Collaborate research for a sustainable future

Partner with our expert academics whose specialist knowledge aligns with your sustainability goals. Our academic collaborators will work closely with you to identify key challenges and co-design a tailored, industry-focused research project.

From project inception through to delivery, you’ll benefit from their dedicated input, ensuring innovative solutions that address both immediate priorities and long-term objectives.

Enjoy up to two days per year of complimentary consultancy with your project’s academic supervisor, providing expert advice on other challenges your organisation may be facing. Additional consultancy is available at a discounted rate.

Access a variety of learning and networking events, including academic seminars, conferences, Continued Personal Development courses, and workshops, helping you and your team stay connected and ahead in sustainability knowledge.

We work with you to co-recruit a high-calibre Doctoral Practitioner – a postgraduate researcher with the expertise and skills to address your sustainability challenges. Trained to be a future leader in sustainability, they will apply their academic knowledge directly to your organisation’s research priorities.

Your doctoral practitioner will be embedded within your team for a minimum of two years, ensuring close collaboration and impactful outcomes. Throughout the project, they’ll be supported by at least two academic supervisors whose specialist knowledge aligns with your project’s needs.

As a postgraduate research student, they will receive a competitive stipend and have full access to the University’s resources and support.

Like most collaborative research programmes, your organisation will own all foreground intellectual property generated through the project. This gives you full control over how the results are used and applied within your business.

Each project is governed by a three-way studentship agreement between your organisation, the University, and the doctoral practitioner. Unlike many similar programmes, we begin negotiations with IP ownership in your favour. In return, we ask only for a licence to use the foreground IP for non-commercial research and teaching purposes.

The Practitioner Doctorate in Sustainability is designed with flexibility at its core. As an industry-funded programme, there are no restrictions on the direction your project takes, provided it aligns with sustainability and meets the University’s academic standards. You set the agenda, define the priorities, and determine how the research evolves.

The programme costs for organisations compare favourably to consultancy fees or the funds needed to employ a full-time researcher. We offer a range of flexible options for payment and require just a two-year initial commitment, with the option to extend by pending review.

Partnering with us positions your organisation as a leader in sustainability, backed by the objectivity and academic rigour that will set you apart from conventional consultancy approaches. With access to world-class expertise and evidence-based solutions, you can accelerate progress and take a leading role within your sector.

We’ll support you in pursuing opportunities to showcase your achievements, whether through speaking engagements at industry conferences or publishing in trade journals, raising your profile as an innovator.

Our goal is to help you develop solutions with lasting impact, delivering enduring value for your organisation and influencing positive change across the wider industry.