To recruit case study households at Chobham Manor for the Climate Resilience Project, two in-person resident engagement events were held on 18 and 20 April 2026, followed by two online sessions on 28 April 2026. Residents were proactively informed about these events via recruitment posters shared by email and physical displays. The schedule included weekend, weekday, afternoon, and evening sessions to increase accessibility and maximise resident participation. During the in

The first London Working Group (LWG), chaired by Professor Anna Mavrogianni, held on 23 April 2026. The LWG provides strategic oversight, and expert input into Hub activities. The meeting had 25 attendees from HEARTH team members and external partners, including Academic institution: Oxford Brookes University, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University College London, and University of Leeds Industry: AtkinsRéalis National & local government: Department for En

WS2 research on spatial vulnerability analysis, prepared by Dr Clare Heaviside and Dr Giandomenico Vurro, was presented at the Geographic Information Science Research UK (GISRUK 2026) conference in Birmingham (14 and 17 April 2026). A portion of the methodology was delivered as an oral presentation by Dr Giandomenico Vurro, receiving positive feedback from the academic community. The research focused on the Greater London Area, comparing daily mean, maximum, and minimum temp

The first Care Settings Working Group (CSWG), chaired by Professor Mike Davies, took place on 25 March 2026. The session introduced the CSWG and clarified its Terms of Reference and membership, reviewed the HEARTH Theory of Change for care settings, and provided an overview of ongoing projects, including ClimaCare, ARCADE, HEARTH, and THERM-UK. The workshop also outlined planned research in care settings, ensuring alignment between current initiatives and future study objecti

Professors Anna Mavrogianni and Rajat Gupta participated as panel members at the MACC workshop in Cardiff, Wales on 5 March 2026. The event provided an opportunity to showcase the work of both ARCADE and HEARTH projects, engage with organisations working on climate adaptation, and strengthen networks across Wales.

Professor Anna Mavrogianni and Professor Rajat Gupta attended the London Climate Ready Partnership Forum on Tackling Heat Risks in London on 27 February 2026 to introduce HEARTH and London Working Group. They met with members of the team supporting the London Assembly Planning & Regeneration Committee at the Greater London Authority, who are scoping out investigations in planning, overheating, climate resilience of the built environment, and air conditioning, to discuss exis

Professor Shakoor Hajat introduced HEARTH in a keynote talk on current priorities for climate and health research at the 2026 Symposium for Environmental Epidemiology in East Asia , held at Seoul National University on 1st February 2026. He engaged with leading scholars to discuss air pollution, climate change, and future directions for regional collaboration in environmental epidemiology. He also delivered keynotes entitled “Current Climate and Health Research in the UK” as

Dr Hugh Waddington participated in the BSI Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 20501 Scoping Workshop on the human health benefits of net zero actions, held on 21–22 January 2026. The workshop aimed to refine the scope of the PAS and develop a contents list for its forthcoming development.

Professor Rajat Gupta delivered a keynote address at the National Housing Maintenance Forum (NHMF) Conference on 20 January 2026 in Stratford-upon-Avon, introducing HEARTH and INHABIT in the plenary session Keeping Warm Homes Healthy: How to Avoid Unhealthy Retrofit . At the conference, the HEARTH, INHABIT, ARCADE, and Therm-UK projects were exhibited by Dr Yuanhong Zhao through posters and flyers, including calls for participation in the projects. A number of social housing

ARCHI (Adaptation for Resilience and Equity in Communities and Health Infrastructure) is an NIHR Development Award jointly led by Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust and Oxford Brookes University, with University College London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine as co-leads. ARCHI is aligned with HEARTH and brings together researchers, NHS staff, and patients to shape a new research programme focused on preparing NHS buildings for extreme heat. The progra

Welcome to the first newsletter of the HEARTH Hub on Net Zero, Health and Extreme Heat. Over the past year we have brought together researchers, practitioners, policymakers and comm unities to understand how the transition to net zero can also protect health and reduce risks from extreme heat – especially for those living and working in vulnerable settings. This newsletter highlights our launch activities, national visibility, advisory roles, and stakeholder engagement. Hap

The HEARTH team ( Rajat Gupta , Clare Heaviside , Cheng Cui , Giandomenico Vurro ) presented several recently UKRI funded projects at the invite-only Building a Green Future conference held in Bristol on 5-6 November 2025. The projects showcased included: HEARTH - National Research Hub on Net Zero, Health and Extreme Heat (£7.4 million). INHABIT - Indoor Habitability during the Transition to Net Zero Housing Hub the (£7.3 million). ARCADE - Accelerating Climate Resilienc

Between September and November 2025, HEARTH ran four case-setting focused stakeholder workshops on homes, prisons, hospitals, and care settings. Collectively, the workshops brought together practitioners, policymakers, researchers and third-sector organisations from across the UK with the intent to: Examine the prevalence of overheating in the settings and its health implications. Present (net zero) strategies and measures for enhancing heat resilience. Discuss specific tools

HEARTH’s Public and Patient Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) Planet Group met regularly between August and November 2025 to shape the hub’s approach to working with communities and people with lived experience of heat vulnerability. The group is helping to: Co-design research questions and methods that reflect real-world needs. Ensure communication materials are clear, accessible and relevant. Identify opportunities for community-based case studies and pilot projects.

Throughout 2025, the HEARTH Research Hub has achieved significant national visibility through invited presentations and keynote addresses at major conferences and professional events across the UK. Faculty of Public Health Heat Health Masterclass (20 March 2025) – Prof Rajat Gupta presented on drivers of heat risk in care settings and the effectiveness of interventions, drawing on findings from the NERC-funded ClimaCare project. The online event reached over 100 participants

When: Tuesday 6 May 2025 | 9.30am – 1.30pm Where: Oxford Brookes University, Oxford On 6 May 2025, we officially launched the £7.4 million UKRI/NIHR funded HEARTH Research Hub on Net Zero, Health and Extreme Heat at Oxford Brookes University. The invite-only event brought together leading researchers, policymakers, and public health experts to explore how we can safeguard health and well-being in a warming world - particularly for those in vulnerable settings. Highlights of t

Key points for HEARTH from the discussions: For policymakers, key points included: Policy working group - The formation of a policy working group was proposed as a helpful mechanism for co-developing key outputs and ensuring early engagement. This group could facilitate the capture of outputs and data from the HEARTH hub. Alignment with overarching net-zero policy - There is a need to connect HEARTH's work with the Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) and broader net-zero ob

HEARTH one of seven new transdisciplinary research hubs funded to explore ways to ensure the UK’s transition to net zero also protects and promotes physical and mental health. The hubs are funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Each hub will receive up to £6 million to deliver high impact research focused on reducing health inequalities. They will also undertake research into developing a standardised way to

Oxford Brookes University will lead a £7.4m Government-funded research initiative to explore the human health impacts of the UK’s net zero targets in relation to extreme heat. The University is leading a major research project with five other universities and four public sector organisations to examine how the transition to net zero emissions can benefit vulnerable populations by improving health outcomes, such as reducing heat-related illnesses and enhancing living condition