Conflict, Crime and Security Research Centres in the United Kingdom
Within the United Kingdom, there is a wealth of high quality and cutting edge research being conducted at research centres across the areas of conflict, crime and security.
This research has the potential to improve our understanding of current and future security challenges and how we can respond to these challenges.
The Partnership has sought to list and map these research centres to provide a picture of research currently being undertaken. The list and map are focused on where there are clusters of research and has been grouped into six themes:
- CBRNE
- Conflict
- Cybersecurity
- Terrorism
- Threats to Infrastructure
- Transnational Organised Crime
2021 Research Centres List:
In the spring of 2021, we worked to create a comprehensive picture of the research being undertaken in our key research theme areas. This snapshot of the UK research landscape is available below as both a table, and a thematic map.
| Research Centre | Host University | Research Theme |
|---|---|---|
| Centre for Intelligence Studies (Aberystwyth) | Aberystwyth | Terrorism |
| Institute of Photonic Tech (Aston) | Aston | Terrorism |
| Theory Research Group (Birmingham) | Birmingham | Terrorism |
| Centre for Sensors & Instrumentation (Brunel) | Brunel | Terrorism |
| Centre for Intelligence and Security Studies (Brunel) | Brunel | Terrorism |
| Defence and Security (Cranfield) | Cranfield | Terrorism |
| Centre for Research & Evidence on Security Threats (CREST) | Terrorism | |
| Institute of Hazard Risk and Resilience (Durham) | Durham | Terrorism |
| Global Security Institute for Defence (Durham) | Edinburgh | Terrorism |
| Centre for Security Research (Edinburgh) | Edinburgh | Terrorism |
| Centre for Research into Information, Surveillance & Privacy (Edinburgh) | Edinburgh | Terrorism |
| Research Group on Inter’l Law, Conflict & Security (Glasgow) | Glasgow | Terrorism |
| Global Security (Glasgow School of Humanities) | Glasgow | Terrorism |
| Conflict, Security & Dev’t Group (KCL) | King's College London | Terrorism |
| Security Lancaster Research Centre | Lancaster | Terrorism |
| Institute for Risk and Uncertainty (Liverpool) | Liverpool | Terrorism |
| Centre for Conflict, Security & Terrorism (Nottingham) | Nottingham | Terrorism |
| Institute for Global Peace, Security & Justice (Queen's University Belfast) | Queen's University Belfast | Terrorism |
| Millimetre Wave & EPR Group (St Andrew's) | St Andrew's | Terrorism |
| Centre for Study of Terrorism & Pol Violence (St Andrew's) | St Andrew's | Terrorism |
| Centre for Study of Terrorism & Political Violence (St Andrew's) | St Andrew's | Terrorism |
| Institute for Security Science and Technology (Imperial) | Imperial | Terrorism |
| Centre for Conflict and Security Research (Sussex) | Sussex | Terrorism |
| European Union Security Research (Sussex) | Sussex | Terrorism |
| International Relations and Security (Warwick) | Warwick | Terrorism |
| Jill Dando Institute of Security and Crime Science (UCL) | UCL | Terrorism |
| Centre for Forensic Speech Science (York) | York | Terrorism |
| Imaging for Terror Threats (St Andrew's) | St Andrew's | Terrorism |
| Forensic and Investitative Sciences Research Group (Anglia Ruskin) | Anglia Ruskin | Transnational Organised Crime |
| Conflict, Security and International Order Group (Bath) | Bath | Transnational Organised Crime |
| Institute for Crime and Justice Policy Research (Birkbeck) | Birkbeck | Transnational Organised Crime |
| Accountability and Governance in Policing Cluster (Birimingham) | Birmingham | Transnational Organised Crime |
| Centre for Forensic and Criminological Psychology (Birmingham) | Birmingham | Transnational Organised Crime |
| Crime and Society Research Centre (Birmingham City) | Birmingham City | Transnational Organised Crime |
| Transnational Crime at Sea (Bristol) | Bristol | Transnational Organised Crime |
| TNOC Narratives in West Africa (Bristol) | Bristol | Transnational Organised Crime |
| Institute of Criminology (Cambridge) | Cambridge | Transnational Organised Crime |
| Cybercrime Centre (Cambridge) | Cambridge | Transnational Organised Crime |
