Established in March 2025, the Systems and Futures Hub is a strategic interdisciplinary initiative aligned with the University of Reading’s focus on innovation for sustainability and it’s Agrifood Futures Strategy.
Purpose and Vision
The Hub is designed to advance the University’s leadership in tackling global challenges. It aims to strengthen institutional capacity for applying systems and futures approaches across research, innovation, education and stakeholder engagement.
The Hub reflects the University of Reading’s commitment to linking cutting edge science with processes of societal engagement to help bring about the transformation needed for a sustainable, healthy and equitable future for all.
It builds on Reading’s strong track record of interdisciplinary and systems research, and of innovative partnerships with policy makers, business, farmers and community.
The Hub will support the use of systems and futures approaches across all of Reading’s fields of work. There will also be a special focus on the challenges facing agrifood systems bringing together research across a diversity of fields including agriculture, food sciences, health and nutrition, consumer behaviour, environment, climate change, business studies and political economy.
Collaboration and Community
The Hub brings together a community of researchers from across the University, along with its partners from the UK and beyond who share the ambition of applying systems and futures thinking to bring positive and transformative change.
To support and strengthen this community, Hub activities include:
- Facilitating collaboration through networking and idea sharing events.
- Hosting systems and futures capacity development and training activities.
- Promoting in systems and futures practice in research, stakeholder engagement and education.
- Providing expert advice for agrifood projects using systems and futures approaches.
- Supporting interdisciplinary funding bids for strengthening systems and futures research and innovation.
- Supporting innovation in systems and futures methodology.
- Publishing research on systems and futures innovations.
- Contributing to policy briefs, consultations, and position papers.
- Hosting a systems and futures online resource platform.
The Director of the Systems and Futures Hub is Dr Jim Woodhill.
For more information or to engage with the hub please email sfhub-info@reading.ac.uk