The Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues

What The Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues does

The Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues is an interdisciplinary research centre within the University of Birmingham, founded in 2012 by Professor James Arthur OBE to study character, virtues and values in the interest of human flourishing. It is the world's first research centre dedicated specifically to this field and operates as a non-profit academic unit with 11–50 staff, publishing over 400 academic outputs, completing 20+ research projects, and earning a 4* rating for research impact in REF submissions. Its core intellectual property comprises the award-winning Framework for Character Education in Schools (2022 QS Reimagine Education overall winner), the Character Teaching Inventory of 70 teaching strategies, the Framework for Virtue-Based Professional Ethics, the Framework for Character Education in Universities, and the Phronesis Measurement Instruments for practical wisdom. The Centre serves schools, educators, universities, professions (teaching, law, medicine, nursing, police, business, British Army), policy makers, and parents across six continents.

The Centre generates revenue through three principal streams: tuition fees from the world's first distance-learning MA in Character Education (a three-year part-time programme delivered via the University of Birmingham), fees from online CPD courses (Leading Character Education in Schools; Practical Wisdom in Professional Practice), and professional services income from characterED, its wholly-owned consultancy arm providing training, mentoring and evaluation to institutions. It also receives philanthropic support from the Templeton World Charity Foundation (funding the Global Innovations for Character Development Platform), the Kern Family Foundation (Kern Award Scholarship and Character Catalyst Grants) and the Della Fish Foundation (clinician scholarship). Go-to-market is institutional and sales-led, anchored on the University of Birmingham's application and learning platforms, direct institutional sales of consultancy, and thought-leadership demand generation through the annual international conference in Oxford, the Conversations on Character podcast, documentary films and policy publications.

The Centre has built and leads a coordinating ecosystem for the field, having founded the Association for Character Education (ACE), the European Character Virtues Association (ECVA), and the Global Character Alliance (GCA), alongside 30+ partner organisations spanning research, policy and practice. Its current strategic emphasis is on monetising its expertise through characterED, expanding into professional ethics CPD and digital-age character education, and influencing education policy in the UK and internationally. It does not operate as a venture-backed or publicly traded company, has no disclosed revenue, and is structurally dependent on its host university and a small set of foundation funders.

Name

The Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues

Legal name

The Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues

Website

https://jubileecentre.ac.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues is an interdisciplinary research centre at the University of Birmingham, founded in 2012, that researches and teaches character education and virtue ethics. It serves schools, educators, universities, professions and policy makers worldwide through its MA in Character Education, CPD courses, consultancy (characterED), and award-winning frameworks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Character Education Research and Training Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Leadership, Character Education & Values Development (EDAMAIAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) & Progress Monitoring Services (EDAKADAI), Behavioral Health & Counseling (Social Work, Psychology, Substance Use CE) (EDAAALAD), K–12/School & District Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAE)

Keywords

• Character education research
• Educational frameworks
• Virtue-based ethics
• Academic degree programs
• Professional development courses

Headquarters

HQ city

Edgbaston

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. MA Character Education Programme: Part-time distance learning MA programme delivered through the University of Birmingham. Students pay tuition fees for the 3-year programme. Taught by Jubilee Centre experts, with global student base from teaching, medicine, psychology, armed forces, business, and non-profits.
2. characterED Consultancy Services: Expert advice, training, mentoring, and evaluation services provided through characterED, the consultancy arm. Services are sold to schools, colleges, universities, businesses and other organisations seeking to strengthen character development and ethics.
3. Online CPD Courses: Leading Character Education in Schools is an 8-week online CPD certificated programme hosted on University of Birmingham's iVLE Canvas. Practical Wisdom in Professional Practice is another online professional ethics CPD programme.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues is an interdisciplinary research centre within the University of Birmingham that conducts research on character, virtues, and values, and delivers educational products including the distance-learning MA in Character Education, online CPD courses, characterED consultancy services, and award-winning frameworks such as the Framework for Character Education in Schools and the Framework for Virtue-Based Professional Ethics.

Product overview

The Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues is an interdisciplinary research center (not a traditional software/SaaS company) that offers a portfolio of educational programs, frameworks, resources, and consultancy services focused on character education and human flourishing. The core offerings include: the MA Character Education (a three-year distance learning degree), CharacterED consultancy services, award-winning frameworks (including the Framework for Character Education in Schools and Framework for Virtue-Based Professional Ethics), the Character Teaching Inventory, online CPD courses (Leading Character Education and Practical Wisdom in Professional Practice), and various educational resources for schools, universities, and other audiences. The portfolio also includes the Conversations on Character podcast, Character Catalyst Grants, and scholarships. These offerings work together to provide a comprehensive ecosystem supporting character education research, policy, and practice across educational settings and professions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MA Character Education A three-year part-time distance-learning Master of Arts in Character Education, the first of its kind globally, focusing on the theory and practice of character education and human flourishing. Taught online by Jubilee Centre experts with content from education, philosophy, psychology, sociology, social sciences, and theology, with a global student base of teachers, doctors, psychologists, armed forces personnel, business people, and non-profit workers.
• characterED Consultancy Expert advice, training, mentoring, and evaluation services delivered to schools, colleges, universities, businesses, and other organisations seeking to strengthen character development and ethics. Operates as the consultancy arm of the Jubilee Centre.
• Framework for Character Education in Schools An award-winning framework setting out the Jubilee Centre's position on character education, introducing concepts such as character 'caught', 'taught', and 'sought', the Building Blocks of Character (intellectual, moral, civic, performance), Components of Virtue, virtue literacy, and the neo-Aristotelian model of moral development. Intended for schools and educators.
• Character Teaching Inventory A practical tool accompanying the Framework for Character Education, presenting a comprehensive overview of 70 character education teaching strategies for schools to implement as part of their character education provision.
• Leading Character Education in Schools (Online CPD) An 8-week online CPD certificated programme hosted on the University of Birmingham's iVLE Canvas, designed for school leaders, teachers, parents, and other educators. Consists of five units focusing on the theory and practice of character education.
• Practical Wisdom in Professional Practice (Online CPD) An online professional ethics CPD programme focusing on the application of practical wisdom (phronesis) in professional contexts, hosted through the University of Birmingham.
• Framework for Virtue-Based Professional Ethics A virtue-based approach to professional ethics intended to initiate discussion, contribute to the creation of codes of ethics, facilitate excellence in professional decision-making, and inform professional education programmes.
• Framework for Character Education in Universities A framework designed to help universities articulate and structure their mission to further the flourishing of their students and the holistic character development that is central to it.
• Resources for Schools A series of educational resources for teachers, including programmes for Primary and Secondary pupils, Programmes of Study, the Character Education Evaluation Handbook, the Cultivating Cyber-Wisdom programme, and Teaching Character Through Subjects materials.