| Centre for Crime, Law and Justice (Cardiff) | Cardiff | Transnational Organised Crime |
| Crime, Security and Justice (Cardiff) | Cardiff | Transnational Organised Crime |
| Crime and Security Research Institute (Cardiff) | Cardiff | Transnational Organised Crime |
| Centre for Crime and Justice Research (City) | City | Transnational Organised Crime |
| Cranfield Forensic Institute | Cranfield | Transnational Organised Crime |
| Institute for Security Science and Technology (Imperial) | Imperial | Transnational Organised Crime |
| Centre for Crime, Law and Justice (Lancaster) | Lancaster | Transnational Organised Crime |
| Social and Criminological Research (Middlesex) | Middlesex | Transnational Organised Crime |
| N8 Policing Research Partnership (Durham, Lancaster, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield, and York) | Durham, Lancaster, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield, and York | Transnational Organised Crime |
| Nottingham Rights Lab | Nottingham | Transnational Organised Crime |
| Crime, Violence and Governance (Oxford) | Oxford | Transnational Organised Crime |
| Risk, Counter Fraud, and Cyber Resilience Research Group (Portsmouth) | Portsmouth | Transnational Organised Crime |
| Centre for Criminology and Sociology (Royal Holloway) | Royal Holloway | Transnational Organised Crime |
| Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research (Universities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stirling, and Strathclyde) | Universities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stirling, and Strathclyde | Transnational Organised Crime |
| Centre for Criminological Research (Sheffield) | Sheffield | Transnational Organised Crime |
| Crime Research Centre (Sussex) | Sussex | Transnational Organised Crime |
| Jill Dando Institute of Security and Crime Science (UCL) | UCL | Transnational Organised Crime |
| Forensic Speech Science (York) | York | Transnational Organised Crime |
| Centre for Cyber Security & Privacy (Birmingham) | Birmingham | Cybersecurity |
| Research Centre of Excellence in Protecting Citizens Online (Bristol) | Bristol | Cybersecurity |
| Bristol Cyber Security Group | Bristol | Cybersecurity |
| Computer Lab Security Group (Cambridge) | Cambridge | Cybersecurity |
| Cambridge Cybercrime Centre | Cambridge | Cybersecurity |
| CTSRD (Cambridge) | Cybersecurity | |
| Centre for Cybersecurity Research (Cardiff) | Cardiff | Cybersecurity |
| Centre for Electronic Warfare (Cranfield) | Cranfield | Cybersecurity |
| Information and Cyber (Cranfield) | Cranfield | Cybersecurity |
| Cyber Technology Institute (De Montfort) | De Montfort | Cybersecurity |
| Security, Privacy & Trust Research Group (Edinburgh) | Edinburgh | Cybersecurity |
| Cyber Security, Privacy and Trust Institute (Edinburgh) | Edinburgh | Cybersecurity |
| Cyber Defence Group (Glasgow) | Glasgow | Cybersecurity |
| Research Institute in Trustworthy Inter-connected Cyber-physical Systems (Imperial) | Imperial | Cybersecurity |
| Research Institute for Sociotechnical Cybersecurity (Imperial) | Imperial | Cybersecurity |
| Institute for Security Science and Technology (Imperial) | Imperial | Cybersecurity |
| Research Centre for Critical Infrastructure Computer Technology and Protection (Liverpool John Moores) | Liverpool John Moores | Cybersecurity |
| Cyber Security Research Group (Kent) | Kent | Cybersecurity |
| Cybersecurity Centre (KCL) | King's College London | Cybersecurity |
| Cyber Security Research Centre (Lancaster) | Lancaster | Cybersecurity |
| Information Systems and Innovation Faculty Research Group (LSE) | LSE | Cybersecurity |
| Secure & Resilient Systems Group (Newcastle) | Newcastle | Cybersecurity |
| Horizon digital economy Research Hub (Nottingham) | Nottingham | Cybersecurity |
| Northumbria Cyber Security Research Group | Northumbria | Cybersecurity |
| Cyber Security Centre (Oxford) | Oxford | Cybersecurity |
| Systems Security Group (Oxford) | Oxford | Cybersecurity |
| Human Centred Computing Group (Oxford) | Oxford | Cybersecurity |
| Trusted Computing & Trusted Infrastructure Group (Oxford) | Oxford | Cybersecurity |
| Models & Technologies for Secure Data Sharing (Oxford) | Oxford | Cybersecurity |
