About bilateral collaborations
In December 2022 the UK government launched the International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF). This funding has allowed UK researchers and innovators to collaborate with international partners, tackling the major themes of our time: Planet, Health, Tech, and Talent. The Academy is a delivery partner, and the International Partnerships team have been doing this through a series of thought leadership workshops with our academy counterparts. This work aims to:
- deliver important research and innovation that can only be fully realised by working internationally
- tackle global challenges and develop future technologies, positioning UK researchers and innovators at the heart of global solutions
- strengthen the influence and connections of the UK engineering community domestically and around the world
You can learn about some of the work we have done using the tabs below.
International Partnerships team on a visit to Washington, D.C.
Collaboration with the United States
The Academy's primary partner in the US is the National Academy of Engineering (NAE).
In November 2024 we are partnering with the NAE to host a bilateral virtual workshop focusing on the electricity grid, and exploring synergies between the Academy's rapid decarbonisation of the GB electricity system report, and the NAE's evolving planning criteria for a sustainable power grid report. We will aim to identify opportunities for collaboration in advancing grid technologies. For more information, keep an eye on our events page.
The Academy also hosted a panel discussion on how systems approaches can help form actionable solutions to complex problems in June 2024. This discussion featured the NAE's Senior Director of Programmes, Dr Guru Madhavan, alongside Professor Sarah Sharples and Professor Yasmin Merali.
Alongside our bilateral work, we have partnered with the NAE on a variety of multilateral initiatives, including the Global Grand Challenges Summit.
South Korean delegation visiting Sizewell B as part of our International Partnerships activities
Collaboration with South Korea
We’re working with the National Academy of Engineering Korea (NAEK) to foster UK-South Korea learning and collaboration across the theme of clean energy.
In September 2023 we took a UK delegation to South Korea for a thought leadership workshop on Offshore Wind - a report highlighting insights from this exchange can be downloaded. Similarly, in summer 2024 we hosted an Academy – NAEK exchange on Civil Nuclear.
Our previous work with South Korea has consisted of virtual partnership activities. This includes our 2021 UK-South Korea innovation forum on ICT solutions for the future grid and our 2022 deep dive policy exchanges on energy digitalisation and grid regulation.
Please note: the insights provided in the downloadable report are synthesised from various discussions held during the exchange and have been compiled for informational purposes only. The findings, and conclusions presented in this report do not officially represent the views of the Royal Academy of Engineering, His Majesty’s government or delegate organisations affiliated with this report.
UK delegation in Pune, India as part of our bilateral activities
Collaboration with India
The Academy has partnered with the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE), fostering cross-national knowledge exchange on the clean energy transition.
For example, in February 2024 the Academy convened a delegation of leading UK green hydrogen experts for a thought leadership exchange in Pune, India. This mission included a forum and site visits, and resulted in mutual learning on green hydrogen deployment, pinpointing opportunities for future UK-India partnerships. The report outlining learnings is available to be downloaded.
Please note: the insights provided in the downloadable report are synthesised from various discussions held during the exchange and have been compiled for informational purposes only. The findings, and conclusions presented in this report do not officially represent the views of the Royal Academy of Engineering, His Majesty’s government or delegate organisations affiliated with this report.
UK-China delegation in Beijing, China during our mission on Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage
Collaboration with China
Our partnership work with China is based on the long standing relationship we have with the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE). This partnership is overseen by the Sino-British Engineering Technology Cooperation Steering Committee, which is co-chaired by former Academy President Professor Sir Jim McDonald GBE FREng FRSE.
In April 2022 the Sino-British Engineering Technology Cooperation Framework was established, created to convene wider UK and China interests in engineering and technology. Upon its inauguration the cooperation agreed to focus on the theme of decarbonisation, which is reflected in our recent partnership work.
In May 2024 the team took a UK delegation to Beijing for a Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage symposium. During this thought leadership exchange the delegation went on two site visits, with the trip culminating in a conference hosted by the UK-China (Guangdong) CCUS Centre and the Guangdong Electric Power Design Institute. The report highlighting our learnings is available for download.
Additionally, two National Engineering Policy Centre (NEPC) reports have been translated to Mandarin Chinese, and are available to download.
Please note: the insights provided in the 2024 report are synthesised from various discussions held during the exchange and have been compiled for informational purposes only. The findings, and conclusions presented in this report do not officially represent the views of the Royal Academy of Engineering, His Majesty’s government or delegate organisations affiliated with this report.
UK-France delegation at the Academy for a scoping workshop on system approaches to net zero and education and skills
Collaboration with France
Our work with France is largely tied to our work with the National Academy of Technologies of France (NATF).
In January 2024 we held a scoping workshop in London. This workshop brought together Fellows from both academies to assess the opportunities related to bilateral work in system approaches to net zero, and education and skills. It was decided that a technical seminar on the former, focusing on electrical network stability and flexibility would take place in Paris, January 2025. For more information, keep an eye on our events page.
Collaboration with Germany
In October 2020 we held a joint symposium with Germany’s National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech). This led to the launch of ten UK-Germany research partnerships, each exploring common energy transition challenges.
Supported by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, each project features a newly formed UK-Germany coalition that seeks to address a specific transition challenge common to both countries, including energy storage, approaches to public interaction, the use of peatlands for carbon sequestration and decarbonising urban freight transport.
Discussions exploring UK-Australia areas for collaboration
Collaboration with Australia
In October 2024, we held a joint workshop with the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) in Perth. This invite only workshop, was held following the Frontiers symposium “Empowering resilience: integrating innovation, sustainable communities, and climate adaptation strategies” brought together UK and Australian experts to explore cross-national challenges across the symposia themes including climate adaptation, resilience, the energy transition and sustainability.
Participants identified key policy gaps and pinpointed the skills and innovation needed to tackle pressing global challenges and boost resilience over the next 10–15 years. This exploratory workshop is part of a larger UK-Australia scoping to explore future partnership initiatives tackling shared global challenges.