The RSA (the royal society for arts, manufactures and commerce) is excited to unveil a bold new global events partnership with the UK Government for Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai.
Throughout the year, the RSA will host a series of events celebrating the UK as a place to come to study, visit and invest and as a country of innovation and creativity where the world can come to build the future.
From April to October 2025, the RSA will co-host a range of events that will be free to attend in person and available to watch live and on-demand on YouTube, presenting fresh ideas emerging from the frontline of social innovation, science, technology and the creative industries.
With the deadline to the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals just five years away, the RSA and UK at Expo 2025 partnership will address the progress that has been made and the work still to be done to secure health and wellbeing, peace, justice and prosperity for communities worldwide.
Supporting the RSA and UK at Expo 2025 partnership is Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, who is leading a delegation in Osaka to strengthen relations with Japan.
Andy Burnham said:
“It has been great to strengthen ties with cities in Japan and see how much we can learn from them. RSA does leading work in this area and I am confident that they will be able to showcase the level of innovation within the UK on the world stage and bring people together from all over the globe to share fresh ideas to the challenges we all face.”
Chief Executive Officer of the RSA, Andy Haldane said:
“Our award-winning events programme has been a platform for powerful public dialogue for decades. This compelling new event series will welcome global leaders and pioneers in their field as they grip the challenges facing the world today. We look forward to exploring the UK’s role in shaping a new collective story and celebrating the world-changing power of ideas with audiences in London, Osaka and around the world.”
Carolyn Davidson, Commissioner General for the UK at Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai said:
“Public dialogue is a fundamental part of life in the UK. It provides a means to progress important issues such as accelerating gender equality, improving sustainability, tackling climate change, and of course, pushing the boundaries of science, technology and innovation. This series of panel events with the RSA will provide a valuable platform for discussion, facilitating dialogue between Japan and the UK, as well as the wider world. I am really looking forward to these discussions and hope people will join us in person or online to come build the future.”
Gareth Thomas, Minister for Services, Small Business and Exports said:
“Expo 2025 in Osaka is a golden opportunity to showcase the UK’s thriving creative, digital and tech sectors. This partnership with the RSA is an opportunity to deepen the already close relationship between the UK and Japan and show how our Plan for Change will support British businesses and sectors that will be proudly displayed at the UK Pavilion.”
Expo 2025 will include the following events from the RSA:
Join us to celebrate the opening of the UK Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai and discover the most exciting ideas and innovations emerging from the frontiers of science, technology and the creative industries.
At a time when the world risks becoming fragmented and divided, the World Expo represents a unique opportunity to show what humanity can achieve when we collectively come together.
The UK Pavilion at Expo 2025 will act as a vibrant hub of creativity and innovation, showcasing our nation’s unique energy, heritage and make-up. A place where fresh ideas and diverse perspectives are welcomed. A place where exploration and curiosity pave the way for progress. A great place to connect, collaborate, and build the future.
At the RSA, the birthplace of the very first World Expo – the Great Exhibition of 1851 – we will host innovators developing new technologies and creative partnerships in both the UK and Japan to inspire us with pathways to a brighter future for people, places and the planet we all share.
Speakers to include: Sir Peter Bazalgette, co-chair, Creative Industries Council and Sir Loyd Grossman, RSA Chair, with further speakers to be announced in the coming weeks.
The UK has a rich history of advancing women’s rights. In 1918, the Representation of the People Act granted voting rights to women over 30, with equal suffrage achieved in 1928. From the Equal Pay Act of 1970 to the Equality Act of 2010, trailblazing women have been at the forefront of building collective movements for progress and justice. However, there remain stubborn challenges and barriers to women’s full economic, legal and social empowerment.
Live from the historic Great Room of the Royal Society of Arts in London, hear from today’s disruptors, influencers and innovators leading the charge for the protection and advancement of the rights of women and girls globally – for a future where everyone has equal opportunity to achieve their full potential.
The future doesn’t just happen, it’s up to us to create it. As we face the challenges of climate change, inequality and environmental degradation, we know to simply sustain is not enough. We want to see a world where people and communities harness their potential to be sources of health and regeneration for all life on earth. Because people and planetary needs are intertwined, our problem solving should be too.
But what does it mean to strive for a regenerative world? For the RSA, this means making tangible progress towards improving the health of our interwoven social, ecological and economic systems and their ability to restore and replenish one another.
To achieve this, we need a radical reimagining of our current systems – from economic and political to food and energy. And, we need a new collective story for humanity, one that celebrates our fundamental connection with global landscapes and galvanises collaborative action.
Live from the historic Great Room of the Royal Society of Arts in London, hear from the next generation of disruptors, influencers and innovators who are building new movements to move us from the passive ‘do less harm’ principle of sustainability, to the active ‘do more good’ principle of regeneration, and seeding a flourishing future for people, places, and the planet we all share.
With the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals fast approaching, the UK has made ambitious, mission-driven commitments to integrating climate change measures into national policies and planning, and to accelerating a just transition to a net-zero, nature-positive future.
Live from this historic Great Room of the Royal Society of Arts in London, hear from leading public thinkers, policy influencers and innovators who are driving breakthrough progress on climate action, from pioneering clean energy technologies to building powerful, community-driven movements for regeneration and resilience, and discover the ideas and solutions that are seeding a flourishing future for people, places, and the planet we all share.
Speakers for all events will be announced in the coming weeks, alongside booking details to attend all the free events in the RSA and Expo 2025 series.
ENDS
We are the RSA, the royal society for arts, manufactures and commerce. We are a social impact charity that has been at the forefront of social change for 270 years. Through our Design for Life mission, we turn world-leading ideas into world-changing actions. We’re committed to a world where everyone can fulfil their potential and contribute to more resilient, rebalanced, and regenerative futures. Central to all our work is our global network of over 31,000 Fellows, who work collectively to enable people, places and the planet to flourish in harmony.
We invite you to be part of this mission by joining our fellowship community. Together, we’ll unite people and ideas in collective action to unlock opportunities and regenerate our world.
