Institutes, centres & initiatives

We are home to ground-breaking research initiatives at the forefront of discoveries in these areas:

• our London Research and Policy Partnership (LRaPP) brings researchers across the Federation together to work with City Hall on London’s recovery agenda;
• our Refugee Law initiative is the only academic centre in the UK to concentrate specifically on international refugee law and has its own clinic providing pro bono legal advice for refugee clients;
• our Digital Humanities Hub, at the heart of transformative projects, the latest being the ‘Congruence Engine’ that brings Britain’s industrial heritage alive using the power of AI, one of the five projects awarded under the AHRC’s £14.5m scheme, Towards a National Collection.

Engaging the public in the latest developments in research is important to discoveries for the future that recognise the importance of the humanities and are align with society’s values.

The University is committed to working with wider society to make sure people feel confident to engage with and contribute to research and innovation. As part of that drive, we are home to the UK’s only national Festival of Humanities Research, the Being Human Festival, currently operating in 51 British towns and cities but increasingly being adopted as an international model.   

Research knows no geographic boundaries, and the research conducted at our Institute in Paris continues to provide an important link to researchers across Europe who collaborate on shared challenges, such as urban experience and the 21st century city, while our unique expertise in online, distance and transnational education in 200 counties provides exceptional insight into pedagogic techniques in the digital world, including in our Centre for Online and Distance Education.