Creating a New Reality: A Sustainable Digital Transformation

We are pleased to share further information about the upcoming NetDRIVE meeting, “Creating a New Reality: A Sustainable Digital Transformation.” 

Creating a New Reality: A Sustainable Digital Transformation
22-23 April 2026
Beecroft Building, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, OX1 3PU
Registration now open
 
This meeting is part of the NetDRIVE project, which focuses on delivering authoritative advice to UK Research and Innovation on sustainable digital research infrastructure. It will promote discussion on the shape, constraints, and opportunities of the emerging UK power supply, alongside broader questions of community leadership, scientific credibility, and digital transformation in support of net zero. 
      
Keynote speakers will include (additional speakers to be confirmed):   

• Professor Myles Allen, Principal Investigator, Oxford Net Zero
• Alyssa Gilbert, Director of Innovation at Grantham Institute for Climate change and the Environment, Imperial College
• Professor David Wallom, Professor in Informatics, Associate Director - Innovation of the Oxford e-Research Centre 

Meeting objectives  

•    Practical approaches to community leadership and scientific credibility in defining and implementing net zero 
•    Understanding the shape, constraints, and opportunities of the emerging UK power supply 
•    Engaging across generations to help guide the digital transformation  

Expected outputs  

•    Recommendations on a framework for defining and implementing net zero, including approaches to balancing unavoidable emissions. The aim is not to re-review technical options, but to summarise available and emerging approaches and how these may inform infrastructure procurement policy. 
•    Draft recommendations on the use of flexible approaches to siting and operating infrastructure to reduce carbon footprint and costs. 
•    Recommendations for enhancing opportunities for postdoctoral researchers to engage in the development of sustainable digital research infrastructure. Poster sessions will form part of the programme (details to follow). 
 
The draft agenda is available here.

Registration is free but required, please register here. (Closes on 7 April)

Please see our code of conduct for NetDRIVE events

Poster sessions will form part of the programme, with a prize for the best poster! We are pleased to invite abstract submissions for posters that engage with the UK DRI Net Zero Roadmap and contribute to one or more of the meeting objectives. Full details of the call for posters and how to apply can be found here.