Student Sustainability Research Conference 2026

Applications to contribute at SSRC26 are now open! The deadline for applications is Monday 1st December 2025 at 23:59.

Building on its previous success, the 2026 Student Sustainability Research Conference will be held in partnership with the twelve member institutions of Yorkshire Universities.

The conference will allow students of all disciplines and levels of study from across the region to be inspired by each other, share ideas and best practice for sustainability-related projects and learn from their student peers.

SSRC provides a unique platform for students, staff, partners and the public to explore the range and diversity of student sustainability research.

The event aims to showcase the interdisciplinary nature of sustainability, with creative explorations encouraged alongside critical analysis and scientific investigation. Students can contribute individually or as a group. We welcome proposals to present, run workshops, exhibit or perform. Proposals can be on a completed piece or work or project in progress.

In support of the University of Leeds Climate Plan, SSRC has been delivered as a ‘carbon neutral’ conference since 2023.

We will continue to actively reduce and track all carbon emissions associated with the 2026 conference including energy, catering and transport. The emissions associated with the event will be matched with high quality offsetting projects to balance the climate impact of the event.

The Student Sustainability Research Conference has acted as a  ‘Living Lab’, testing approaches to reducing the emissions associated with events. The results have informed the approach we use for other events such as the 2025 Scenarios Forum.

We will continue our partnership with the London Student Sustainability Research Conference into 2026.

For the past two years we have participated in an exchange where our highest scoring students present at the London Student Sustainability Research Conference and vice versa. This partnership allows our students to build connections and share ideas with a wide pool of students and academics across Greater London and Yorkshire.

We look forward to working with the staff and students of the London Student Sustainability Conference in 2026.

The ‘Careers in Sustainability: Meet the Employers’ event will also return for SSRC26.

This networking opportunity provides a platform for students, staff and alumni to connect with employers from across the region.

Previous featured employers have included Andel, Emerald Publishing, Ministry of Justice and Wrapt Homes.

We use the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework to guide our activity. The Student Sustainability Research Conference is linked to all of the SDGs.

Find out more about our impact on the SDGs.