As part of the FCRI and fifteen year anniversary celebrations between Lancaster University and Sunway University, a delegation of Lancaster University academics travelled to Sunway University in Malaysia for a series of research-related activities and events.
On the 7th of July, the two Co-Directors and the leads of the four themes of the FCRI, presented a “Show and Tell” style event to the senior management from both Universities. These presentations included information on the vision, mission, approach, and proposed programme of activities for the FCRI.
The event started with Professor Mahendhiran Nair of Sunway University emphasising the importance of collaboration between the two universities in working towards a sustainable future, focusing on the health of our planet. The theme leads presented the direction of their respective themes and the vision for the seed corn funded projects that they have been working on.
- Dr Wong, for the Digital Cities Theme, illustrated how city dwellers, particularly those in younger generations, worry about an accessible transportation network and see education as the gateway to promoting a sustainable lifestyle.
- The Resilient Cities theme leads, Professor Sutanto and Dr Goh, spoke about their work on designing urban disaster management as a response to the recent floods in Malaysia. Findings exhibited the necessity of including senior citizens’ needs in responses to natural disasters.
- Professor Pickup and Dr Ranjanthran, the Liveable Cities theme leads, discussed their progress in the shared research initiative regarding Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and concluded with a call for projects in the future, to assess the increase of the illness in Southern Asia.
- The Sustainable Cities Theme leads, Dr Stowell, Professor Fujimoto, and Dr Jane, showed how their team has developed research related to CSR/ESG frameworks and waste management practices, engaging in capacity-building dialogues with academia and industry. Their aims include continuing the cross-institutional research collaboration for urban sustainability.
The event concluded with Professor Simon Guy (LU) giving the FCRI full support, as well as applauding the ambition and resilience of those involved during the pandemic. He also remarked enthusiastically upon the collaborative ethos demonstrated by each theme, the global and yet inclusive perspective, and the development of the interdisciplinary methodology.
Future Cities Research Institute 