Insights from the Net Zero Living Programme

Register now to join a series of webinars that will equip you with knowledge and practical guidance around three areas of place-based innovation: Buildings & Retrofit; Community Empowerment; and Planning, Pipeline & Finance.

This event is part of a series

When

A series of three webinars on 10 December 2025, 13 January 2026 and 12 February 2026.

Location

Online
Register

Major strides towards net zero

Through Innovate UK’s Net Zero Living Programme, places across the UK have taken major strides towards achieving their net zero ambitions, breaking through numerous non-technological barriers.

Over the next few months, we’ll be sharing some of the inspiring insights, best practice and expertise generated by more than 50 wide-ranging projects. This should help other local authorities understand how they can forge similar paths and help national decision makers and policy-shapers identify how they can better harness the value of place-based innovation.

We focus on three themes critical for many places: retrofitting buildings, empowering communities, and how to bring in finance to deliver impactful projects.

  • Buildings and Retrofit

    Innovate UK’s Net Zero Living Programme supports 52 local authorities, their partners and communities to overcome non-technological barriers to adopting and scaling up net zero solutions.

    This webinar is the first of three sharing insights from the programme, with the aim of helping wider stakeholders to benefit from the learnings, best practice and expertise gained.

    Whether you’re a local authority thinking about different ways to approach retrofit, a supplier, innovator or a community wanting to tackle the challenge of upgrading our buildings, this session is for you. We’ll explore some of the solutions successfully implemented by the Net Zero Living participants and discuss how to go about scaling them.

    What to expect

    We’ll be joined by local authorities and government representatives to discuss their experiences of delivering innovative projects in their areas, and highlighting some case studies that show the role and additional value that local government can bring in using its assets, power and voice to unlock the local retrofit markets of the future.

    We will also be launching our report, Delivering Better Buildings, which digs into how to grow a local retrofit market, build skills and quantify the clear wider health, social and economic value of retrofit.

  • Community Empowerment

    Innovate UK’s Net Zero Living Programme supports 52 local authorities, their partners and communities to overcome non-technological barriers to adopting and scaling up net zero solutions.

    This webinar is the second of three sharing insights from the programme, with the aim of helping wider stakeholders to benefit from the learnings, best practice and expertise gained.

    Whether you’re a local authority thinking about different ways to approach engagement or community partner wanting to drive change, this session is for you. We’ll explore some of the solutions successfully implemented by the Net Zero Living Programme places and why they matter.

    What to expect

    We’ll be joined by local authorities and government representatives to discuss their experiences of delivering innovative projects in their areas, and how local authorities are uniquely placed to support the delivery of solutions that meet residents’ needs and values.

    We will also be launching our report which shows how local authorities have led processes with their communities to drive change: participatory and deliberative democracy, community and partnership delivery and information and innovation.

  • Planning, Pipeline and Finance

    Innovate UK’s Net Zero Living Programme supports 52 local authorities, their partners and communities to overcome non-technological barriers to adopting and scaling up net zero solutions.

    This is the final webinar in our series sharing insights from the programme, with the aim of helping wider stakeholders to benefit from the learnings, best practice and expertise gained.

    Whether you’re a local authority grappling with the process of moving from a strategy to securing investment, or an investor or national partner looking to accelerate this process, this session is for you. We’ll explore the steps successfully taken by the Net Zero Living Programme projects and discuss how these lay the foundations for successful delivery and partnerships.

    What to expect

    We’ll be joined by local authorities and government representatives to discuss their experiences of delivering innovative projects in their areas, highlighting how they are using their unique position to stimulate markets and overcome market failures.

    We will also be launching our report, which explores how local authorities can define their roles, build an investment-ready pipeline and pitch their projects to attract investment.

Regen partners of the event

Regen provides expert support on policy and regulation to the Net Zero Living Programme and is working with Innovate UK and other partners to disseminate the insights from the programme.

Regen’s mission is to transform the UK’s energy system for a net zero future. It focuses on analysing the systemic challenges of decarbonising power, heat and transport and believes that a transformation of this scale must engage the whole of society in a just transition.

Accessibility and Inclusion

We are committed to ensuring our events are accessible for all.

If you experience any barriers to registering, for any reason, please contact us by email: enquiries@iukbc.org.uk or phone: +44 03333 403250 and we will support your registration.

Programme

This Event is part of Net Zero Living.

A new wave of place-based innovation is transforming UK towns, cities and communities, today. Innovate UK’s £60 million programme is helping local authorities and businesses work together to deliver new solutions that improve local services and open markets for economic growth.

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