Professor Steven McGuire

The University of Sussex Business School has taken its place among an exclusive group of just 1% of business schools around the globe after achieving the prestigious EQUIS accreditation.

The accreditation recognises the high standards and quality in research and teaching achieved by the Business School in its development over the last ten years, and builds on the University’s historical excellence in the fields of economics and science policy research.

Professor Steven McGuire, Dean of the University of Sussex Business School, said: “Gaining EQUIS accreditation is a fantastic achievement. We are a relatively new Business School but one built on firm academic and research foundations across our departments.

“Accreditation highlights our distinctive, worldwide reputation in innovation, energy and sustainability, science and technology policy, and our expertise in understanding the relationship between business, public policy and civil society. EQUIS also recognises our strengths as a Business School and the impact of our research to solve real world problems, forming part of our Sussex vision to create a better university for a better world.

“We look forward to working alongside institutions within the EQUIS network, and continuing the evolution of the Business School in line with EQUIS recommendations.”

The EQUIS Peer Review Team praised the school’s “distinctive research profile” compared with other business schools.

With a strong focus on applied areas such as innovation, science and technology, development, international trade, and on the related policy issues, EQUIS assessors described the school as “a sought-after institution” by government agencies and international organisations who can rely on the expertise of the faculty members.

The team also noted that the institution has been continuously improving the quality of all its components: the faculty, staff, students and programmes.

Martin Schader, Associate Director of Quality Services at EFMD, said: “We are happy to see the University of Sussex Business School among the EQUIS accredited institutions.

“The quality of the School is reflected in its distinctive expertise in innovation and public policy and its multi-disciplinary approach to research and teaching. We commend the School on their focus on ethics, responsibility and sustainability issues in many of its research activities.”

The University of Sussex Business School is home to major research centres for energy and sustainability research, international trade and, from 2020 a major research centre, Digital Futures at Work, in collaboration with University of Leeds.

The Business School is 8th in the UK for Business and Economics and 60th in the World according to The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2019.
It is also third in the UK for annual research income according to the Chartered Association of Business Schools study published earlier this year.

EQUIS was created in 1997 and as of October 2019, 187-business schools have been awarded EQUIS, with 44 countries represented among the accredited schools.
It is the leading international assessment system for the management and business higher education sector, managed and run by the EFMD.