Overview

The Resilience and Sustainable Development Programme (RSDP) is a multi-disciplinary action-research initiative at the University of Cambridge, situated in the Centre for Industrial Sustainability (CIS). 

From the perspective of trust and cooperation as key to solving global challenges, we break down the silos between sectors, harness new theories of change and consider legacy effects using evidence, so that new systems can be introduced. By blending system dynamics with political and economic analysis and rigorously developed business cases, we help achieve lasting change. We have helped over 160 companies and over 20 countries through our cutting-edge research and capacity building efforts.

The RSDP enables:

1. Governments and civil sector foster innovation and enterprise to deliver social and economic benefits consistently.
   
   
2. Companies to develop life-changing products and services, build better businesses, create meaningful jobs, and improve the environment for the future collectively.
   
   
3. Decision makers to reinvent policies and practices to facilitate their institutions to move to higher sustainable and productive activities.

Research Approach

Building on decades of multidisciplinary research, our international political economists and behavioral psychologist have joined with engineers and private sector thought leaders at Cambridge to devise this ambitious programme where every solution-driven research project are evidence based and has an impact-driving strategy.

Using our reseach outputs, we offer a leading socio-economic design studio and research hub to develop social-system frameworks that is addressing local challenges. We do this by proactively engaging with public and private sector institutions to make better informed decisions to catalyse sustainable and resilient development with their stakeholders. 

Email rsdp-admin@eng.cam.ac.uk for more information.

Research Areas

The RSDP is focused on three of the most dynamic areas of inquiry that are critical in shaping our world. We co-create sustainable solutions while training the participants in complex system design thinking using world-class research, embedded knowledge, and enquiring techniques:

1. Sustainable Investment - How best to create innovation in public policy to facilitate long term private sector investment?
   
   
2. Good Governance - How to achieve resilient governance of these fast moving developments in often complex local situations?
   
   
3. Responsible Innovation - How can technology be harnessed to deliver step changes in sustainable wealth creation and public good?

Read more about our research areas.

Research Delivery Tools 

We combine these with our distinctive delivery methods based on system design thinking and experiential training approach:

1. Country Focus: One Country a Time
   
   
2. Leader Focus: Creative Ideas Studio
   
   
3. Policy Focus: Policy Simulations Lab
   
   
4. Issue Focus: Sinews of Sustainable Development Speakers Series to make RSDP unique.

Read more about our research delivery tools.