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Research & Innovation

Five Research Clusters & Industry Engagement

Interdisciplinary research addressing climate risk, sustainable supply chains, green technologies, and beyond.

Research Clusters

Five Thematic Areas of Focus

Sustainable Business Models & Circular Economy

  • Resource efficiency
  • Waste reduction
  • Sustainable supply chains
  • Product lifecycle

Climate, Energy & Environmental Innovation

  • Renewable energy
  • Carbon management
  • Climate adaptation

Digital Transformation for Sustainability

  • AI & analytics
  • Smart cities
  • Digital twins

Sustainable Finance & ESG

  • ESG frameworks
  • Green finance
  • Impact investing

Policy, Governance & Social Impact

  • Policy design
  • Social innovation
  • Inclusive growth
Cluster 1

Sustainable Business Models & Circular Economy

This cluster focuses on transforming traditional linear business models into circular, regenerative systems. Key focus areas include resource efficiency, waste reduction, sustainable supply chains, and product lifecycle management.

Relevance to Saudi Arabia: supports industrial diversification, resource optimization, and environmental sustainability goals.

Research & Case Studies

Evidence-based insights highlighting real-world examples of circular transitions across sectors.

Industry Consulting

Tailored sustainability and circularity solutions aligned with organizational goals and market realities.

Toolkits & Frameworks

Step-by-step guidance, metrics, and best practices for assessing and planning sustainability journeys.

Circular Economy Circular Economy 2
Climate Energy Climate Energy 2
Cluster 2

Climate, Energy & Environmental Innovation

Renewable Energy

Advancing adoption of clean energy solutions — solar, wind, and emerging systems — to reduce emissions and strengthen energy resilience.

Carbon Management

Guiding organizations to measure, manage, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions with data-driven strategies and net-zero frameworks.

Climate Adaptation

Helping organizations and communities build resilience to climate change impacts — aligned with the Saudi Green Initiative.

Cluster 3

Digital Transformation for Sustainability

AI & Data Analytics

Leveraging predictive models and machine learning to uncover inefficiencies, optimize resource use, and support sustainable decision-making.

Smart Cities

Integrating digital technologies for urban sustainability — energy, mobility, waste management, and intelligent infrastructure planning.

Digital Twins

Creating virtual replicas of physical systems to simulate, optimize, and improve performance — reducing waste and lowering costs. Supports Saudi Arabia's digital transformation ambitions.

Digital Smart City
Cluster 4

Sustainable Finance & ESG

ESG Frameworks

Integrating environmental, social, and governance considerations into core strategies and reporting.

Green Finance

Mobilizing capital through green bonds and sustainable loans toward low-carbon solutions.

Impact Investing

Generating measurable social and environmental benefits alongside financial returns. Supports Vision 2030 financial sector development.

Cluster 5

Policy, Governance & Social Impact

Policy Design

Developing evidence-based, forward-looking policies that support sustainability and inclusive development.

Social Innovation

Driving creation of solutions that address pressing societal challenges through collaborative approaches.

Inclusive Growth

Ensuring economic development benefits all segments of society — reducing disparities and enhancing social cohesion.

Research Programs

Interdisciplinary Research Areas

Green Finance & ESG

Investigating responsible investing principles with focus on environmental protection, green financing policy, carbon pricing, sustainable performance measurement, and governance. Hundreds of publications inform practice across energy accounting, carbon credits, and emerging green economy areas.

Digital Transformation, Technology & Management

Strategic, managerial, and operational issues around technological change — spanning AI in management, digital strategy, data-driven decision making, e-commerce, machine learning, global supply chains, and international markets.

Competitiveness Benchmarking & Analytics

Competitiveness analysis at firm, sector, and national levels using benchmarking methodologies — covering business analytics, Islamic finance, monetary strategies, international trade, sector microeconomic analysis, forecasting, and systemic risks.

Digital Marketing & AI-Powered Consumer Insights

Leveraging AI to enhance targeting and personalization — covering neuromarketing, predictive analytics, social media analytics, conversational AI, brand loyalty, consumer decision-making, and emerging trends in consumer behavior.

Industry Engagement

Partnerships That Drive Real Impact

Corporate Partnerships

Structured collaborations with industry players to co-develop knowledge, solutions, and talent pipelines. Partners align strategic goals and leverage complementary strengths through applied research, internships, and executive education.

Innovation Labs

Dedicated spaces where multidisciplinary teams experiment with new ideas, technologies, and business models. Rapid prototyping, iterative testing, and creative problem-solving accelerate development of scalable solutions.

Startup Incubation

Supporting early-stage ventures with mentorship, funding access, technical expertise, and structured guidance. Entrepreneurs refine ideas, validate market demand, and connect with investors through our ecosystem.

Publication

Environment, Society & Business Review

Double-Blind Peer-Reviewed Open Access Bi-Annual · Jan & Jun

ESBR is published by the College of Business Administration, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University. It is committed to disseminating impactful and innovative research to a global audience of scholars, practitioners, and policymakers.

The journal employs a stringent double-blind peer-review process, evaluating manuscripts on relevance, originality, methodological rigor, and contribution to the field. It provides immediate open access on the principle that freely available research supports greater global knowledge exchange.

ESBR will be included in major abstracting and indexing databases. Two issues are published annually: January and June.

Submit a Manuscript →

Topics Covered

Sustainable Business Models Environmental Policy Climate & Business Adaptation Technology Innovation CSR & Social Impact Green Finance Environmental Justice Organizational Behavior Sustainable Consumption Urbanization & Environment Cross-sector Governance ESG & Green Investment Competitiveness Analytics Digital Marketing & AI

Fields include business, social sciences, humanities, health, and education. Emerging and cross-disciplinary topics are also considered. Send submissions to: editor.esbr@pmu.edu.sa

Global Benchmarking & Impact

Measuring and Maximizing Real-World Impact

Global Benchmarking & Impact focuses on measuring, comparing, and enhancing performance against leading international standards. It enables organizations and researchers to assess progress using globally recognized metrics and evidence-based frameworks.

  • Translate research into action — bridging academic knowledge and practical implementation
  • Build innovation ecosystems — connecting academia, industry, government, and entrepreneurs
  • Measure real-world impact — tracking progress against clear indicators and global benchmarks
Global Impact