Research with an Industry Focus

Centre for Logistics and Sustainability

As international leaders in logistics and sustainability, we recognise that the transition to a net-zero economy demands new approaches to procuring, transporting and consuming goods. At the Centre for Logistics and Sustainability, led by Professor Philip Greening, we leverage our partnerships with governments and policymaking bodies, expertise in marketing, lean production and freight logistics to plan this transition. Our rapidly growing research portfolio incorporates many projects with industry and academia through partner centres:

• The Centre for Sustainable Road Freight is a collaboration between Heriot-Watt, Cambridge University and the University of Westminster, with a strong cohort of industrial partners covering technology, operations and policy.
• We work closely with the Centre for Sustainable Cooling at the University of Birmingham, with whom we are establishing international Centres of Excellence in Sustainable Cooling and Cold-chain.

Read our latest news and learn more about our projects.

Centre for Networks and Enterprise Excellence (CNEE)

Led by Director Professor Dimitris Christopoulos & Deputy Director Professor Laura Galloway, CNEE operates four research labs: the Network Science Lab, the Entrepreneurship Lab, the Intelligent Automated Systems Lab and the Business Performance & Capabilities Lab. Our CNEE researchers connect across disciplines to perform excellent and impactful research that transforms practice and shapes the future. We strive to connect with stakeholders in the private, public, and third sectors, acting as a resource for practitioners, a source of trusted information for the public, and a catalyst for change in organisations, governments, and other policy-making bodies.

Learn more about our CNEE key projects.

Centre for Employment, Work and the Professions (CREWS)

In CREWS, our research aims to understand contemporary work and employment, working with employers, policy makers, trade unions and professional bodies to improve working lives globally. We are leading a range of cutting edge research projects examining work and employment, supported by funders including the the Scottish Government, EPSRC, AHRC, Welcome Trust, The British Academy and GCRF funding. Researchers are currently working projects that address EDI in higher education, accessible laboratories for disabled chemists, digital trade union work. CREWS is directed by Professor Kate Sang, an industry-leading researcher in workplace EDI, who is also Principal Investigator on the EDI Caucus Project, which recently received a £4.2M grant.

Learn more about our CREWS key projects.

Centre for Social and Economic Data Analytics (CSEDA)

The Centre for Social and Economic Data Analytics (CSEDA), led by Professor Mark Schaffer, brings together empirical and data-driven quantitative research across the full range of business and economic studies.  Much of the Centre’s activity is organised within four focused research groupings: the Energy Markets Group (EMG), the Quantitative Methods Lab (QML), the Centre for Finance & Investment (CFI) and the Marketing Analytics Group (MAG).  Other CSEDA active research areas include macroeconomics, monetary policy, international finance, corporate governance, behavioural science and labour markets. Researchers are well-known in their fields for impact on policy, as evidenced by recent study delivered by Professor Eoin McLaughlin around policy implications for pandemic policy framework.

Learn more about recent CSEDA projects and working papers.