The QS University Rankings 2017 have ranked the University of Sussex first in the world for Development Studies.

The result is an opportunity to celebrate the quality, impact and range of international development research and courses offered across the Sussex campus, including at the Institute of Development Studies.

For 10 years, the STEPS Centre has benefited from the collaboration, creativity and exchange of ideas between IDS and Sussex (the Centre is co-hosted by IDS and the Science Policy Research Unit, SPRU, and also involves members from the School of Global Studies at Sussex). Key to this has been the interplay and tensions between ideas from development studies, the natural sciences and science and technology policy, which has informed the STEPS Pathways Approach to sustainability.

Another crucial element has been a global, outward-facing approach. This means not only engaging with social concerns in and around Brighton and the UK, but reaching out across the globe and listening to other perspectives. Students from around the world have learned from Sussex expertise, as well as challenging it and contributing to it.

A strong programme of Visiting Fellowships, international conferences, our annual Summer School and the establishment of the Pathways to Sustainability Global Consortium has made the STEPS Centre more able to understand and engage with complex global challenges, from Ebola to land grabbing.

More on research impact

To find out more about our impact in research and capacity building, see our Impact page.