RMIT has launched the Regenerative Futures Institute (RFI), a new initiative dedicated to working across disciplines, sectors and communities to help social, environmental and economic systems flourish.
The new interdisciplinary institute will advance regenerative practice through education, research and collaboration.
Speaking at the launch last week, RMIT Vice-Chancellor Professor Alec Cameron said the Institute would help break down traditional silos, address 'regenerative' skills gaps and drive systemic change in Australia, and beyond.
"At the very moment when we need deep expertise in electrification, sustainable cities, climate technology, bio-design, circular systems and ethical business models, we remain constrained by traditional mindsets and stubborn disciplinary silos. This is why the idea of horizontal connection is so important," said Professor Cameron.
"Australia faces an accelerating demand for these new capabilities that no single discipline, or university, is attempting to meet, or could successfully meet alone. At RMIT, we have the ambition, expertise, and people capability, to begin filling this void."
RFI Director Chris Speed urged the audience to think of how they could work together towards a regenerative future.
"We're in the middle of what some people are calling a polycrisis - social injustice deepening, environmental systems under pressure, climate realities that are no longer predictions, they're news," said Professor Speed.
"These aren't separate problems with separate solutions. They're entangled. And that means the way we respond has to be entangled too; many minds, many ways of knowing, in genuine contact with each other.
"When you bring those minds together, inside the university and far beyond it, in research and in learning and in community, something becomes possible that isn't possible alone."
Dr Leyla Acaroglu, globally renowned leader in sustainability, innovation and design, delivered a keynote address, challenging the systems and strategies that have led us to a polycrisis.
"If we're going to move to a future that is not as bad as the present and potentially get it better, we need to challenge the dominant thinking strategies and systems that got us to the problem to start with," said Dr Acaroglu.
"Unless we create a full system solution and work to ensure that we're not creating tomorrow's problems with today's solutions, we are not going to solve these problems."
A panel discussion hosted by Tanya Ha brought together leaders in community thinking, First Nations knowledge and regenerative business practice, including Tamara DiMattina, Paul Paton and Hayley Morris, to explore how regenerative thinking can be put into practice to make drive positive change.
Building a community of regenerative leaders
RMIT's vision for the Institute is to create a community of leaders and practitioners who can apply regenerative thinking in work and lives.
RFI has just introduced a suite of short courses for adult learners such as AI Ethics for Sustainable Futures, Introduction to Regenerative Fundamentals, and Systems Thinking for Sustainable Futures, with more to come. Expressions of interest are now open.
An interdisciplinary minor is available for several undergraduate courses. Learners are taught how to think systemically, collaborate effectively, and lead regenerative projects across diverse fields such as design, business, IT, engineering, international studies, and the creative arts.
Bachelor of Business Professional Practice student Adam Dawton said the minor has expanded the way he thinks about business.
"Without a doubt, Regenerative Fundamentals has been the most thought-provoking course I have taken during my studies," said Dawton.
"As a business student, it has been especially inspiring to be part of a transdisciplinary course alongside like-minded students from diverse disciplines across RMIT. It has expanded the way I think about business, showing me, how regenerative thinking can shape a future focused on restoring communities, relationships, and the natural world."
What's next for RFI
The Institute will launch a series of events in late 2026, giving industry, government and the public access to knowledge to help shape a regenerative future.
RFI will also develop a postgraduate program and foster interdisciplinary research partnerships to focus on the most pressing social and environmental issues of our time.
