Responsible Business Must Turn Research into Real Impact: Prof Bob Doherty

August 29, 2026

Prof Bob Doherty of the University of York Mumbai discusses responsible business, evidence-led CSR, regenerative models, food-system resilience and India–UK collaboration.

MUMBAI (India CSR): As India works to address complex challenges around climate change, food security, inequality and sustainable growth, stronger collaboration between universities, businesses, governments and communities is becoming essential. In this exclusive interview with Rusen Kumar, Editor, India CSR, Prof Bob Doherty, Director of Research at the University of York Mumbai, explains why research must move beyond academic papers to create practical, measurable solutions that improve lives, protect nature and strengthen the economy.

Prof Doherty shares his views on embedding sustainability into core business strategy, designing evidence-based CSR programmes, building resilient food systems and preparing future leaders for responsible decision-making. He also highlights how India and the UK can jointly develop locally relevant innovations with global learning potential.

How can universities move beyond generating research to creating measurable social and environmental impact on the ground?

Research at universities should be seen not as a product but as a process of development. Good research in the area of sustainability and corporate social responsibility should be based on real-life problems, should be conducted with input from the people dealing with those problems, and finally should turn evidence into practical solutions for both managers and policy makers which can be implemented, adjusted, and further tested. That means that cooperation with industries, public policy makers, community leaders, and other stakeholders has to occur already at the beginning of the process, and not at its end, as it is typically done now.

At the University of York Mumbai, there are good perspectives in that direction due to research-led teaching and partnerships with the industry. Our research on food systems, sustainability, responsible business, and bioeconomy opens the perspective to use academic knowledge to answer challenges facing both India and the UK. Impact should be measured not in the number of published papers, but also in terms of whether the gained knowledge influences decision-making processes, contributes to positive change, and leads to positive results for people, nature, and the economy.

What role can stronger partnerships between academia, businesses, governments and communities play in solving India’s most pressing social and environmental challenges?

The problems that India faces are far too interrelated for one single entity to address them on its own. Universities can contribute with data and impartial analysis; businesses have resources, creativity and capacity for scaling up; governments have policies and infrastructure; while communities know about interventions that would actually work locally. In combination, such capabilities allow for bringing solutions from the theoretical realm of ideas or scientific studies to practice.

The cooperation, however, needs to be two-directional and solutions co-created. Academics cannot just come to communities or businesses and impose their solution. We need to listen to the people who are the experts in their communities and use this knowledge to inform our research. This is what we do at the University of York Mumbai as we develop relationships with the industries and organisations in such areas as sustainable food systems, supply chains, ethical business and the bioeconomy.

How can businesses move from treating sustainability and CSR as standalone initiatives to embedding responsible practices into their core business models?

The fundamental shift is to stop seeing sustainability as something that sits alongside the business and start asking how it can influence the way the business creates value. That means looking at the entire value chain, from sourcing and production to employment, distribution, consumption and waste and asking whether each part is creating long-term value for both the business and society.

This is where responsible business acquires even greater significance. Business that integrates sustainability into its procurement, design, investments, and partnerships is more likely to positively affect society compared to the one making donations for individual projects. Through my research on social enterprises, fair trade, and hybrid organisations, I could appreciate the power of the business model aimed at generating social and environmental value along with commercial value. The goal should not be to decide which value is better than the other, but to see the ways in which they may enhance each other and create the optimum balance.

What makes a sustainability or social-impact initiative genuinely scalable and replicable across communities and regions?

Scalability does not necessarily have to be the implementation of a solution in the same way for all communities because the social, cultural, economic, and environmental context will differ from place to place. One size does not fit all! It is important to identify the basic principles that make the intervention work and then adapt the model accordingly.

This is why it is so crucial to collect data. Prior to scaling, it is necessary to know what generated the impact, whom it has affected, what type of resources were needed, and what kind of conditions made the model work. It is important to engage the local population in adaptation and not just replicate a solution because only then it can be considered scalable.

How can research and evidence help companies design CSR programmes that deliver measurable, long-term outcomes rather than short-term interventions?

Research could enable firms to shift their thinking from “How much did we spend?” to “What actually happened?” That is an important distinction. A CSR initiative might have reached thousands of people, but reach by itself will not tell us whether their lives or livelihoods have improved, or even the environment around them. Through evidence, businesses would be able to build up their baselines, identify meaningful outcomes and track them in the course of time.

