Research and Degrowth (R&D)

What Research and Degrowth (R&D) does

Research and Degrowth International (Asociación de Recerca i Decrecimiento Internacional), commonly branded R&D or R&Di, is a Barcelona-headquartered nonprofit academic association founded in 2010 and operated with a staff of 11–50. The organization functions as a think-and-act-tank dedicated to advancing degrowth theory and policy, convening researchers, activists, and policymakers around alternatives to growth-centric economic models. Its mission is delivered through four interlocking workstreams: research and advocacy (policy briefs, Living Labs experimentation), education and training (two Master's programs with ICTA-UAB, an annual Summer School in Barcelona and Catalonia, plus Introduction to Degrowth and Deep Dives online courses), systemic-change movement building (three Barcelona Action Circles, the Ecofeminism in the Mediterranean initiative, the Blue Degrowth Network, and the Voices Across Waters podcast), and events organization (the 2023 Beyond Growth Conference at the European Parliament and recurring International Degrowth Conferences).

R&D's underlying technology is non-commercial: it consists of a body of policy research, conference infrastructure, and community convening assets rather than a software platform or productized offering. The organization has no app, no API, no SDK, and no disclosed integrations. Its technical footprint is limited to a website (degrowth.org), a Substack newsletter, and a multi-platform social presence including Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Mastodon, TikTok, and YouTube. Its business model is donation- and membership-based (recurring contributions via the website), supplemented by project grants such as the EU Horizon 2020-funded MERGE consortium (16 entities), regional funding from the Mediterranean Women Fund, and revenue-share arrangements with academic partners. Master's degree tuition is collected by ICTA-UAB rather than by R&D. There is no disclosed pricing for any paid service, no equity, and no parent company; ownership and governance are collective, consistent with the horizontal team structure evidenced by job postings.

Name

Research and Degrowth (R&D)

Legal name

Research & Degrowth International

Website

https://degrowth.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Research and Degrowth International is a Barcelona-based nonprofit academic association that researches, educates, and convenes around post-growth economic alternatives for activists, academics, and policymakers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Advocacy and Degrowth Education

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks (EDADADAA), Environmental Education, Capacity Building & Community Engagement (BPADALAO), Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL) (BPADAEAB)

Keywords

• Degrowth research advocacy
• Post-growth education programs
• Political ecology training
• Ecosocial policy research
• Sustainability summer schools

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Memberships: The organization accepts donations through its website and operates as a membership-based association. Revenue is generated through voluntary contributions from supporters of the degrowth movement.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Research & Degrowth International is a nonprofit think-and-act-tank that delivers degrowth research, advocacy, education, training, and events. It offers two Master's degree programs (in collaboration with ICTA-UAB) on Degrowth, Political Ecology, and Environmental Justice, an annual Summer School in Barcelona/Catalonia, online courses (Introduction to Degrowth and Deep Dives), public policy briefs, Barcelona Action Circles, the Voices Across Waters podcast, and major international conferences (Beyond Growth, International Degrowth).

Product overview

Research & Degrowth International is a think-and-act-tank offering educational programs and research initiatives focused on the radical transformation of economies and societies through degrowth. The portfolio includes two Master's Degree programs in collaboration with ICTA-UAB (Degrowth, Political Ecology, Environmental Justice), annual Summer Schools in Barcelona/Catalonia, and online courses (Introduction to Degrowth and Deep Dives). Project-based work encompasses Barcelona Action Circles including Ecofeminism in the Mediterranean with its Voices Across Waters podcast, the MERGE European research project, Public Policy Briefs, the Girona Post-Growth Municipality pilot, the Sentit Comunal Congress, and the Blue Degrowth Network. The organization also organizes events including the Beyond Growth Conference and International Degrowth Conferences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Degrowth Summer School: Annual summer school providing embodied learning on ecology, economics and policy in Barcelona and Catalonia
• Master's in Political Ecology
• Voices Across Waters
• Deep Dive Online Courses

Products and services

• Master's Degree Programs in Degrowth, Political Ecology, and Environmental Justice Two graduate degree programs delivered in partnership with ICTA-UAB that provide students with academic training in degrowth, political ecology, and environmental justice. Intended for graduate students and young researchers seeking formal education on post-growth economic and ecological thought.
• Degrowth Summer School Annual summer school held in Barcelona and Catalonia offering embodied, experiential learning on ecology, economics, and policy through a degrowth lens. Targeted at young activists and emerging practitioners.
• Introduction to Degrowth Online Course Self-paced online course that introduces learners to the foundational principles, critical debates, and transformative practices of the degrowth field. Aimed at activists, students, and curious individuals new to degrowth.
• Deep Dives Online Courses High-intensity online courses that explore specific socio-ecological topics in depth through a degrowth lens. Designed for researchers, activists, professionals, and curious individuals seeking substantive engagement with post-growth transformation.
• Ecofeminism in the Mediterranean (Barcelona Action Circle) Barcelona Action Circle initiative that builds a regional ecofeminist alliance and agenda for a post-growth transition across the Mediterranean, convening degrowth-aligned ecofeminist activists.
• Voices Across Waters Podcast Podcast series of conversations among ecofeminist activists from across the Mediterranean, produced under the Ecofeminism in the Mediterranean initiative, exploring systemic alternatives rooted in justice, dignity, and ecological balance.
• MERGE Project EU Horizon 2020 research consortium of 16 entities and universities (Transformations towards sustainable economic policy paradigm) in which R&D participates, evaluating public policy proposals with transformative potential toward degrowth and ecosocialist horizons.
• Public Policy Briefs Series of policy briefs that target the public sector and aim to influence debate on ecological economic models from a degrowth perspective.
• Girona Post-Growth Municipality Municipal partnership with the city of Girona to develop pathways toward a post-growth city, designed as a pilot model for replication in other locations.
• Sentit Comunal Congress International congress on communalism and degrowth, providing a space for democratic deliberation on a new economic model based on caring for people and the planet.
• Blue Degrowth Network Network project convening people and groups critical of blue growth projects and policies, and advocating for counter-hegemonic relationships with oceans.

Quantifiable outcome

• Organized 2023 Beyond Growth Conference at European Parliament, bringing together stakeholders from politics and social movements
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ICTA-UAB (Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership delivering two Master's degree programs on Degrowth, Political Ecology, and Environmental Justice. ICTA-UAB is a key institutional partner for R&D's educational mission, providing academic credentials and research infrastructure for the organization's graduate programs.
• MERGE Consortium (15+ entities and universities)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerR&D participates in the MERGE project consortium under EU Horizon 2020 on 'Transformations towards sustainable economic policy paradigm.' The consortium includes 15+ entities and universities working to evaluate public policy proposals with transformative potential toward degrowth and ecosocialist horizons.
• RevoprosperminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in organizing the 'Jornada sobre Trabajo Garantizado y Decrecimiento' (Conference on Guaranteed Work and Degrowth) event. Joint initiative to debate policies for an ecosocial transition that does not leave anyone behind.
• WEALL (WeAll)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in organizing the 'Jornada sobre Trabajo Garantizado y Decrecimiento' (Conference on Guaranteed Work and Degrowth) event. WEALL is a global network promoting post-growth economic alternatives.
• Efecto ColibríminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative design and production partner for the 'Voices Across Waters' ecofeminist podcast series. Efecto Colibrí helps create narratives advancing systemic change through story activation and narrative design.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Decrescita Felice (Italian Degrowth Movement): Italy's national degrowth association promoting research, awareness, and events on degrowth and convivial simplicity. Directly comparable to R&D in mission and activities (research, education, movement building on degrowth) but operates primarily in the Italian market rather than at the EU/Catalan level.
• ECOLOGIA (European Ecological Federation): An association of Italian environmental organizations promoting ecological transition and post-growth policies. Comparable to R&D as a European advocacy and research body focused on ecological economics and sustainability transitions, though operating primarily in Italy.

Direct peers

• Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEALL): A global collaboration of organizations, governments, and movements advancing wellbeing economy alternatives to GDP growth. WEALL is directly comparable to R&D as both serve as convening networks for post-growth policy, organize coalitions of activists and policymakers, and pursue systems-level economic transformation. WEALL is also an existing R&D collaboration partner.
• Post-Growth Institute: A US-based think-and-act-tank explicitly focused on advancing a post-growth economy. It is directly comparable to R&D as both organizations operate as policy research and advocacy bodies promoting post-growth economic paradigms, run educational programming, and convene activists and academics around systemic alternatives to growth-centric economics.
• Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW): A German research institute conducting interdisciplinary research on sustainable economic policy, including degrowth and post-growth topics. Comparable to R&D as a European research organization producing policy-relevant scholarship on ecological economics and participating in EU-funded research projects.
• New Economics Foundation (NEF): A UK-based independent think tank promoting social, economic, and environmental justice through alternative economic models. NEF is directly comparable to R&D as both publish original research and policy proposals on economic alternatives, engage policymakers and civil society, and run educational and convening functions.
• Foundation for Economic Democracy: A US-based nonprofit working on equitable and democratic economic alternatives through research, advocacy, and education. It is comparable to R&D as a peer movement-building organization producing policy research and educational programming focused on transforming the economic system toward non-extractive models.

Emerging players

• Schumacher College: A UK-based educational institution offering courses on ecology, economics, and transformative learning. Comparable to R&D as it runs experiential educational programming on ecological economics and sustainability, though it is more focused on degree and short-course delivery than movement organizing.
• Political Ecology Research Centre (PERC): A UK-based academic research center producing critical scholarship on political ecology and environmental justice. Comparable to R&D as a research and advocacy organization on political ecology themes, though operating primarily through academic publication rather than movement organizing and educational programming.

Broad incumbents

• Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR): A larger US-based think tank producing research on economic policy, inequality, and globalization. Comparable to R&D as a research-and-advocacy organization producing policy briefs on economic alternatives, though CEPR operates at a substantially larger scale and broader portfolio than R&D's degrowth-specific focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/r_degrowth
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/degrowth
• Facebookfacebook.com/researchanddegrowth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/research-degrowth
• Instagraminstagram.com/r_degrowth
• TikToktiktok.com/@r_degrowth

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Research and Degrowth (R&D)