Bennett Institute for Innovation and Policy Acceleration

Our new institute will focus on urgent policy solutions for society’s greatest challenges.

Covid-19 broke the boundaries of what was considered possible for accelerated policy responses to global crises. The Bennett Institute seeks to retain this sense of urgency as the standard pace for policymakers and sector leaders in addressing other global problems. With expert input from industry, government and academic perspectives, we want to develop agile responses to fast-changing and unforeseen crises.” Benjamin Sovacool
Professor of Energy Policy, Director of Bennett Institute

In 2023, the University of Sussex received a major donation from the Peter Bennett Foundation to establish the Bennett Institute for Innovation and Policy Acceleration. Based in the Business School’s Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU), the new institute draws inspiration from SPRU founder Chris Freeman’s optimistic vision of humanity’s capacity to innovate solutions for even the most difficult challenges.

In the nearly 60 years since it was founded, SPRU has developed and refined a sophisticated operational model for rigorous interdisciplinary problem-solving at both an organisational and societal level. As such, it provides an unrivalled base and resource for the Peter Bennett Foundation’s ongoing mission to effect systemic change to solve global problems.

The new Bennett Institute at Sussex will loosely model itself on the UK Government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) in its mission to address long-term crises. First and foremost, it will focus on accelerating policies to halt and reverse climate change, and will later tackle challenges around migration, trade and global health. Led by Professor Benjamin Sovacool, one of the world’s most cited researchers in energy policy and climate change, the Institute will work with corporate executives, entrepreneurs, scientists and engineers, as well as policymakers.

The aim is to build holistic partnerships in order to:

• influence changes in behaviour and practice, both locally and globally
• inspire net-zero industry policies in production and manufacturing processes
• inform policies that bring about energy and climate justice

The institute will draw on the Business School’s strengths in sustainable finance, innovation studies, accounting, management, strategy and marketing – harnessing these attributes to create a future world that is more sustainable, equitable, and resilient.