New Oxford Lab to accelerate action towards sustainable finance
The Oxford Sustainable Finance Lab welcomes the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as its founding partner.
Set to open its doors in autumn 2022, the new Lab will be embedded in the University of Oxford and located in the very heart of Oxford.
The Lab will be a physical space where Oxford researchers will co-locate with practitioners visiting from financial institutions, supervisory authorities, central banks, government departments, and civil society organisations.
Without urgent action from across the financial system, we will not be able to achieve net zero, reduce our climate fragility, or rehabilitate the natural world, says Dr Ben Caldecott, Director of the Oxford Sustainable Finance Group and founder of the Lab.
The OSF Lab will be safe space to conceive, test, and scale urgently needed innovations in sustainable finance, where we will bring together world-class research with innovative practice.
The Lab will nurture interactions between different parts of the financial system and break down barriers between them, providing a space for the global community to align finance and investment with global environmental sustainability.
The Lab will host visitors from a range of organisations, with visitors staying for pre-agreed periods ranging from a few hours a week over the long term, to single or multiple intensive short-term visits, to longer term residencies. This will be determined by and evolving based on the nature of collaborations between members of the Lab. Members will become part of the wider Oxford sustainable finance community.
The Oxford Sustainable Finance Lab will become a hub for innovators and risk takers shaping the future of finance, concludes Dr Caldecott.
In a fast-moving and challenging space, positive ESG outcomes will depend on sharing experiences and providing mutual support. This partnership is a great opportunity to contribute and collaborate to the advancement of knowledge in the ESG space, and we are so pleased to participate as a founding member.
