The winners have been announced in a joint Milton Keynes City Council and Open University initiative to highlight everyday challenges faced by society, including living well, reducing emissions and tackling inequalities.
Earlier this year, the organisations teamed up through the Open Societal Challenges programme to invite businesses and charities to submit research challenges to the Open University, with the winners collaborating with OU academics to try to solve some of society’s most pressing issues.
The city council’s commitment is based on the MK:Smart initiative which was originally set up in 2017 to ensure a collaborative approach to Smart City projects. As part of the Open Societal Challenges, two Milton Keynes projects have been successful:
- Addressing the challenges of an ageing population, and specifically supporting the city council’s goal for Milton Keynes to become a dementia-friendly city with better accessibility for all – Milton Keynes Development Partnership;
- Investigating the benefits of living roof technologies by establishing a green living roof on an OU building – Gardens in the Sky.
Some of the themes covered by national applicants include:
- Research to detect the earliest signs of dementia in individuals with Down’s Syndrome, who are at a higher risk of developing dementia – Alzheimer’s Society;
- Better understanding the economic and social benefit of preventing men’s violence against women and girls, which would support the case for investment to address this issue – White Ribbon;
- How rural floodplains could be used to deliver flood and drought resilience and make a contribution to nature and climate targets – The National Trust.
The next phase of the Open Societal Challenges programme is for academics and other experts to team up with the successful organisations to begin preparing solutions to the issues they have identified.
Partnership to tackle climate change
Milton Keynes City Council has joined the European NetZeroCities programme, an ambitious city-to-city learning initiative designed to accelerate efforts to address climate change.
As part of the programme, MK has been twinned with French city, Lyon, to share knowledge, strategies and innovative methods in an effort to meet climate change goals and overcome obstacles to achieving net zero emissions.
NetZeroCities will provide the city council with valuable resources to learn about successful methods other cities have used to tackle climate issues.
The city council will also have the opportunity to share its own examples of the work it is doing to tackle climate impact, such as delivering energy efficiency upgrades in its homes and its impressive EV charging infrastructure.
The partnership with Lyon, a city renowned for its green initiatives, will enable MK to build on its strong environmental track record and continue to find solutions to tackle key challenges, including sustainable transport, energy efficiency and other green infrastructure.
In particular, the city council is keen to learn from Lyon’s commitment to community engagement with residents, business and organisations in introducing sustainability measures. Lyon is also known for ensuring sustainability projects benefit its most deprived areas, something the city council wants to replicate.
By the end of the 18-month programme, Twin Cities will develop an action plan, which outlines the steps they will take to advance their climate transition efforts.
This will be supported by NetZeroCities, who will oversee the programme and facilitate discussions, provide guidance, and help monitor the programme’s impact in Twin and Pilot Cities.
For more information from Milton Keynes City Council visit www.milton-keynes.gov.uk
