the year, students learn directly from leading academics and influential figures in the energy industry. The programme has grown steadily, now welcoming 50 students annually and more than 750 alumni across the globe are now contributing their expertise into government, industry, and academia. These graduates continue to advocate for sustainable solutions, amplifying 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ’s reach and influence on the global stage.

Beyond the MSc, EFL has long supported doctoral training and early-career researchers. It first pioneered this through the Energy Futures Lab Centre for Doctoral Training, continued this with the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Green Industrial Futures (CDT-GIF) and the Equinor sponsored MSc Academia programme across 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ. These initiatives ensured that researchers are equipped not only with technical skills but also with the vision and leadership capacity to drive the energy transition. Several Fellows now established academics, researchers and industry professionals across the globe have been Energy Futures Lab affiliates, nurtured, funded, supported and trained by a dedicated team of EFL research development managers.

Driving Research and Innovation

911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ boasts a hugely successful energy research community, which is the largest in the UK, exceptionally diverse, and with prominent innovators whose inventions have changed the way we think, plan, act in industry and the way modern society is powered. It is not right for EFL to claim their huge individual and collective successes.

However, it is right to recognise that EFL has been instrumental in coordinating and supporting many major research bids to national and international funders. These have included successful proposals to the UK’s Research Councils for initiatives such as the Solar Fuels Network, the Energy Storage Research Network, and the Grid Scale Energy Storage project, as well as a multi-partner UK–India Clean Energy Centre.

In more recent times, EFL has been a cornerstone in securing and managing major research programmes, including:

• The Integrated Development of Low-Carbon Energy Systems (IDLES) programme, which created innovative tools to plan a cost-effective and secure path to net zero.
• The Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC), which has supported the UK’s first net zero industrial clusters.
• , which champions diversity and inclusion across the energy research community.
• The H2020-MSCACOFUND-2020 postdoctoral programme which supported eight fellows across 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ, working on technologies associated with the energy transition and the green transformation of the economy.
• The which established how efficient infrastructure connecting CO2 sources with geological storage and utilisation options can be developed as part of regional decarbonisation efforts.
• which brought together multidisciplinary expertise across the capture, emissions monitoring and control, atmospheric dispersion, ecological and human health assessment communities to help remove barriers to CCUS deployment at scale.

By also engaging directly with industry through tailored research “show-and-tells,” lab tours, and follow-up collaborations, EFL built a reputation as a trusted partner, connecting people, ideas, and resources in pursuit of transformative energy solutions. Industry partnerships from EDF to Hitachi ensured that academic insights translated into real-world advances. A prime example is the Hitachi–911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ Digital Energy Demonstrator, which bridges theory and application in the transition to smarter energy systems.

Research at 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ is not confined to one faculty or discipline, it spans engineering, natural sciences, medicine, and business, and through the EFL affiliate scheme we were in regular contact with over 300 academics and 600 post-doctorate researchers and PhD students, playing a vital role in connecting their diverse efforts through networks and our six broad research themes within the three foundation areas of net zero, sustainability and digitalisation:

1. Energy Systems

2. Sustainable Transport

3. Low-Carbon Fuels

4. Carbon Capture and Storage

5. Nuclear Energy

6. Energy Efficiency and Demand

Building Collaboration and Community

Beyond research and teaching, the institute has distinguished itself as a catalyst for collaboration and exchange. Over the years, EFL organised a wide range of activities designed to stimulate interaction across disciplinary boundaries and harness the fruits of those collaborations. These have included workshops on emerging topics such as shale gas, connected homes, energy in developing nations, and system integration as well as the project management of large collaborative programmes like the Hydrogen and Fuel Cells SuperGen Hub and the Energy Storage Research Network.

EFL has also welcomed international delegations from corporations such as Alstom/GE, Accenture, the State Grid Corporation of China, and the Breakthrough Energy Coalition, as well as government representatives from countries including China, the US, Korea, Japan and Singapore. Within the university, it has nurtured the next generation of energy researchers through networking opportunities such as the weekly seminar series for postgraduate and postdoctoral students.

