Director: Professor Emily R. Munro

The Institute of Applied Social Research (IASR) has a reputation for world-leading applied research that reshapes public debate, nationally and internationally and strengthens the evidence base for policy and practice. Distinctively, it brings the voice of people with lived experience to centre stage. IASR encompasses a wide range of disciplines and research topics covering specific social work and social policy domains: safeguarding children and adults, child sexual exploitation, extra-familial harm, youth justice, substance misuse, trafficking, and forced migration. In REF 2021 81% of our Social Work and Social Policy research was rated as world leading or internationally excellent.

IASR is home to two research centres – the Safer Young Lives Research Centre (SYLRC) (formally the International Centre: Researching child sexual exploitation and trafficking) and the Tilda Goldberg Centre for Social Work and Social Care (TGC).

Two interdisciplinary research groups are also based in the Institute bringing together researchers with expertise in 1) substance misuse (in TGC) and 2) forced migration (in SYLRC) 

The Institute of Health Research (IHR) and IASR also host the Bedford, Luton and Milton Keynes (BLMK) Integrated Care Research and Innovation Hub, which aims to practically support regional stakeholders with making positive, step changes in health and social care. The Hub works closely with the BLMK Integrated Care Board to ascertain user needs, support innovation and address health and social care.

Address

Institute of Applied Social Research
The University of Bedfordshire
Room C411 University Square
Luton, Bedfordshire
LU1 3JU
T 01582 743786
go to map and directions to Luton campus