Since its launch in 2013, we trained more than 70,000 participants from over 25 countries through our executive education programmes. Today, our portfolio spans more than 16 programmes across a range of delivery formats from in person at Oxford to online or hybrid. We offer open enrolment and bespoke courses for a variety of learners and topics. 

In 2021, we launched the MSc in Sustainability, Enterprise and the Environment, which has was the most applied-to course in the University in 2021. The programme attracts a wide range of students, some with diverse work experiences and some recent graduates, spanning all continents and 28 nationalities.

Selected case studies

World-leading, accessible academy for sustainable finance

Founded in 2021 by the Oxford Sustainable Finance Group, the Public and Third Sector P3S Academy for Sustainable Finance equips officials with the knowledge, networks and skills to help shift the direction of global capital toward activities aligned with the Paris Agreement.

The Academy is designed to be accessible, with all programmes either free and/or heavily subsidised, and are held online or in-situ. To date it has taught over 4000 participants from more than 130 countries and 600 organisations, with 55% of participants coming from the Global South.

Empowering youth with tools for climate advocacy

The Youth Climate Training programme is a collaboration between Oxford Net Zero and the Global Youth Coalition, a climate focussed advocacy group. Led by SSEE member Alexis McGivern, is available free of charge and focusses on delivering customised training on how young people can make impactful contributions to climate policy and governance. 

With over 6000 attendees and 62% of participants self-identifying as being from most affected people and areas, the programme included more than 96 nationalities by 2024. More than 1350 youth-led climate projects have been registered through the training, connecting the Oxford Smith School to grassroots climate advocacy. 

Transforming understanding of sustainability through tailored programmes

The African Nature Fellowship programme is a bold, collaborative initiative with the African Natural Capital Alliance (ANCA), and the African Leadership University (ALU) and the University of Cape Town (UCT) to empower African leaders in sustainable development and resilience​. 

Between 2025 and 2030, the African Nature Fellowship programme will support five cohorts of 20 professionals on a year-long course to gain deep expertise in natural capital and biodiversity valuation, strengthen leadership capacity, and join a collaborative pan-African network of experts. Participants span a wide range of sectors, including finance, conservation, law, indigenous communities and technology. The programme is delivered between Oxford and various partners across the African continent.

Our researchers are frequently called upon by global governments, public and private sector organisations, and civil society stakeholders, to provide evidence, contribute to policy debates, and share the latest thinking on cutting edge academic research across our thematic areas.

Rigorous academic research underpins our work with policy makers and business leaders, and has appear in high-impact research journals include Science and Nature. The Smith School has been cited in over 400 policy documents across 26 countries. So far, we published 15 policy briefs and one enterprise brief. 

Selected case studies

Advisors to House of Commons Environment Audit Committee and UNEP

As heatwaves become more frequent and intense, the energy needed for cooling will rise, potentially driving up GHG emissions and exacerbating the problem it is designed to alleviate. Researchers on the Oxford Martin School's Future of Cooling Programme – co-led by Dr Radhika Khosla – successfully pitched their research to the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) for an Enquiry into the need for the UK to have a National Heat Resilience and Sustainable Cooling Strategy.  Appointed as Special Scientific Advisors to the Enquiry, Oxford researchers helped shape its public consultation. The Programme’s work has helped the EAC identify gaps requiring immediate attention: the need to hone in on overheating in existing buildings and retrofits, and the push to make the protection of green spaces, vital for passive cooling, a statutory requirement for local authorities. These and other policy recommendations were featured in the EAC’s report of policy recommendations to the UK government, to which it has responded.  Dr Khosla was also lead author on the UN Environment Programme’s first ever Global Cooling Watch Report in 2023, in support of the UN’s  Global Cooling Pledge which provides a call to action for countries to pursue the policies and strategies that have the greatest impact in reducing cooling-related emissions and advancing sustainable cooling for all.

Oxford Principles for Responsible Engagement with Article 6

Article 6 is the backbone of international carbon trading under the Paris Agreement. If utilised responsibly, Article 6 could be one of the greatest opportunities to drive additional climate mitigation and improve climate resilience. However, evidence so far shows that this potential is at risk, and the framework could instead enable the ‘greenwashing’ of climate commitments by countries and corporate entities alike. The new ‘Oxford Principles for Responsible Engagement with Article 6’ – led by Dr Injy Johnstone  and developed by a wide range of researchers and practitioners from Oxford and beyond – provide essential guidance and guardrails to enable this international framework to be used in a responsible manner.

