Humans are now predominantly an urban species. Cities are responsible for much of the world's consumption and pollution, and poor quality urban environments are exerting increasing pressure on population health. Climate change and dwindling resources are exerting an increasingly urgent time pressure too. We need to learn as quickly as possible how the places we now live in can provide high quality of life for all. 

Research is critical to finding solutions to these global challenges, yet over time an institutionalised separation has grown between academia and the "real world": career paths tend not to overlap between the two worlds, deep specialisms tend not to allow easy integration with different knowledge domains, and there are important ethical factors that need to be considered, particularly when there is commercial or other benefit.
We explore this challenging, complex area by working closely with leading academics, funders and forward-thinking industry partners, all of whom are interested in and passionate about addressing these global challenges. We conceptualise research bids with lead academics, bring teams together and co-coordinate projects and their disciplinary integration, constantly reorienting towards real world impact.

We have also helped public and private sector organisations to maximise health and sustainability in their development proposals and corporate operations, and locally we undertake impact assessments ​for large-scale urban development projects.
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How we contribute
  • ​We break out of traditional silos, link new disciplines and institutions, enabling new partnerships
  • We co-create and enable exciting inter- and trans-disciplinary working practice, opening up new areas of research
  • We bridge gaps in understanding and communication between academia and real world practitioners​
  • We help organisations maximise health and sustainability
  • ​We consistently realign research towards real world impact
  • We recognize commercial and other real world constraints, yet always push the boundaries of what is possible
  • We recognise that health must come first, and that for people to help others they must look after themselves too ​

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