The Centre for Social Sustainability is a dynamic hub for research, collaboration, skill-building, and bold experimentation. We partner with organisations and companies of all kinds that are committed to social entrepreneurship and sustainability. Our mission is to drive ethical, lasting change that benefits people and communities.
We work closely with public-sector institutions, private companies and civil society organisations that are rethinking their role in relation to sustainability and welfare - often by empowering citizens to take a more active role in shaping their communities or engaging leaders and employees in pioneering collective leadership models, or testing how art based methods can support sustainable change and behaviour.

Who are we?

The Centre brings together an interdisciplinary team of researchers with deep expertise and diverse backgrounds. Our members draw on philosophy, psychology, sociology, anthropology, learning theory, and organisational studies to explore social sustainability in all its complexity.

We focus on understanding and supporting both structural and local changes that people help shape every day. Our interdisciplinary approach connects to fields where social entrepreneurship and sustainability matter most—such as labour studies, technology studies, public administration and management, organisational studies, political economy, learning theory, sociology, social innovation, and political philosophy.

This breadth enables us to tackle social challenges from nuanced, multi-dimensional perspectives. Through our research, collaborations, consulting, and teaching, we deliver practical, relevant knowledge that supports real-world change.

At the Centre, we believe that real social sustainability grows from cooperation, ethical tinkering, and long term commitment.

Scope of Research

Our research centres on social sustainability, social entrepreneurship, and social innovation—driven by ethical awareness and a commitment to meaningful change. We explore new ways of understanding social and economic value, with a strong focus on reciprocity and the social and solidarity economy. In this, the logics, leadership, and organisational practices of civil society are a key source of inspiration.

We study and collaborate with NGOs, associations, and grassroots movements that shape democratic life and take on vital welfare roles. Our approach to social innovation goes beyond solving concrete problems like youth unemployment or resource use - it is fundamentally about empowerment: giving people real influence over decisions that affect their lives and enabling systemic, transformative change.

This perspective challenges conventional ideas about social investment, CSR, and impact measurement across sectors, while helping organisations strengthen their ESG efforts in more meaningful and inclusive ways.

We understand social sustainability as much more than equitable resource distribution or regulatory ESG compliance. It is also about human dignity, deep interpersonal connection, and resilient local communities grounded in solidarity and long-term engagement. At the same time, we confront the tensions and dilemmas of sustainability - whether viewed through a North–South lens, a critique of neoliberalism, or the concept of “human indebtedness” within the welfare state.

Our work also engages with themes such as:

• Art, aesthetics, and creativity as methods for social change
• Utopian thinking and visions for a more sustainable future
• Alternative and regenerative organisational models
• Participatory and collective leadership and co-production
• Empowerment of marginalised groups, with attention to gender, culture, and class
• Ecological interconnectedness and socio-materiality
• Open-source knowledge sharing for democratic action
• People-centered science that drives social change