It can also help companies determine if an intervention has truly worked. This is especially crucial during scaling. Our approach at York Mumbai is firmly rooted in systems thinking and bridging knowledge. For example, our projects like FixOurFood involve research with tools, data, stakeholder engagement, and policy learning in order to tackle resilience in the food system. We believe in action- orientated research to solve complex problems.

What can businesses learn from regenerative business models about balancing commercial success with environmental and social impact?

The idea of a regenerative business model challenges us to consider whether it is possible to go beyond and actually help regenerate the systems that a business relies upon. It might include efforts to improve soil quality, build farmer livelihoods, develop more resilient supply chains or create healthier communities. In all cases, the impacts of the business upon the environment and society are not disconnected from the long-term viability of the business itself.

This implies a need for a new perspective on value creation. Through my efforts at FixOurFood, I have been involved in developing approaches to food production systems that are healthier and regenerative and can also serve as economic models. The important message for businesses is that resilience and profitability may not be contradictory terms. When a business invests in healthy ecosystems, vibrant communities and resilient supply chains, it also invests in its future sustainability.

India’s food systems face challenges around food security, supply chains and sustainability. How can businesses, researchers and policymakers work together to build greater resilience?

The food system in India is complex and highly interrelated and hence building resilience therefore requires understanding the vulnerabilities across agriculture, production, processing, logistics, retail and consumption, and identifying where interventions are needed. Businesses, academia and policymakers have a role in analyzing the areas that need intervention in terms of vulnerabilities in agriculture, production, processing, logistics, retail and consumption and formulating strategies for addressing these vulnerabilities. In this process, the businesses can contribute with their understanding of market and supply chain processes, academia can contribute with evidence and innovative ideas, while the policy makers can create an enabling policy and regulatory environment for implementation of the strategies.

In addition, the need for involving the farmers and communities in this process is important. Resilience is all about creating a food system which is resilient to various types of shocks such as economic, environmental and social and yet is able to provide cheap and nutritious food. This is what our work on food systems at the University of York has taught us. For India, the challenge is to integrate research, innovations of the business community and policies with local knowledge so that sustainability and adaptation is possible.

How can international knowledge exchange, particularly between the UK and India, help develop solutions that are relevant to local communities while having the potential to scale globally?

Knowledge exchange must never be a one-way flow of knowledge between countries. India possesses extensive expertise in many domains, including entrepreneurial thinking, frugal innovation, community-driven development, environmental innovation and working in a complex and diverse environment. The UK offers its expertise in research, innovation, and policymaking. The goal is to bring these various types of knowledge into conversation and learn from each other and co-create unique insights

This is one of the key principles underlying the University of York Mumbai initiative. The university is seen as a bridge between research and expertise in the UK and knowledge, business and communities in India. The potential collaboration between BioYorkshire and the Mumbai Biocluster should not be seen merely as an importation of a UK model into India. It is rather a meeting of two ecosystems and what can be achieved as a result of their interaction. Knowledge and solutions produced in this way can be local but provide lessons for other parts of the world.

What role can universities play in preparing the next generation of professionals to think about business through the lens of sustainability, responsibility and social impact?

In addition to determining knowledge acquisition, there is an opportunity for universities to influence how students think. It is important that the students recognize that making business decisions has more implications apart from influencing performance. There is the need for integrating this approach in the business education process instead of having it as a separate discipline known as sustainability.

A research-oriented education process can be quite effective as students will be encouraged to challenge assumptions, analyze the evidence and apply concepts to solve issues. In the case of the University of York Mumbai, efforts have been made to integrate research and current industry issues in teaching processes while at the same time providing the students with a chance to solve business problems. Such efforts are important in the current era whereby new technology such as AI is transforming the way businesses operate.

Looking ahead, what will responsible business leadership need to look like as companies navigate climate change, technological disruption and growing expectations around social impact?

Responsible leadership will become more and more associated with the ability to make connections between different kinds of problems. Climate change, technology, inequality, supply chain resilience, and social expectation can no longer be viewed as separate issues. Leaders will have to be aware of the bigger system in which their organizations operate and ready to make decisions not only based on immediate gains but on resilience and value creation for the future.

They will also have to be comfortable with uncertainty. Future leaders will be required to rely on evidence, listen to multiple stakeholders, question the existing assumptions and adjust their actions as new information becomes available. Technology, including artificial intelligence, will be able to help leaders make better decisions, but it will never be able to substitute people when it comes to evaluating what is right and desirable to do. In other words, responsible leadership will always include translating knowledge into action and making sure that business success goes hand in hand with positive societal and environmental outcomes. The same approach to research and practice is being promoted and actioned by the University of York Mumbai.

Source: indiacsr.in