Institutes, Centres and Clusters

Research in the Faculty of Business and Law is broken into a number of institutes, centres and individual research clusters, these include:

Institutes and Centres

Overshot of a housing estate

Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute

Curtin University is a research partner of  the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI), a national independent research network with an expert not-for-profit research management company, AHURI Limited, at its centre.

AHURI has a public good mission to deliver high quality research that influences policy development to improve the housing and urban environments of all Australians. Through active engagement, their work informs the policies and practices of governments and the housing and urban development industries, and stimulates debate in the broader Australian community.

Visit the AHURI

A group of Curtin brochures scattered on a table

Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre

The Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre is an independent economic and social research organisation located within the Curtin Business School at Curtin University.

The Centre was established in 2012 through the generous support of Bankwest, a division of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. The Centre’s core mission is to deliver high quality, accessible research that enhances our understanding of key economic and social issues that contribute to the wellbeing of West Australian families, businesses and communities.

Visit the BCEC

Outside shot of Building 408 Curtin Business School

Centre for Research in Applied Economics

The Centre for Research in Applied Economics (CRAE) was established in July 2006 to provide a framework for collaborative applied economic research across Curtin. Located in the School of Economics and Finance, CRAE supports research into economic and social phenomena that impact on lives in Western Australia, the nation and throughout the world.

CRAE’s researchers use a variety of theoretical frameworks and methodologies to inform and evaluate their contributions to the development of both business strategies and public policies on economic and social issues.

The key functions of CRAE are to promote the research interests of members and provide support services to enhance and enable research. This is achieved through developing and enhancing new and existing collaborative research networks; providing facilities for the sharing of research materials and data; maintaining relationships with the relevant professional societies of researchers; and lobbying internal and external partners to support applied economic research activities.

Visit the CRAE

CTWD sketch

Centre for Transformative Work Design

The Centre for Transformative Work Design (CTWD) is a research centre where passionate organisational psychology researchers and professionals work together to transform work under the direction of  Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow, Professor Sharon K. Parker.

The centre conducts high quality, independent and innovative research to understand the role of work design in generating healthy and productive work, and is committed to fostering the design of good work across all industries.

A crucial element of the centre is their outreach Collaboratory, where they engage with workers, employers, managers, policy-makers and the community.

Visit the CTWD

FoWI team

Future of Work Institute

The Future of Work Institute (FoWI) promotes productive and meaningful work as essential foundations of a healthy economy and society.  FoWI’s researchers focus on how people contribute to and benefit from new knowledge and practices, and their mission is to support thriving people and organisations in the digital age.

Visit the FoWI

Exterior of JCIPP building

John Curtin Institute of Public Policy

The John Curtin Institute of Public Policy (JCIPP) was established by Curtin University of Technology in 2004 as an eminent body of public sector expertise through research, teaching and the generation of public discussion.

The JCIPP is a peak body for research, education and discussion in public policy and administration. It represents a multi-disciplinary approach to addressing challenges in this area reflecting their complexity as well as the unique capacity of universities to play a key role in addressing them.

Visit the JCIPP

Students sitting on the grass

National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education

Funded by the Australian Government Department of Education and Training (previously Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education), the NCSEHE’s purpose is to inform public policy design and implementation, and institutional practice, in order to improve higher education participation and success for marginalised and disadvantaged people.

Visit the NCSEHE


Labs and Clusters

Chain made of data

Blockchain Research and Development Laboratory

The Blockchain Research and Development Laboratory (BRDL) has been established by Curtin University in partnership with Natsoft Corporation.
The BRDL focuses on solving real-world industry problems using blockchain along, with other disruptive technologies. The BRDL aims to be a hub for the research, education, development and implementation of blockchain solutions and collaborates with other laboratories at Curtin and industry solution providers to develop breakthrough innovations.

Visit the BRDL

Prof Ian Phau surveying a customer

Luxury Branding Research Centre

The Luxury Branding Research Centre (LBRC) increases Curtin’s Luxury Branding research capabilities by providing greater collaboration with other research centres and industry partners while continually building on the strengths of Curtin’s well established multidisciplinary approach to Luxury Branding Research.

Visit the LBRC

Group sitting at table with travel brochures

Tourism Research Cluster

The Tourism Research Cluster (TRC) increases Curtin’s tourism research capability by providing a framework for the skills, expertise and resources of researchers to be shared, increasing opportunities for collaboration and building on the strengths of Curtin’s well-established multidisciplinary approach to tourism research.

Visit the TRC

Colourful pencils

Navigating Inter-Cultural Experiences (NICE)

Navigating Inter-Cultural Experiences (NICE) is a platform that engages with academic researchers, industry practitioners and trade associations, not-for-profit and community organisations, government agencies and public policy makers.

Visit NICE 

Women meeting in a board room

Women in Social Economic Research Cluster

Women in Social Economic Research (WiSER) is committed to producing high quality quantitative and qualitative feminist research on a broad range of issues that women identify as important to their capacity for achieving equity and autonomy.

Visit the WiSER

Younger female interacting with elderly female

Unheard Consumers Research Cluster

The Unheard Consumers Research Cluster comprises the Ageing Lifestyle Research and Lived Experience teams. The group is driven by the vision of well-spent Government funding and improved living standards for both the elderly and the disadvantaged.

Through the collection of thorough qualitative research, the team collects untainted and unbiased data that is used to improve and increase experience scores across the board.

Visit The Unheard Consumers