Peter Bennett (second from right) with Chancellor Sanjeev Bhaskar and Vice-Chancellor Sasha Roseneil at the University of Sussex Commemoration Dinner, June 2023

The Friends of the University of Sussex has received a major donation from the Peter Bennett Foundation to establish the Bennett Institute for Innovation and Policy Acceleration.

The Institute has been established to address and develop urgently needed policies and solutions to tackle some of society’s greatest challenges. The first of these will be climate change, with a focus on the following three priorities:

• addressing changes in behaviour and practice in relation to climate change, both locally and globally;

• focusing on net-zero industry policies in production and manufacturing processes; and

• accelerating policies that promote energy and climate justice.

The Institute will be based at the University of Sussex Business School’s world-renowned Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU) and will draw on expertise across the School. It will bring together academic research, insights from corporate executives, entrepreneurs, scientists, engineers and policy-makers.

While its primary focus will be on climate change, it will also, in time, tackle other issues, including health, security, immigration and trade. Initially the Institute will have three Chairs: the Director, a Professor of Sustainable Finance, and a Professor in Innovation and Energy Policy. The University of Sussex will officially open the Institute later in 2024. 

The Institute will be inspired by other recent policy challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which proved that when needed, policy can be developed and implemented much faster than had traditionally been believed. Its ambition lies in capturing this same sense of urgency to implement policy responses to climate change.

Professor Sasha Roseneil, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sussex, said, “Nothing is more urgent or more important right now than tackling the global climate crisis. I am delighted therefore to announce the establishment of the Bennett Institute for Innovation and Policy Acceleration at the University of Sussex. We are extremely grateful to the Peter Bennett Foundation for their generous and inspired gift, which is enabling us to found this Institute, and which the University of Sussex is match-funding.

Peter Bennett, of the Peter Bennett Foundation, said, “The Peter Bennett Foundation is excited to partner with the University of Sussex, its Business School and SPRU to establish the Bennett Institute for Innovation and Policy Acceleration.

“A key goal of the Peter Bennett Foundation is to enhance productivity, new ideas and innovation that improves the quality of life for all. As a society we are faced with a growing number of challenges - major examples range from climate change to facilitating faster innovation to enhance the pace of economic growth and its distribution. The potential impact of this work has far-ranging reach in the United Kingdom and beyond.

“Sussex has been recognised as one of the top 50 global universities for sustainability. We are making a transformative contribution to tackling the great challenges posed by our heating planet. Solutions to the climate crisis must be accelerated, and this is what this Institute sets out to do.”

Good progress has already been made on the establishment of this new Institute with:

• Professor Sovacool winning an external grant in his capacity as Institute Director;

• interviews being scheduled for shortlisted candidates for the other two Institute Chairs; and

• new Institute Manager, Clive Hayter, now being in situ. Clive has previous experience as Director of Strategic Planning and Projects at Goldsmiths, and also roles at Kew and NERC.

Professor Steven McGuire, Dean of the University of Sussex Business School, said, “This is a hugely significant donation from the Peter Bennett Foundation and the Institute will help to set a new pace for policy change based on scientific evidence whilst addressing the climate crisis head-on.

“The Peter Bennett Institute for Innovation and Policy Acceleration will draw on the Business School’s world leading expertise and global impact of its research in climate change and sustainability, climate finance, and innovation. Its overriding purpose is to find ways to tackle climate change and decarbonise economies. We simply don’t have thirty years to wait – we have to act now.“