Our research projects include small short-term consultancies and individual fellowships, and larger international collaborations and major long-term research centres. These projects are funded by UK research councils, the European Commission, charitable foundations and international agencies, government bodies, commercial firms and civil society organisations. We collaborate with a global web of sister research institutes and host projects for scholars from around the world.
Some of our current and recently completed projects have examined the social and economic implications of changes in energy technologies, financial services, information and communications systems, food and agriculture, nanoscience, pharmaceuticals, advanced manufacturing, biotechnology and chemical and biological weapons.
Projects employ qualitative and quantitative research tools, many of which were developed or refined at SPRU, including scientometric techniques for analysing trends in patent and publications, econometric-based industrial dynamics, comparative case studies, multi-criteria mapping, technology foresight, the Q-method, scenario workshops, agent-based models, citizens' panels and diversity analysis.
Current long-term research groupings at SPRU include the ESRC-funded £2.7 million Sussex Energy Group, the £4.6 million STEPS Centre (a joint project between SPRU and the Institute of Development Studies) and a new DEFRA-funded joint Surrey-SPRU £1.6 million Sustainable Behaviours Centre