Behaviour, Business, and Policy KERI

A pilot study led by Dr Anna Paolillo, Senior Lecturer in Organisational Psychology, supported by the British Academy Leverhulme Trust Small Research Grants scheme, reveals that prioritising employee safety in the hospitality sector not only reduces workplace risks and unsafe behaviours of frontline workers, but also enhances customer satisfaction with the service received. Traditionally, customer safety has taken precedence, but this research shows that when staff feel their safety is prioritised, they deliver better service and guests respond positively, recognising and valuing a culture of care across the board.

Funded by the British Academy and led by Dr Doğuş Şimşek, Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Sociology, in partnership with the Refugees and Asylum Seekers Assistance and Solidarity Association, this project investigates how poverty, inequality, and social exclusion shape the everyday lives of young refugees in Sultanbeyli, one of Istanbul’s most disadvantaged districts. Employing ethnographic methods such as walking interviews, participatory mapping, and digital storytelling, the research amplifies refugee voices and explores how urban spaces can become more inclusive. The study generates policy recommendations addressing key challenges in education, employment, and belonging, with the broader aim of reducing inequalities and fostering more equitable and inclusive urban environments.

This collaborative project, led by Dr Aiman El Asam, Associate Professor in Forensic Psychology, in partnership with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and funded by the Nuffield Foundation, focuses on improving the mental health support of children and adolescents by addressing the complex role of their digital lives. Recognising both the risks and the benefits of online engagement, the initiative aims to equip counsellors and psychotherapists with the tools and training needed to integrate digital experiences and online safety skills into therapeutic practice.

Through the co-creation of a Digital Lives Framework and a CPD-accredited training programme, the project will enhance safeguarding, strengthen therapeutic communication, and promote resilience among young people. With BACP’s reach of over 68,000 professionals, the framework is set to influence counselling standards nationwide, fostering a more holistic and responsive approach to youth mental health.

Funded by the Leverhulme Trust, this project explores creativity as a dynamic exchange between people and the objects they interact with – not just something that happens in the mind. Researchers, led by Professor of Psychology Frederic Valley-Tourageau, used virtual models and tracked behaviour to study how handling objects can spark fresh ideas, a phenomenon they call “outsight.” Using ELAN software for detailed behavioural tracking, researchers capture moments of “outsight” when an object’s behaviour itself sparks a new idea. By moving beyond traditional imagination-based methods, the study offers a new way to understand how breakthrough thinking happens in real-world settings. The findings could reshape how we approach problem solving across fields like design, education and innovation.

Kingston University is a proud partner in 6G-VERSUS (6G Vertical Trials for Sustainability), a €14.5 million EU-funded research project launched in January 2025. Over three years, the initiative will conduct six large-scale pilot trials across Europe to explore how 6G technology can support sustainable, next-generation vertical industries. The project brings together 34 partners from 10 countries, including leading academic institutions, non-profits, and industry leaders such as Hewlett Packard and Thales. Led by Head of Kingston Business School and Professor of Technology Management and Circular Economy Sankar Sivarajah and Professor of AI Business and Marketing Analytics Youngseok Thomas Choi, Kingston University’s team is focused on assessing the societal value of 6G innovations and how they can contribute to social equity, environmental responsibility and long-term resilience.

Kingston University’s strategic vision places inclusion at its centre. As one of our four underpinning institutional values, inclusion shapes our research priorities and objectives. In the Business, Behaviour and Policy (BBP) Knowledge Exchange and Research Institute (KERI), the theme of ‘Driving Innovative Solutions for a Just and Sustainable Society’ looks to embed inclusive research practices, and respond to global challenges pertaining to social justice and equality.

Responding to this priority, research into lived experiences of neurodivergence asks how we can value differences as positive contributions to change. It asks how we can support those who are neurodivergent to fully contribute to the societies of the future. In BBP, Elisa Back (Psychology) has worked with Kingston charity Voices of Hope to support neurodivergent families, and they have collaborated with Anna Paolillo (Business) on a project with Google UK to develop neuroinclusivity for digital business platforms. Goffredina Spano (Psychology) has been funded through the KERI to develop their work on ADHD and sleep disorders. KERI funding has also supported Stone Hsieh (Psychology) to research the relationship between ADHD and lifestyle behaviours; their research includes work with local charities Action Attainment and Gaming the Mind.

