GOLDSMITHS' COLLEGE

Their core work

Goldsmiths, University of London, is a humanities and social sciences-oriented institution with distinctive strengths in critical and creative research. They investigate power structures, social justice, and cultural production — from forensic architecture documenting human rights violations to the politics of patents and clothing inventions. Their research consistently bridges arts, technology, and social inquiry, producing work that challenges conventional disciplinary boundaries. They are particularly strong in practice-based research methods, combining digital tools with cultural analysis to address issues like gender justice, extortion economies, and diasporic technology cultures.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2015–2018), Goldsmiths focused on forensic architecture, human rights evidence, and social psychology of identity — projects like FAMEC and HETERO defined this phase. From 2019 onward, their research shifted toward material culture, political economy, and diasporic technology: PoliticsOfPatents examines citizenship through clothing inventions, Worldsoflabour investigates flexible capitalism in Eastern Europe, and SST explores reggae sound systems as a lens on technology and the Global South. The trajectory shows a move from documenting injustice toward understanding how marginalized communities create, invent, and resist through everyday practices.

Goldsmiths is increasingly focused on decolonizing technology narratives and studying how the Global South and diaspora communities drive innovation — a direction relevant to partners working on inclusive innovation policy or cultural industries.

How they like to work

Goldsmiths leads more often than it follows: 10 of 17 projects were coordinated, including their two largest grants (FAMEC and SST, each near EUR 2M). Their consortia tend to be small — 32 unique partners across 17 projects suggests focused, purpose-built teams rather than large multi-partner networks. This is a confident PI-driven institution: they design their own research agendas and bring in specific partners for targeted contributions rather than joining large-scale infrastructure projects.

Goldsmiths has worked with 32 unique partners across 12 countries, reflecting a broad European reach with likely connections into arts, humanities, and social science institutions. The relatively low partner-to-project ratio indicates selective, non-overlapping partnerships rather than a fixed inner circle.

What sets them apart

Goldsmiths occupies a rare niche: rigorous social science and humanities research that directly engages with technology, space, and material culture. Unlike technical universities, they bring critical inquiry — asking not just how technology works but who it serves and who it excludes. For consortium builders, they offer something hard to find elsewhere: the ability to connect creative practice, cultural theory, and social justice analysis within a single research team, backed by a strong track record of winning and leading ERC grants.

Highlights from their portfolio

• FAMEC
  Their largest grant (EUR 2M), Forensic Architecture is an internationally recognized research programme that has exhibited at major museums and presented evidence to the International Criminal Court.
• SST
  Second-largest grant (EUR 2M), studying reggae sound systems as technology — a highly original project connecting diaspora cultures, low-tech innovation, and Global South knowledge production.
• PoliticsOfPatents
  EUR 1.8M ERC grant reimagining citizenship through 200 years of clothing inventions — exemplifies Goldsmiths' distinctive ability to connect material culture with political theory.