Institute for Sustainable Worlds

The Institute for Sustainable Worlds at Norwich uses a creative focus to develop understanding of local and global challenges and their impacts on communities.

We connect and apply experimental creative thinking and design process to cutting edge biological, environmental and agricultural science developed in Norwich with the potential for global impact. Authentic to our city, it springs from the core idea that creative and design thinking can change the world for the better.

The Institute supports the role of the creative civic university, developing outwards from our local focus to build a model that can be replicated across the region, nationally and beyond. We work to develop a distinctive and impactful creative methodology: ‘the Norwich Method’, that holds and informs our own research enquiry, our partnerships and in the dissemination of the knowledge we create for real social purpose.

Crucially, the Institute builds on the competencies of our community at Norwich and our closest regional knowledge base partners, notably the biological science institutes at the Norwich Research Park, the Tyndall Centre and the Institute for Sustainable Development at the University of East Anglia.

We aim to develop a distinctive voice in the field of sustainability enquiry, building a model which can be replicated in arts/science/social science collaboration across the world. Engaged in practice-based research and knowledge exchange, the Norwich Method will be closely aligned with the Norwich pedagogy.

With a focus on process and close collaboration, the Institute will deliver tangible outcomes in addressing:

• Better futures and ambitions for our community
• Accessibility to fair food, housing and the expression of culture
• New ways of looking at the problems of our changing planet

We apply our creative research and knowledge exchange expertise, technologies, and commercial approaches, to work at the nexus of strategic challenges. The Institute brings different disciplines together to work on local challenges and development goals. Together we generate new knowledge, expertise, and opportunities, building capacity and impact, transferring skills in the course of our work.

Our thematic areas of expertise include:

• Environmental collapse
• Sustainable futures and communities
• Rising food insecurity, and failing nutritional quality
• Good health and well-being
• Responsible consumption and production
• Industry, innovation, and infrastructure

Technology Enabled

The Institute for Sustainable Worlds supports its creative research with significant investment in new and traditional technological approaches.

This unique combination of people, technology and creative focus enables our partners in research and industry to do things in our ecosystem that they can’t do anywhere else. We are rapidly building capacity, investing in creative researchers, specialist workshops and facilities.