UK hub for research into security threats awarded £5.3m funding

9 Nov 2020 03:55 PM

The Centre for Research and Evidence on Security Threats (CREST) has been awarded a further £5.3 million to continue its behavioural and social science research into security threats to the UK.

Cover created for issue 5 CREST Security Review (CSR): Networks

The work of CREST

Research at the centre will be led by academics at the partner universities, and by others as a result of a competitive tender, with an initial focus on:

Since launching in October 2015, CREST has brought together 140 researchers from 35 higher education institutions and small and medium-sized enterprises who have, through their research and engagement activities, added value to security training, practices and policies.

As well as conducting world-class, independent research, CREST has taken a leading role in:

Funding

The grant administered by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) sees CREST funded until 2023 with £5.3 million coming from the UK Home Office and UK security and intelligence agencies.

Further investments are made by core partners at the universities of:

Director of CREST, Professor Paul Taylor from Lancaster University, said:

The quality and importance of what the CREST community has delivered since 2015 is nothing short of remarkable. Today’s funding announcement recognises these achievements. It allows the community to expand, break new ground, and ensure the UK and its partners have world-leading behavioural and social science at their fingertips when acting to keep us safe.

Professor Jennifer Rubin, Executive Chair of ESRC, said:

This continued funding will enable CREST to produce new behavioral and social science research that contributes to our understanding of current threats to national and international security and how best to mitigate them.

Further information

CREST is the UK’s hub for behavioural and social science research into security threats.

Twitter @crest_research.