Research on neurodivergence is an excellent example of how our four KERIs work together to build research capacity. Alongside the work in BPP, neurodivergence is being explored in the Health, Environment and Society KERI through Paty Paliokosta’s (Education) work on inclusive neurodivergent learning environments. Melania Calestani (Midwifery) is leading a collaborative staff-student SADRAS project to investigate lived experiences of neurodivergence in midwifery. The Design, Art and Creative Practice KERI is funding a kickstarter project for Roman Vasseur (Fine Art), Volker Eichelmann (Fine Art), Sara Upstone (English Literature), Steven Fowler (Creative Writing) and Melania Calestani (Midwifery) to investigate autistic art practices as alternative registers of communication and cognition. In the Cyber, Engineering and Digital Technologies KERI, Gordon Johnson and Cristos Politis (Computer Science) have developed inclusive gaming platforms for neurodivergent users. Future opportunities to bring these researchers together through our cross-KERI activity will consolidate this emerging area of research strength.

Over the past two years, Kingston University has partnered with Ashtead Engineering, a specialist precision engineering firm, through a £180,000 Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) funded by Innovate UK.

Faced with the challenge of scaling their business, Ashtead’s leadership recognised the need to professionalise operations but lacked the expertise to make it happen.

Leveraging the expertise of Kingston Business School and the support of embedded graduate associate Usama Jamil, the collaboration delivered transformative results. Together, the team introduced new corporate and brand strategies, alongside enhanced HR, operations and sales systems. These improvements have significantly boosted both revenue and profitability, applying proven business principles often underutilised in micro and SME enterprises.

Guided by Professor Christina Butler and Senior Lecturer Peter Martins da Silva, the project showcases the impact of Kingston’s Behaviour, Business and Policy KERI in forging meaningful partnerships that fuel innovation, strengthen local industry and build economic resilience. The strong partnership between the academic and company teams was recognised at the 2025 Innovate UK KTP Awards, read more on the news section of our website.

In collaboration with PromoVeritas and funded through a Management Knowledge Transfer Partnership by Innovate UK, this project successfully developed a pioneering consumer behavioural intelligence capability. The initiative, led by Professor of Behavioural Science Gaëlle Vallée-Tourangeau, enabled PromoVeritas to deliver more effective, data-driven promotional campaigns for its clients, using behavioural insights to enhance targeting and engagement. The new capability proved transformational supporting the company’s strategic growth by attracting high-value clients, while also strengthening internal business processes, upskilling staff and enhancing leadership development.

Launched in January 2025, COP-PILOT (Collaborative Open Platform – Piloting Framework) is a three-year, €28 million EU-funded initiative under Horizon Europe. The project aims to develop a standards-based open computing platform that enables cross-sector orchestration, integrating AI-driven tools, Service level agreement preserving automation and secure infrastructure. It pilots real-world applications across energy, smart cities, agriculture and manufacturing to drive innovation and societal impact.

Coordinated by Netcompany-Intrasoft, the consortium includes 47 partners from 12 countries, featuring major industry players like Tata Communications and Telefónica Innovación Digital, as well as SMEs, universities, and research centres. 

At Kingston University, Professor Sankar Sivarajah, Head of Kingston Business School and Professor of Technology Management and Circular Economy and Professor of AI Business and Marketing Analytics Youngseok Thomas Choi, lead research on edge and cloud computing, exploring how these technologies can enhance real-time data processing and support critical sectors such as healthcare.

Visit the COP-PILOT Project Website: https://cop-pilot.eu/

A pilot study led by Professor of Behavioural Science at Kingston Business School Gaëlle Vallée-Tourangeau, in partnership with Kingston School of Art and the charity CREATE4MentalHealth, investigated how professionally produced video content can enhance mental health support for young people. 

Funded by the Big South London Partnership the research focused on 18 to 25-year-olds, comparing the emotional and behavioural impact of a narrative film versus a static informational video. The study revealed that the narrative film generated deeper emotional engagement and more reflective responses, while both formats encouraged similar levels of supportive action. These findings underscore the potential of combining behavioural science with creative media to shape more effective and empathetic mental health outreach strategies.