Quantifiable outcome

• Research impact rated 4* in REF submissions
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Association for Character Education (ACE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012The Jubilee Centre founded and currently supports the leadership of ACE, the UK's leading Character Education Community for teachers, leaders and practitioners.
• European Character Virtues Association (ECVA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012The Jubilee Centre founded and currently supports the leadership of ECVA, which promotes research and training in character education across Europe.
• Global Character Alliance (GCA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012The Jubilee Centre is a founding member of the Global Character Alliance, a network of networks connecting research, policy, and practice to promote character across the world.
• Boston University Center for Character & Social ResponsibilitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organisation collaborating on character education research and practice.
• Character LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organisation in the character education ecosystem, founded by Angela Duckworth and others.
• Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture (University of Virginia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organisation in character education research and scholarship.
• Oxford Character ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organisation at Oxford University focused on character development.
• Human Flourishing Program, Harvard UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organisation led by Arthur Brooks, focusing on the science of human flourishing.
• Institute for Research on Youth Thriving and Evaluation (RYTE), Montclair State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead partner in the Global Innovations for Character Development (GICD) Platform alongside Jubilee Centre, working on Templeton World Charity Foundation funded projects.
• Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development, Tufts UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the GICD Platform, working alongside Jubilee Centre on capacity building for character development projects.
• Stanford Center on AdolescencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organisation at Stanford University focusing on adolescent development.
• Varkey FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organisation focused on improving education globally through the UNESCO Global Education Leadership Programme.
• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organisation working on global education and child development initiatives.
• University of Birmingham SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner school collaborating on character education research and practice, serving as an exemplary institution.
• Kern National Network for Flourishing in Medicine (KNN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner network focused on cultivating caring character in medical education and practice.
• Program for Leadership and Character, Wake Forest UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner programme focusing on leadership development through character education.
• Singapore Centre for Character and Citizenship Education (NIE, NTU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner centre in Singapore advancing character and citizenship education research.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Character Lab: US-based nonprofit founded by Angela Duckworth focused on advancing character development research and practical resources for educators; directly comparable as a leading character education research organisation with overlapping frameworks, school partnerships and thought leadership mission.
• Oxford Character Project: University of Oxford initiative conducting research on character and virtue ethics and engaging military, professional, and policy audiences; a near-perfect peer on subject matter, academic pedigree, and professional-segment focus.
• Boston University Center for Character & Social Responsibility: BU-based center running the pioneering Master of Arts in Character Education (US) and character education research; matches the Jubilee Centre on core program (MA in character education), research output, and school partnerships.
• Wake Forest Program for Leadership and Character: University-based programme combining teaching, research, and student formation around character and leadership; comparable as a university-anchored character education research and formation initiative with similar academic and student-facing offerings.
• Harvard Human Flourishing Program: Harvard initiative studying the science of flourishing, character, and virtue (led by Arthur Brooks); highly comparable as a research-led center producing scholarly publications, measurement scales, and applied programs on character and human flourishing.
• VIA Institute on Character: Nonprofit that created the widely-used VIA Classification of character strengths; comparable as a research-to-practice character organization offering validated measurement instruments, training, and school-facing resources.
• Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture (University of Virginia): UVA-based research center studying American culture, education, and character; similar as a university-anchored humanities-and-education research outfit that publishes flagship research and frames character education policy debate.
• Kern National Network for Flourishing in Medicine: Network of medical schools advancing character, caring and flourishing in healthcare; comparable as a character-focused network with foundation backing (Kern), measurement tools, and cross-institutional partnerships in professional ethics.
• Stanford Center on Adolescence: Stanford research center producing developmental research informing youth programs and practice; comparable as a university-based research center producing applied research, measurement work, and partnerships across education and youth-serving sectors.

Regional players

• Singapore Centre for Character and Citizenship Education (NIE/NTU): Singapore's national center of excellence for character and citizenship education research, serving primarily Asia-Pacific governments and schools; comparable on subject matter and research-practice-translation model, but operates in a different geography than the Jubilee Centre's UK/US base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCiJHxNlTFvrAkb_UmsldXxg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-jubilee-centre-for-character-and-virtues
• Xx.com/jubileecentre1
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheJubileeCentreForCharacterAndVirtues

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues