Tailored to: National and international organisations, government institutions, NGOs and think tanks
All S4S employees have experience in academia, with works published in scientific journals. Conducting research is in the company’s DNA. S4S draws together knowledge of development and sustainability research, dedicating its work to key issues related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Our research ambition is to be theory-based, empirically backed, and application-oriented. We use a range of research methodologies, including qualitative and quantitative analysis, to generate insights that support informed decision-making. We strive to drive research that, while thoroughly grounded in economic theory and backed by available data, can be applied in the field and achieve an actual positive impact.
The research staff has been involved in numerous international research projects and contributed to policy-making.
Project Example: To inform the Netherlands’ policy on humanitarian assistance, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) called for a literature study on the role of innovation in humanitarian contexts. The primary question was to what degree an enhanced funding in innovation projects may aid in bridging the humanitarian funding gap, which innovations can be seen as contributing significant value in humanitarian contexts, and how donors can maximize the impact of their funding.
By conducting a systematic review of the literature, the research team analysed hundreds of of articles, reports, and policy briefs, going back to 2015, and synthesised them into a novel framework that re-envisions the humanitarian context as a holistic system. Based on this framework, we offered concrete policy-advice on which levers in the humanitarian system are particularly effective in enhancing the humanitarian system as a whole, and should therefore be considered by the MFA for additional funding, so that the impact of innovations in humanitarian contexts can be strengthened.