Leadership Academy information

Thank you for your interest in being part of the Net+ Leadership Academy. The Academy brings together a group of emerging leaders – from academia, the public sector, NGOs and charities, or business and creative industries backgrounds – who are creating knowledge at the nexus of health and climate research. The Net+ Leadership Academy will come together for a 3-day residential retreat each year, over three years (2026-2028 inclusive), with each retreat focusing on a particular topic of concern for health and climate researchers. 
  
A range of expert speakers will introduce the topic and open up spaces for discussion amongst the participants. Each retreat will also provide opportunities for training, knowledge exchange and mentoring. Net+ Leadership Academy retreats will be held in different locations around the UK. 
  

 The Net+ Leadership Academy is an opportunity for emerging leaders researching at the nexus of health and climate change to be part of a cohort of people from diverse sectors (academia, public sector, NGOs and charities, business and creative industries). Together you will work, learn and grow as interdisciplinary leaders to address the challenges and find solutions associated with the transition to a healthier, greener and more equitable society. We define ‘research’ and ‘leadership’ broadly. 

In working in one of our four target sectors (academia, public sector, NGOs and charities, business and creative industries), your work may be research that is highly applied and action-oriented (for example, planning and evaluating interventions, policies or forms of community/public engagement) or it may be more academic. We are looking for people who carry out research in one or more of these varied forms; this means you’re actively involved in knowledge creation, rather than being someone who only uses existing research.  

We want a diversity of people who are emerging leaders in health and climate across sectors and types of research.  By ‘leader’ and ‘leadership’, we encompass the wide range of ways that people lead in their research, such as (but not limited to): leading new ideas, methods or tests of interventions; showing creative leadership through innovations in research practice; leading in the development of positive and inclusive research cultures in an organisation; and leading a team as part of your research role.  

The first Net+ Leadership Academy retreat will be held from Wednesday 16th – Friday 18th September 2026, at Dartington Hall in Devon. The focus topic of the first retreat will be Leading through connection and care.

Applications to be part of the Net+ Leadership Academy must be received by 09:00 BST on Friday 26th June 2026. We aim to advise applicants of the outcome of their application by Tuesday 14th July 2026. 
    
Attendance will cost £300/year. This includes a contribution towards the cost of the annual retreat (accommodation, meals, and registration fee). All participants will also need to cover their own travel expenses. 

Participants will need to pay the year’s attendance fee in full in advance, by the start of August. 
  
We expect participants to source funding from their institutions/organisations wherever possible. However, where a lack of funding would otherwise preclude involvement, the Net+ Centre will be able to cover the annual cost of attendance through a fee-waiver scholarship. Applicants requiring funding will need to indicate this in the relevant section of the application form. Funding requests do not form part of the selection criteria. Please note that scholarships do not cover travel expenses.

You can access the FAQs here. If you have additional questions about applying, please contact us at: [email protected]

We are looking for individuals who are keen to learn as emerging leaders in health and climate research (broadly defined, as stated above), and who can bring insights, expertise and experience to facilitate peer-to-peer learning. We want to bring together people from different sectors (academia, public sector, NGOs and charities, business and creative industries) to have maximum impact. 

 Fellows will be working as catalysts for change within their own organisation, within their sector, or beyond. If this sounds like you, we want to hear from you. 

 The Net+ Leadership Academy is designed to build capacity for tackling the challenges of health and climate change throughout the UK, through fostering a community of emerging leaders who are well informed about the relationships between health and climate change, and the solutions that can be collaboratively developed to address the many challenges in this field of research, policy and practice.  

Net+ Leadership Academy fellows will come together for a 3-day residential retreat every year, over three years (2026-2028). Each retreat will focus on a topic of concern for health and climate researchers, with contributions from international experts. The retreats will provide opportunities for leadership training, knowledge exchange, mentoring and career development, through a mix of formal and participant-led learning. The Academy will also provide opportunities for the group to get to know and learn from each other in an interdisciplinary setting. The same participant cohort will attend throughout the three years, to maximise opportunities for peer-to-peer learning, networking and collaboration. In addition, the Academy will provide  opportunities for the group to work together on funding applications towards the Net+ Challenge Fund. 

 Fellows of the Leadership Academy will be key members of the Centre for Net Positive Health and Climate Solutions and will contribute to the life of the Centre through participating in activities such as the Centre’s seminar series and annual meeting (subject to Fellow availability). As members of the Centre, Fellows will perform an ambassadorial role for the Centre, alongside taking opportunities as they arise to get involved in the Centre’s research activities and developing its legacy, including collaborating on a conference session, co-writing a ‘think piece’ for the Centre’s blog, and contributing to the annual Net+ PhD Summer School. 

This is an open call for applications to the Net+ Leadership Academy. We welcome suitably qualified applicants to apply through one of four sector-defined pathways (academia, public sector, NGOs and charities, business and creative industries). Twenty five fellows will be recruited. The Net+ Centre is committed to advancing equality, diversity and inclusion and we recognise that many groups are under-represented in some domains. We actively welcome applicants from a diverse range of backgrounds and those who may require additional support to enable participation. 

 Applicants will need to commit to attending a three-day, in-person retreat each year over the three years of the Academy (2026-2028, inclusive). The first Academy event will be held between 16 and 18 September 2026 at Dartington Hall in Devon, with a focus topic of Leading through connection and care. 

 The second and third retreats will provisionally be held on 15 to 17 September 2027 and 13 to 15 September 2028, respectively. Locations for these retreats are to be confirmed but we aim to hold these in other parts of the UK from the first retreat. 

Each year, Net+ Leadership Academy fellows will help to decide a topical focus (a topic of current concern to health and climate researchers) for the following year’s theme. Academy retreat locations will depend partly on the theme selected, but fellows should anticipate attending retreats in locations throughout the UK.  

 Academy fellows will keep in touch over the year through a group Teams channel, and be invited to the Net+ Centre’s Annual Meeting that takes place in June or July each year. 

We are now calling for people to apply to join the Net+ Leadership Academy. The group will be selected from a competitive process, but with regard to ensuring diversity.  

 Participants will be skilled and committed emerging leaders in their respective fields.  

We invite applications from UK-based applicants (whilst we do not place restrictions in terms of British residency or citizenship, applicants must be currently working within the UK and commit to attend all three UK-based retreats).  

Applicants should be either early career or mid-career in their respective role. The broad definitions for these can be found in our FAQs.

The application process is not intended to be onerous. Please apply via the Net+ Leadership Academy application form.

 There are three modes of application you can choose from when addressing the two questions under the ‘Your application’ section of the application form, which will be the questions used to score and evaluate your application. 

• Written answers / or

• A 7-minute video or an audio recorded slide show presentation  /or

• An alternative format to address questions 21 and 22 that must be agreed with the Centre before you submit. Please e-mail [email protected] to discuss this option before the application deadline. 

If you have a query, it may be answered in the FAQs page. If your question is not   answered in the FAQs, please get in touch: [email protected]  

 The closing date for applications is Friday 26th June 2026 at 09:00 BST