Shaping Policy and Public Debate

The Policy Briefing Paper Series, launched in 2017 has been instrumental in providing impartial, evidence-based insights into the UK’s most pressing energy issues. The series aimed at communicating and demystifying some of the UK’s more pressing energy challenges, and has become a trusted resource for policymakers, regulators, and industry leaders. The papers published provide a rigorous, impartial review of evidence and substantive policy and research recommendations, leveraged by expertise from 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ’s extensive community of energy academics.

Beyond publications, EFL has hosted landmark events that amplify its influence. The annual Dennis Anderson Lecture, featuring world-leading voices in energy policy and research, has become a highlight of the sector. Notable speakers have included Lord Deben, Chair of the Committee on Climate Change, Ian Marchant, former CEO of SSE Plc, Lord Stern, author of the Stern Review of the Economics of Climate Change, and Emma Pinchbeck, CEO at the Climate Change Committee. 

EFL has also hosted the prestigious EFL Annual Lecture, which has brought together influential voices from across the energy landscape. High-profile speakers such as Dr Vera Silva the Chief Technology Officer of GE Grid Solutions, Michael Liebreich, co-managing partner of EcoPragma Capital and CEO of Liebreich Associates, and the Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP have inspired audiences with their insights into the challenges and opportunities of the global energy transition. 

The Bi-annual Energy Futures Showcase also provided a platform for cross-sector dialogue, collaboration, and the dissemination of groundbreaking research.

In 2024, EFL expanded its reach with the launch of the , a video-first series dedicated to exploring the latest developments in the energy transition. The podcast covers topics from grid infrastructure and finance to renewable technologies and carbon capture and has quickly become a significant channel for engaging policymakers, practitioners, and the public. 

A Lasting Legacy

EFL’s impact has extended far beyond 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ. Its ability to convene researchers, industry, government, and the public help to accelerate progress toward a sustainable energy future. From Wattown, an interactive outreach initiative that inspired school children and families at the Great Exhibition Road Festival to the thousands reached annually through its digital platforms, we’ve built a vibrant and connected energy community.

This success has been shaped by visionary leadership - as well as , co-directors , , and all provided strategic guidance and inspired collaboration across disciplines, and a fantastic operations team ensured the institute remained at the cutting edge of energy research and innovation.

Perhaps most importantly, EFL’s legacy will lie in the communities it has built. By bringing together academics, industry leaders, policymakers, and students, it created a unique platform for dialogue and collaboration. The workshops, international delegations, and networking initiatives broke down disciplinary barriers and connected people from across the energy landscape. These activities fostered not only groundbreaking projects but also enduring partnerships that will continue to shape the energy transition for many years to come.

What’s next – Schools of Convergence Science

As Energy Futures Lab closes its chapter after 20 years, we celebrate not just its achievements, but the people behind them who will continue carrying forward its mission of a cleaner, fairer, and more sustainable energy future. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all our supporters and collaborators, including our academic Affiliates, industry partners, and our alumni, for their contributions over the years. The mantle of the Global Challenge Institutes is now being passed to the new Schools of Convergence Science.

Launched as part of 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ’s Science for Humanity strategy, the overarching vision for Convergence Science seeks to connect and deeply integrate research and innovation from across academic disciplines and industrial fields in the service of practical challenges that are too complex to tackle in isolation.

Future Building – bringing together innovators from 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ and partner organisations in academia, business, and government, to create and scale joined-up solutions to complex challenges in: 

• Health and Technology – helping shift the global conversation from treating illness to sustaining lifelong health across populations and geographies. 
• Sustainability – accelerating solutions for planetary health and human prosperity.  
• Human and Artificial Intelligence – augmenting the intelligence of humans and machines to help humanity thrive. 
• Space, Security and Telecoms – helping connect, protect, and know our worlds, helping set the global agenda at the intersection of these disciplines. 

Over the coming months, there will be opportunities for you to engage directly with this exciting new initiative. In the meantime, please do connect with the School co-directors or explore partnership opportunities with our Enterprise team, who are hosting in-person events and 1:1 conversations: enterprise@imperial.ac.uk.