SPRU news items

Read news from the Science Policy Research Unit at the University of Sussex.

A number of wind turbines rise out of the sea while a boat floats in the background

Thirty years of climate research funding has overlooked the potential of experimental transformative technologies

3 May 2022

New study reveals the technologies and academic disciplines that are being overlooked by research funders in the global fight against climate change


A person wearing a black hat and black coat stands in a protest holding up a cardboard placard

The threat posed to climate change policies by the rise of the populist right

14 April 2022

Authoritarian nationalist populists have a systemic tendency to create significant negative effect on climate policies when in government


A image of the globe surrounded by people holding hands which again are encircled by the symbol of Coronavirus. On the right, the text Covid-19 Response can be read underlined by the various colourful SDG icons

HEIF fund co-sponsored by SSRP: new projects address critical challenges 'from Covid crisis to net zero'

11 April 2022

A set of newly approved projects, funded through HEIF and co-sponsored by the SSRP, address Covid-19 recovery and climate change in an integrated way.


A faded and damaged yellow-and-black nuclear warning sign in the foreground on a disused nuclear plant site

Energy security strategy analysis: Huge missed opportunity not to put energy efficiency at heart of strategy

7 April 2022

University of Sussex Business School experts on why the most impactful policies have been overlooked in the British Energy Security Strategy


Two cars are lined up in a traffic jam

New research casts doubt on environmental benefits of hybrid working

7 April 2022

New study reveals most remote workers in England before the pandemic travelled further each week than office-based workers despite taking fewer trips


Photo of single-storey houses with discoloured solar panels on the roof

Sun shines on the richest: New study explores how to make solar PV viable for all

4 April 2022

More government support with greater flexibility is needed to make solar panels viable option for elderly homeowners, student renters and the disabled


Photo collage of different SSRP projects

SSRP provides funding to help researchers re-engage with partners in the Global South

3 March 2022

The Sussex Sustainability Research Programme is making small grants available to eight exciting, interdisciplinary sustainability projects.


Titles and dates of SEG Research Showcase with images of industry and the artic

The Sussex Energy Group Research Showcase: March 8 – May 3

28 February 2022

The Sussex Energy Group Research Showcase outlines research projects on industrial decarbonisation and energy transition and justice in the Artic


TIP Conference 2022 builds action on transformations towards sustainability & a just transition

4 February 2022

Transformative Innovation Policy Conference 2022 gathers researchers & policymakers for action on TIP research & policy.


A doctor gives a Covid-19 vaccine injection to a young man wearing a black shirt in a clinical setting

New study reveals why public health messaging should focus on naked self-interest to tackle vaccine hesitancy

2 February 2022

Promoting the benefits of vaccine to an individual is a more effective means of overcoming vaccine hesitancy than extolling broader societal benefits


A white electric vehicle is parked in a multi-storey car park and is plugged in to charge

Encourage EV manufacturers to produce low-cost models with tax breaks for a fair net zero transition

31 January 2022

UK government policy must go further to ensure low carbon technologies are an affordable option for broader range of society.


A woman wearing a green sweater pulls a pair of virtual reality glasses over her head

More evidence needed to establish 5G’s green credentials

24 January 2022

Widespread expectations 5G will be a green technology are not currently backed up by a strong, publicly available, fully transparent evidence base


Quickly find a new collaborator at Sussex with “Sustainability Search” database developed by SSRP

13 January 2022

Do you, or people in your network, need to find a University of Sussex collaborator for a new research or writing project? Perhaps you want to find...


Head and shoulders image of Dr Matthew Lockwood sporting short light-grey hair and stubble and wearing a blue polo shirt and a navy jacket

New co-director appointed to Sussex Energy Group

4 January 2022

Professor Matthew Lockwood has been announced as the new co-director of the Sussex Energy Group (SEG)


Rows of internet connections light up

National governments need to manage the out-of-control energy demands of the internet

21 December 2021

New research outlines policy options for governments to limit the energy demand and environmental impact of datacentres


Title of SEG@COP26 Series and photo from the Paris Agreement

Sussex Energy Group panel question COP26’s focus on unproven technologies & discuss hopes for local action

23 November 2021

In the closing SEG@COP26 panel discussion, Sussex Energy Group researchers discussed their reactions to the outcomes from the COP.


Head and shoulders photo of Prof Karoline Rogge who is wearing a grey jacket, white top and glasses

Two new additions for the University of Sussex on the global list of highly-cited researchers

16 November 2021

Dr Paula Kivimaa and Prof Karoline Rogge have been named in the 2021 Highly Cited Researchers List for the very first time.


Photo of the negotiations in 2015

Sussex Energy Group launch SEG@COP26 seminar series

1 October 2021

Hear from energy policy experts at the SEG@COP26 series - presenting SPRU research and its relation to this year's global COP negotiations


Green moss arrow

Policy experts and global investors come together to develop the financial footprint for building a net zero future

14 September 2021

Policy academics and international investors are coming together to develop a model for the finance sector fit for a net zero world in a new...


Keywords for goals of workshop

University of Sussex Business School looks into the future to help forge a more sustainable world

10 September 2021

Researchers join policymakers, funders and IGOs to explore Futures Literacy: using the future to deliver societal and environmental change.


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