About ISR
Established in 2019 and officially launched by Jane Brophy MEP, the Institute for Social Responsibility (ISR) is Edge Hill University’s cross-disciplinary research and knowledge exchange initiative.

With a remit to critically examine broad conceptualisations of social responsibility across all disciplines, the Institute is committed to exploring the opportunities for cross sector collaboration and co-operation and to draw on the experience of practitioners.
ISR is committed to sustaining a vibrant research culture at Edge Hill and thus provides research support in the form of training, research and knowledge exchange funding and annual research fellowships. ISR is also home to the Evaluation Policy Unit, dedicated to the assessment of public policy and public policy research.
ISR also supports annual research fellowships, giving academics the space to work on external funding bids to support research on social responsibility. ISR also provides enhanced research support training for staff and provides a home to the research unit for Evaluation and Policy Analysis, dedicated to the assessment of public policy. In addition, the work of ISR is supported by visiting fellows from a range of disciplines, and an external advisory board.
Our mission
- ISR will contribute to the ongoing development of a sustainable and vibrant research culture at Edge Hill University by acting as an inter-disciplinary, cross-departmental hub, co-ordinating and supporting research, promoting practitioner and community engagement and assessing public policy within the sphere of social responsibility
- Embracing a range of conceptualisations of social responsibility from across the public, private and third sectors, the Institute will both initiate and support research, provides an interface for practitioners and academics to inform new ways of working and learning, create a platform for knowledge exchange, and assess the impact of UK public policy through the Policy Evaluation Unit (EPA).
Our aims
- Assist in the generation of a vibrant and stimulating research culture at Edge Hill University
- Make a positive impact on pressing issues in the realm of social responsibility by supporting and initiating independent, internationally recognised research.
- Emphasise the co-production and exchange of knowledge both during and as an outcome of our research and public policy assessment with practitioners and academics alike.
- Contribute to debates on social responsibility and enhance policy formation – regionally, nationally and internationally – through a range of public events and practitioner engagement.
- Showcase interpretations and conceptualisations of social responsibility and citizenship within the public, private and third sector, and intersections therein.
- Host Visiting Professors, Visiting Fellows, and to host Practitioners in Residence, to work directly with staff, students and our established networks.
- Provide support for established and new research centres across the University that seek focus on specific areas of ISR’s remit.
- Assist in the development of academic staff through the provision of research training