Addressing Global Challenges: The Impact of INSEAD's Research Initiatives and Support

Global challenges such as climate change, conflicts, and biodiversity decline demand urgent attention and academic collaboration. INSEAD dedicates its faculty, researchers and PhD candidates to initiatives tackling these issues, like the Sustainable Business Initiative (SBI) and the Humanitarian Research Group (HRG), led by INSEAD Professors Atalay Atasu and Luk Van Wassenhove. 

These initiatives embody INSEAD's commitment to innovative thinking by uniting talents and perspectives. While the PhD programmes nurture individual potential, initiatives like the SBI and HRG harness collective creativity. Recently, these efforts expanded to address biodiversity loss, an emerging challenge with limited academic work in business schools and a need for more tools and evidence-based research. 

Recognising the business risks of biodiversity decline, INSEAD’s research teams participated in an innovation tournament in March 2024, seeking the best research idea on Biodiversity and Business Continuity. Business continuity refers to the ability of businesses to continue operating effectively and sustainably despite environmental and other external changes. Using the Torneio platform, a software tool used in both degree and non-degree programmes, accessed with the support of Professor Steve Chick of the Healthcare Management Initiative, researchers submitted 38 ideas, ranging from bee pollination management to synergies between wind farms and marine ecosystems. These ideas were reviewed and narrowed to six top-rated concepts, with three particularly promising research directions. 

One standout idea focused on the effect of biodiversity practices on supplier shareholder value, assessing whether these practices are valued throughout the supply chain. Another centred on the transition to organic farming, motivated by the European Union’s Green Deal, which aims for 25% of agricultural land to be organic by 2030. The third involved improving pollination practices to preserve biodiversity while balancing profitability and environmental sustainability. 

The HRG and SBI initiatives at INSEAD illustrate the importance of research centres in fostering innovation. These centres provide a structured environment for generating and refining ideas, moving beyond the informal, often spontaneous, nature of traditional research that addresses pressing global issues. 

However, translating these ideas into tangible research projects requires adequate financial support. Supporting research initiatives at INSEAD is essential, as it enables the hiring of researchers and the pursuit of detailed, actionable studies. For example, funding a research position dedicated to biodiversity research could significantly advance these initiatives, resulting in published studies that inform both academic and practical approaches to biodiversity challenges. 

Iman Parsa, one of the researchers involved in the Biodiversity and Business Continuity project, emphasised the critical role of these centres in driving innovation: "Without the centres, the faculty or the researchers might still be working on similar topics, but the collaborative environment created by the centres leads to more innovation.” 

Iman also highlighted the necessity of a structured approach to research ideation: "Biodiversity is a broad topic. We first needed to agree on the perspective we wanted to take – which was business continuity. We also set criteria to ensure research potential, including metrics to evaluate biodiversity and levels of analysis." 

The collaborative research process at INSEAD demonstrates the potential for business schools to address global challenges like biodiversity loss. By fostering a collective approach to research and securing the necessary funding, INSEAD enhances academic contributions and provides businesses with the insights needed to operate sustainably and responsibly. 

INSEAD’s initiatives and centres are crucial in generating innovative research ideas. Their success depends on adequate support to transform concepts into impactful projects. By continuing to expand these efforts, INSEAD can address pressing issues and drive meaningful change through collaborative research.