NatCen International’s 2023/24 highlights

Summary

NatCen International is the global arm of the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen). This is the second annual report since establishing the centre in December 2021, and provides an overview of the research projects, collaborations and achievements, as well as our strategic objectives for 2024-2025 and beyond.

The primary focus for NatCen International is on three cross-cutting thematic areas: health equity, migration, and climate change. For the period 2025–2027, we envisage adding digital societies to our core thematic focus. We have four strategic objectives to expand our influence on key social policy issues, including:

• Acting as a hub for thought-provoking and stimulating conversations on global social policy through a commitment to equitable global-local partnerships; 
• Developing impactful and original research across our workstreams and increased research co-authored with partners in the Global South; 
• Acting as a go-to team for governments, multilateral and bilateral organizations for advisory support and guidance on global social policy and practice in key countries where we have expertise; and 
• Through the NatCen International Academy, develop innovative tailored and contextualised capacity development courses on a range of research methods and social policy areas.

Our donors and partners are key to our success and they enable us to influence change around the world. Our key donors and collaborators for 2023–2024 are: the Wellcome Trust, the British Red Cross, Creative Confidence Consultancy & Training Institute (CCCTI), the National Bank of Kuwait, the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Sana’a Centre for Strategic Studies, Shabaka, Busara, IDInsight (East and Southern Africa) and the Al Anood Foundation in Saudi Arabia. 

We are also indebted to our academic partners including the University of Oxford, University of Westminster, University of Bath, University of Bristol, Newcastle University, University of Naples L’Orientale, the American University in Cairo, the Lebanese American University and the American University of Kuwait.