Thought leadership in green post-pandemic economic recovery

The Oxford University Economic Recovery Project co-led by Brian O'Callaghan provided direct policy support on COVID-19 recovery to over 20 countries and influenced the allocation of at least USD 100 billion of green government investment. The project also established the Global Recovery Observatory, the world’s largest and most granular database on green government spending.​

The Project’s work has been drawn on by bodies such as the UK Government, COP26 President Alok Sharma, 60+ UK policy makers through the Civil Society Environment Network and the Fast Stream Environment Network, and a variety of governments in Australasia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Chris Stark, Executive Director of UK Committee for Climate Change, said: “We find Oxford’s research invaluable... grateful for the insights from members of SSEE – on stranded assets, sensitive intervention points and the green recovery”. 

With more than 35 research projects and over 140 team members, we focus on research that can drive systemic change. We published over 1800 academic papers since the School's establishment and developed targeted long-term research in more than 20 countries.

Selected case studies

Convening State of Carbon Dioxide Removal report

Dr Steve Smith convenes the global State of Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) report. The report is the first comprehensive global assessment of the current state of CDR, tracking progress on deployment, scale-up, innovation, research, public perceptions and more. ​

The report's website has been visited more than 130,000 times across 99 countries. It was covered by over 600 news outlets across Europe, Asia, the Americas, and the Pacific, and set the foundation for creating a global institution to facilitate scientific and policy debates around carbon capture. 

Securing drinking water for rural Kenyan communities

Research by Prof Rob Hope and his team investigated problems with water supply in sub-Saharan Africa, leading to changes in practice, technology and policy in the provision of water services in rural Kenya. ​

​Research findings initiated a social enterprise, FundiFix, which deploys ‘smart’ water handpumps (developed as part of the research). FundiFix relies on an innovative combination of community and donor funding to service the pumps, and currently offers secure drinking water to over 82,000 rural Kenyans. The Fundifix model has now been recognised by national-scale legislation in Kenya. 

World-leading Oxford Offsetting Principles 

The Oxford Offsetting Principles report is an essential resource to guide the design and delivery of voluntary net-zero commitments by government, cities and companies. The Smith School’s multi-disciplinary team highlights critical elements to successful offsetting practice, including best practices on the disclosure of offsets, carbon removal and storage technologies, and the formation of a market for net-zero aligned offsets. ​

The report has been called the ‘gold standard’ of offsetting, and was widely publicised through Bloomberg, MSN, and CNBC. Alan Haywood, Head of Environment, Social and Governance, BP said: “Our strategy now covers the three elements of the Oxford Martin Principles: we have committed to being a net zero company, we intend to become a net zero company in a profitable manner, and we will be measuring our progress at regular intervals.

Since 2022, the principles have been downloaded over 10,000 times.

To address climate change and environmental sustainability, it is essential to bring business into the conversation. 

We provide research and key tools to support sustainable transformations in various sectors. We have over 30 live partnerships with businesses that have interests are aligned with our mission. We work with them to solve real-world challenges through research, educate current and future decision makers, and build up strategic research and teaching capabilities in sustainable development and the net zero transition. Our partners include Bank of America, Lombard Odier, PepsiCo, Zurich Insurance Group and Pinsent Masons.

Through our Business Fellows programme, we engage a group of over 20 business leaders and thinkers who are helping to shape their companies and industry responses to the challenges of achieving net zero emissions and the sustainable development goals.

Ensuring our work reaches decision makers and contributes to global debate is an important part of our impact strategy.

So far, our research and insights were shared with the public through over 4,500 media articles, in outlets including the BBC, the Economist, the FT, the New York Times, El Mundo, The Times of India, The Wall Street Journal, Politico, and many more.  

Since early 2022, we invested in increasing our social media presence, resulting in over 37,000 social media followers across LinkedIn, Youtube, X and Bluesky.

We hosted over 49 research events since 2021, and our Youtube recordings recording have been viewed over half a million times.