| Global Cyber Security Capacity Centre | Oxford | Cybersecurity |
| Centre for Cyber Security, Communications and Network Research (Plymouth) | Plymouth | Cybersecurity |
| Centre for Secure Information Technologies (Queen's University Belfast) | Queen's University Belfast | Cybersecurity |
| Information Security Group (Royal Holloway) | Royal Holloway | Cybersecurity |
| Cyber Security Research Group (Southampton) | Southhampton | Cybersecurity |
| Cyber Security Research Group (South Wales) | South Wales | Cybersecurity |
| Surrey Centre for Cyber Security | Surrey | Cybersecurity |
| Research Institute for Sociotechnical Cybersecurity (UCL) | UCL | Cybersecurity |
| Information Security Group (UCL) | UCL | Cybersecurity |
| Academic Centre of Excellence in Cybersecurity Research (UCL) | UCL | Cybersecurity |
| Cybercrime Research Group (UCL) | UCL | Cybersecurity |
| PETRAS National Centre of Excellence for IoT Systems Cybersecurity (UCL) | UCL | Cybersecurity |
| Institute for Strategy, Resilience and Security | UCL | Cybersecurity |
| Cyber Security Centre (Warwick Manufacturing Group) | Warwick | Cybersecurity |
| Cyber Security Research (Warwick) | Warwick | Cybersecurity |
| York Interdisciplinary Centre for Cyber Security | York | Cybersecurity |
| Institute for Strategy, Resilience and Security (UCL) | UCL | Conflict |
| Institute for Conflict, Cooperation and Security (Birmingham) | Birmingham | Conflict |
| Institute of Research into Superdiversity (Birmingham) | Birmingham | Conflict |
| The Centre for the Study of Global Ethics (Birmingham) | Birmingham | Conflict |
| Global Insecurities Centre (University of Bristol) | Bristol | Conflict |
| Public Spirit (Bristol) | Bristol | Conflict |
| PolicyBristol | Bristol | Conflict |
| Cambridge Centre of Governance & Human Rights | Cambridge | Conflict |
| Forum on Geopolitics (Cambridge) | Cambridge | Conflict |
| European Centre @ POLIS (Cambridge) | Cambridge | Conflict |
| Cambridge Inter-faith Programme | Cambridge | Conflict |
| Counterterrorism, Intelligence, Risk and Resilience Group | Cranfield | Terrorism |
| Institute of Hazard, Risk and Resilience (Durham) | Durham | Conflict |
| Durham Global Security Institute | Durham | Conflict |
| Institute for Risk and Uncertainty (Liverpool) | Liverpool | Conflict |
| Hydra Immersive Simulation System (Liverpool) | Liverpool | Terrorism |
| Migrations and Nations (Loughborough) | Loughborough | Conflict |
| Anarchism Research Group (Loughborough) | Loughborough | Conflict |
| Centre for Analysis of Risk and Regulation (London School of Economics) | LSE | Conflict |
| Conflict Research Programme (London School of Economics) | LSE | Conflict |
| Centre for Conflict, Security and Terrorism (Nottingham) | Nottingham | Conflict |
| International Law and Security Centre (Nottingham) | Nottingham | Conflict |
| Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict (Oxford) | Oxford | Conflict |
| Political Change, Conflict and the Environment (Oxford) | Oxford | Conflict |
| The Handa Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence (St Andrew's) | St Andrew's | Terrorism |
| Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (St Andrews) | St Andrew's | Conflict |
| Centre for the Study of Religion and Politics (St Andrews) | St Andrew's | Conflict |
| Evolution and Resilience of Industrial Ecosystems (ERIE) Programme (Surrey) | Surrey | Conflict |
| Sussex Centre for Conflict and Security Research | Sussex | Conflict |
| Centre for Migration Research (Sussex) | Sussex | Conflict |
| European Union Security Research at the SEI (Sussex) | Sussex | Conflict |
| SpaceTimeLab (UCL) | UCL | Conflict |
| Centre for Criminal Law (UCL) | UCL | Transnational Organised Crime |
| Centre for European Politics, Security and Integration (UCL) | UCL | Conflict |
| Institute for Strategy, Resilience & Security (UCL) | UCL | Conflict |
| Post-war Reconstruction and Development Unit (York) | York | Conflict |
| Adapting to environmental and energy uncertainties (Birmingham) | Birmingham | Threats to Infrastructure |
| Resilient cities (Birmingham) | Birmingham | Threats to Infrastructure |
| Centre for Computational Biology (Birmingham) | Birmingham | Threats to Infrastructure |
