Nico Rosberg meets Oxford students sponsored by Rosberg Philanthropies to research climate change solutions

The partnership between Oxford University’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Impact Lab and Rosberg Philanthropies, a charitable enterprise to support innovation and environmental initiatives, was announced earlier in 2023. Oxford University’s SDG Impact Lab announces partnership with newly launched Rosberg Philanthropies | University of Oxford

“I’m very excited about the collaboration between Rosberg Philanthropies and Oxford University and we will continue to accelerate innovation and green tech solutions” - Nico Rosberg

As part of this collaboration, Rosberg Philanthropies sponsors Oxford graduate students and arranges corporate placements across a strong global business network to conduct research related to environmental and climate change issues, tackling challenges such as carbon capture, ocean plastic pollution and alternative fuels, working in collaboration with business and NGOs.

The graduate students’ research addresses some of the most urgent challenges facing our world. Varun Shankar (DPhil student in Engineering Science) collaborated with Finnish renewable fuels manufacturer Neste to assess the potential for sustainable fuels in the maritime sector. Varun’s project included a life-cycle analysis of the St Helena freight ship, currently used to transport the cars as part of the Extreme E electric off-road racing series.

Varun said: ‘It’s been a real privilege to be part of the first Rosberg Climate Fellows cohort. The University’s SDG Impact Lab has given me the opportunity to work directly with corporate partners and apply my knowledge and research in a practical, collaborative way, that directly addresses some of the most pressing environmental problems facing our world today.’

Varun’s DPhil supervisor, Professor Felix Leach, says “It has been great to see Varun working with Extreme E and Neste applying his research in a new context. It has been fascinating to hear about the projects and meet industry partners. I am grateful to Rosberg Philanthropies for their support.”

Nico Rosberg said: ‘I’m very proud to visit Oxford University to see the first results of our research projects in collaboration between Rosberg Philanthropies and the SDG Impact Lab. Today’s inspiring presentations were a sentiment of our goal: We bring together the smartest people in the world to challenge the status quo and create real impact during corporate placements. I’m very excited about the collaboration between Rosberg Philanthropies and Oxford University and we will continue to accelerate innovation and green tech solutions.’