Building progressive futures together: an update from the Sussex School for Progressive Futures
Posted on behalf of: Sussex School for Progressive Futures
Last updated: Wednesday, 17 December 2025
The Sussex School for Progressive Futures (SSPF) launched in September 2025. Since then, we have been building our community and working with colleagues to amplify and support the brilliant interdisciplinary research, teaching and global and civic engagement of which Sussex is rightly proud. Here, we share some highlights:
Building our community
The SSPF will thrive through the engagement and ideas of those who are involved, including our affiliates. We now have over 170 affiliates, a good many of whom attended our first forum. In response to feedback, the next forum, in the spring term, will focus on research networking and how SSPF can best support cross-campus collaboration, funding bids and impact activities. We have also been linking with the wider Sussex community, from meeting with research centres through to presenting at school, faculty, and wider University events. We will do more of this in the coming term. Do please get in touch if you would like us to come to talk – or just to answer your questions.
Amplifying Sussex research and impact
The announcement of Caroline Lucas as our first Professor of Practice in Environmental Sustainability was accompanied by a media campaign that included a video produced by our student digital media creators. Caroline also appeared in a BBC News item that focused on the Nature Sense initiative, and that led to a follow-up interview with Greatest Hits Radio. We have also helped to celebrate and promote colleagues’ events on campus (such as the annual Migration Research Centre conference, and an event on Sustainability in the Creative Industries in which Caroline Lucas participated.
Events coming up
A range of different events are planned for next term. Here is a flavour of these:
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Lord Peter Hain in Conversation with the Vice-Chancellor: 28 January
As part of SSPF launch events, this event is a dialogue between the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sasha Roseneil, and former government minister, activist and Sussex Alumnus, Lord Peter Hain. It will focus on the ideas in his new book Liberation and Corruption: Why Freedom Movements Fail.
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From despair to action: building progressive futures: 18 February
This public-facing event will bring together Caroline Lucas with our theme lead in Environmental Sustainability, Pete Newell, and a panel of activists and thinkers for a roundtable discussion on the politics of hope and the different ways that people can together build progressive futures.
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How does change happen?
On 4 March, Caroline Lucas will be engaging with students from across campus to reflect on how change can come about, both within and outside of institutions. Facilitated by Professor Peter Newell, the interactive session will be open to all students interested in the practical politics of change towards a more progressive future.
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Inspiring Progressive Futures series
A series of events for sixth formers showcasing research collaborations that make a positive difference and inspiring prospective students to join Sussex and get involved in shaping progressive futures
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Researching Progressive Futures Professorial Talks
We are revisiting the ‘professorial lecture’ - in a new way: bringing together recently promoted or appointed professors to discuss their research together, in lively, interdisciplinary, thematically organised events. These will celebrate individual achievements and explore how insights from different disciplines can help us address challenges in each transformational theme
Education and students
We're working with colleagues from across Faculties and PS divisions to support the development of the interdisciplinary offer and embedding experiential learning more widely within and beyond the curriculum. This includes launching new semester one flagship electives in each transformational theme next academic year, reframing the Spirit of Sussex Award, and securing 10 Masters scholarships of £10,000 each for eligible students on 18 masters’ programmes across our three themes – six in each of the transformational themes, thanks to the generous donation of a Sussex alumna.
Become an affiliate
You can become an affiliate and play an important role in shaping the direction of the School through our termly forums.
Being an affiliate does not affect your workload or line management responsibilities, and it can help enhance your visibility within and beyond the University.
To become an SSPF affiliate all you need to do is send an email to progressivefutures@sussex.ac.uk, with the subject line ‘Become an affiliate’. Include details of your current role and a short paragraph describing what you hope to contribute to, or gain from, the SSPF.