Business School launches campaign to show research impact

Business School researchers have looked at financial solutions to help farmers in Tanzania

Imperial College Business School has launched a campaign to demonstrate how its research has changed business, politics and society in recent years.

The campaign showcases several areas of research impact, highlighting case studies with international reach across both the public and private sectors.

Among the research highlighted is a collaboration between Drs Enrico Biffis and Erik Chavez and Munich Re, the World Bank and Tanzanian banks, which led to an innovative loan-insurance product for smallholder farmers in Tanzania. This resulted in $13 million of additional loans to 50,000 such farmers.

Additionally, the campaign spotlights the partnership between Dr Marisa Miraldo, her colleagues at the Centre for Health Economics & Policy Innovation and Portugal’s Ministry of Health, which demonstrated the impact of a sugar tax on reducing sugar consumption.

“The pandemic has increased our awareness of the key role played by the intersection of business, science and technology in addressing today’s major societal challenges.”Professor Francisco VelosoDean of Imperial College Business School

It also features Professor Tarun Ramadorai’s 2017 Report on Household Finance for the Reserve Bank of India, which led to the mandatory benchmarking of interest charges on home loans to help Indian households make informed choices about their mortgages.

Other research featured in the campaign includes Professor Tommaso Valletti’s work on how businesses can protect innovation in the face of large-scale mergers and acquisitions. Professor Jonathan Haskel’s research on valuing intangible assets and Dr Omar Merlo’s work on why customer satisfaction is key to transforming an organisation.

The campaign also comprises video interviews with some of the Business School’s top academics, including Professor David Miles, who discusses his work on creating a level playing field for mortgages, which is summarised in the high-profile Miles Report. Professor Richard Green talks about how his research into economic and energy models is contributing towards shaping a sustainable energy policy for the UK, and Professor Paola Criscuolo and Dr Anne ter Wal discuss how their work created a supportive environment for innovation at a FTSE 500 organisation.

“The pandemic has increased our awareness of the key role played by the intersection of business, science and technology in addressing today’s major societal challenges,” said Professor Francisco Veloso, Dean of the Business School. “It is the perfect time to highlight the Business School’s part in helping business leaders and policymakers make sense of our rapidly changing world and its contribution towards shaping the future.”

The campaign is part of a wider initiative to celebrate the Business School’s research impact.