| Global Insecurities Centre (University of Bristol) | Bristol | Threats to Infrastructure |
| Cabot Institute for the Environment (Bristol) | Bristol | Threats to Infrastructure |
| Southwest Nuclear Hub (Bristol, Southampton, Plymouth, Oxford) | Bristol, Southampton, Plymouth, Oxford | Threats to Infrastructure |
| Centre for the Study of Existential Risk (Cambridge) | Cambridge | Threats to Infrastructure |
| Centre for Risk Studies (Cambridge) | Cambridge | Threats to Infrastructure |
| Centre for Defence Engineering (Cambridge) | Cambridge | Threats to Infrastructure |
| Centre for Electronic Warfare Information and Cyber (Cranfield) | Cranfield | Threats to Infrastructure |
| Institute for Advanced Research Computing (Durham) | Durham | Threats to Infrastructure |
| Institute for the Study of Science, Technology and Innovation (Edinburgh) | Edinburgh | Threats to Infrastructure |
| Glasgow Global Security Network | Glasgow | Threats to Infrastructure |
| Algorithms, Complexity Theory and Optimisation Group (Liverpool) | Liverpool | Threats to Infrastructure |
| Plasma and Pulsed Power (Loughborough) | Loughborough | Threats to Infrastructure |
| Centre for Analysis of Risk and Regulation (LSE) | LSE | Threats to Infrastructure |
| Nottingham International Law and Security Centre | Nottingham | Threats to Infrastructure |
| Nottingham Geospatial Institute Research Group | Nottingham | Threats to Infrastructure |
| Climate Systems and Policy Research Group (Oxford) | Oxford | Threats to Infrastructure |
| Biodiversity, Ecosystems and Conservation | Oxford | Threats to Infrastructure |
| Oxford Institute for Energy Studies | Oxford | Threats to Infrastructure |
| Oxford Institute for New Economic Thinking | Oxford | Threats to Infrastructure |
| The Millimetre Wave & EPR Group (St Andrews) | St Andrew's | Threats to Infrastructure |
| Centre for Infrastructure Systems Engineering | Surrey | Threats to Infrastructure |
| Surrey: Centre for Environmental and Health Engineering | Surrey | Threats to Infrastructure |
| Centre for Global Health Policy | Sussex | Threats to Infrastructure |
| Industrial Informatics and Signal Processing Research Group | Sussex | Threats to Infrastructure |
| The Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis | UCL | Threats to Infrastructure |
| Centre for Urban Sustainability and Resilience | UCL | Threats to Infrastructure |
| Institute for risk and disaster reduction (UCL) | UCL | Threats to Infrastructure |
| Manufacturing Group (Warwick) | Warwick | Threats to Infrastructure |
| MSc Nuclear Decommissioning and Waste Management (Birmingham) | Birmingham | CBRNE |
| Centre for Pathogen Evolution (Cambridge) | Cambridge | CBRNE |
| Cambridge: Infectious Diseases | Cambridge | CBRNE |
| Cambridge Nuclear Energy Centre | Cambridge | CBRNE |
| Cranfield Forensic Institute (Cranfield) | Cranfield | CBRNE |
| Centre for Defence Chemistry (Cranfield) | Cranfield | CBRNE |
| Centre for Analytical Science (Loughborough) | Loughborough | CBRNE |
| Institute for Emerging Infections (Oxford) | Oxford | CBRNE |
| Science Policy Research Unit (Sussex) | Sussex | CBRNE |
| Evolutionary and adaptive systems group (Sussex) | Sussex | CBRNE |
| Graphics and Visualisation (Aberystwyth) | Aberystwyth | Terrorism |
| Centre of Excellence in Terrorism, resilience, Intelligence and Organised Crime Research | Sheffield Hallam | Terrorism |
The Partnership recognises that this is not comprehensive list and that there is likely to be many other eminent research programmes being undertaken elsewhere which are not yet included. We encourage you to make contact with the Partnership if you would like details to be added, removed or amended. Please email PaCCS Communications Officer Kate McNeil at k.mcneil@jbs.cam.ac.uk.
Archived 2016 Research Map:
Research into transnational organised crime, CBRNE, conflict, cybersecurity, terrorism and threats to infrastructure is always evolving, as are researchers’ and institutions’ areas of programmatic focus. The below map is a snapshot of the institutional research landscape in the UK in 2016, and has preserved for interested parties and as a matter of public record:
