Introducing Fieldwork
Why we decided to set up our own company, and what we’ll be working on
We, Freddie and Charlie, are very proud to announce our very own research cooperative, Fieldwork.
We met at the University of Sussex in 2022 and have worked together ever since.
We’ve been building Fieldwork for a while now, and we’re very excited to be able to finally announce our launch.
So, why did we decide to start a cooperative?
We wanted to do a cooperative, differently. We’ve decided to incorporate as a Community Interest Company (CIC). This means we can’t pay ourselves dividends (which are taxed, still, at lower rates than PAYE salaries). Being a CIC also requires us to have an ‘asset lock’, meaning we’ve pledged our remaining assets to a charity if we ever decide to close Fieldwork.
We want to follow the questions that feel most prescient. Both of us came into this with a clear sense of the problems we wanted to spend our time on, and a frustration with how often the most important questions fall between the cracks of grant cycles, institutional priorities and disciplinary boundaries. Fieldwork lets us follow those questions wherever they lead, and to work with the partners best placed to act on the answers.
To draw on our networks. Between us, we have access to significant policy and academic networks that we’ll be relying on to develop and disseminate our research and bolster our impact.
To bring in our Stewards’ expertise. We’ll soon be announcing our Board of Stewards, which will be full of people with deep expertise in the work we’ll be doing
To create a transnational Faculty of researchers. We’ll soon be announcing our Faculty, which will be full of researchers at all stages of their careers that are working on exciting and important things. This will help us pull together the perfect research team for every project.
To overcome the challenges facing academia. In 2026, UK universities are in a state of crisis. As academic researchers, our sense is that building a cooperative gives us a much better chance of having a bigger impact on energy policy and progressive, pro-renewables advocacy.
Our work will be adopting a four-fold approach, which is what our logo is all about.
Research. We offer academic-grade research that goes beyond the superficial (and the hallucinated). Our research is rigorous, sourced, and built to withstand scrutiny.
Strategy. We will provide independent, data-driven insight on where power lies, how incentives are structured, and where the real decision points lie: not just in theory, but in the specific context our partners are working in.
Advocacy. We help organisations make their points land where they need to, where that’s at high-level summits, conferences or on policymakers’ desks.
Advisory. We offer strategic advice on how to navigate challenges and influence outcomes.
Alongside our projects, we have lots of things we want to write about. As a preview, here are some of the issues we’ll be exploring in the coming months.
Geopolitical realignments and what it means for energy transitions. How are processes of electrification and new supply chains reshaping global power?
Green industrialisation in South West Asia. How can Syria, Lebanon and other SWANA countries industrialise in sustainable, inclusive ways?
New modes of governance in sport. How can football be governed differently to ensure its future in a hotter, more unstable world?
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