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This June, the University of Sussex invites colleagues across the research community to take part in the Summer of Research festival.

Following on from our new Summer of Research interdisciplinary workshop series from June 2, the festival runs from Monday 15 to Friday 26 June. Celebrating the ideas, collaborations and real world impact that define research at Sussex, it brings together researchers, students, professional services staff and partners from across the University and beyond.

Throughout the Summer of Research is a commitment to interdisciplinary connection. We are delighted to announce that a number of events this year are delivered in collaboration with the School for Progressive Futures (SSPF), aligning with strategic research themes: Environmental Sustainability, Human Flourishing, and Digital and Data Futures.

Collaboration workshops: connect, explore, collaborate

The Summer of Research opens with a series of interdisciplinary collaboration workshops, bringing colleagues together around shared research challenges. Each workshop focuses on a strategic theme, and is designed to support early-stage collaboration through discussion, idea sharing and networking, as well as to share information about Industrial Strategy and EU Horizon Europe funding opportunities.

• Environmental Sustainability Collaboration Workshop
  Tuesday 2 June 2026, 11am–2pm
• Human Flourishing Collaboration Workshop
  Thursday 4 June 2026, 11am–2pm
• Digital, AI and Data Futures Collaboration Workshop
  Thursday 11 June 2026, 11am–2pm
  

Highlights from across the festival

Beyond the collaboration workshops, the Summer of Research offers a rich programme of events that reflect the breadth and ambition of research at Sussex.

Festival highlights include sandpit workshops and symposia that bring researchers together around emerging and contested topics, from questions of conspiracy and world making, to debates on economic futures and the potential to move ‘beyond growth’, and the role of higher education in uncertain times. Alongside these, keynote lectures and panel discussions offer perspectives from across disciplines on topics ranging from modern slavery to sustainability in health provision, creating space for reflection, exchange and challenge. Exhibitions and creative events explore how Sussex’s heritage can inform progressive futures through sounds, stories and sites, opening up Sussex research to wider audiences.

The Summer of Research concludes with the Three Minute Thesis Final, a live performance event where brave postgraduate researchers take on the challenge of presenting their research in just three minutes. Fast paced, creative and compelling, it’s a memorable and energising way to close the festival.

Explore the full programme and book your place via the Summer of Research webpages.