Regional Studies Association
The Regional Studies Association is a UK-registered charity and international learned society founded in 1965 that supports academic researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in regional studies through six peer-reviewed journals, conferences, research funding, and a global territorial network spanning 41 countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1965
- HeadquartersBrighton, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Regional Studies Association does
The Regional Studies Association (RSA) is a non-partisan, independent learned society founded in 1965 and registered as a charity in England and Wales (Charity No. 1084165, Company No. 4116288). Headquartered in Brighton, UK at the Sussex Innovation Centre with 1-10 employees, RSA operates as an international community for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in regional studies and regional science. The Association runs six peer-reviewed journals (Regional Studies, Spatial Economic Analysis, Territory Politics Governance, Regional Studies Regional Science, Area Development and Policy, Finance and Space), two book series (Regions & Cities with Routledge; Regional Studies Policy Impact), the Regions eZine online magazine, a blog, podcasts, and annual plus regional conferences (e.g., RSA26 in Gothenburg with 704 registrations from 49 countries). It also disburses research funding including Early Career Grants, Travel Grants up to £500, Research Network Grants of up to £10,000 for newly established networks and £7,500 for renewing networks, and a pilot Knowledge and Policy Exchange Grant.
RSA generates revenue through tiered annual membership subscriptions (Individual, Early Career, Student, Corporate, Retired/Emeritus), conference and event registration fees and sponsorship, publication royalties and journal distribution via its Taylor & Francis / Routledge publishing partnership, plus modest grants and donations. Distribution and community-building rely on a territorial footprint of ambassadors in 41 countries, eight UK branches, five sections, and six regional divisions (China, India, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, Nordic/NoRSA, plus the Belgium-based RSA European Foundation), supplemented by a self-serve RSA Lounge portal and multi-channel content marketing across website, blog, monthly eBulletins, and social platforms (LinkedIn, X, Instagram, BlueSky, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, WeChat).
The Association's strategic priorities are codified in the RSA Strategy 2026-30 published in January 2026, and its partnership portfolio spans core alliances with the EU Commission DG REGIO, OECD, Chinese Academy of Sciences, European Committee of the Regions, and the Regional Cooperation Council (announced May 2025), alongside academic links to Peking University-Lincoln Institute, University of Sussex, University of Sydney, Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences, Academy of Social Sciences UK, and the Royal Town Planning Institute. Leadership transitioned in 2024 with Alan Kinder appointed Chief Executive succeeding Sally Hardy, who served as Executive Secretary from December 1986 until her March 2024 retirement. The organization has no disclosed venture, private equity, or institutional equity investment; control rests with the Board of Trustees and membership, consistent with its charity structure.
Regional Studies Association firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Regional Studies Association
- Legal name
- Regional Studies Association
- Website
- https://regionalstudies.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1965
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Regional Studies Association is a UK-registered charity and international learned society founded in 1965 that supports academic researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in regional studies through six peer-reviewed journals, conferences, research funding, and a global territorial network spanning 41 countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Regional Studies Association is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brighton
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Regional Studies Association business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Fees: RSA generates revenue through tiered membership fees across Individual, Early Career, Student, Corporate, and Retired/Emeritus categories. Membership provides access to publications, funding opportunities, discounts, and networking benefits.
- Conference and Event Fees: Revenue from annual conferences, regional conferences, and webinars including registration fees, sponsorship, and exhibition opportunities.
- Publication Revenue: RSA publishes six journals, two book series, an online magazine Regions, and the RSA Blog. Revenue includes journal subscriptions through Taylor and Francis partnership and book sales.
- Research Funding: RSA administers research funding schemes including grants for early career researchers, travel grants up to £500, research network grants (up to £10,000 for new networks, £7,500 for renewing), and awards for excellence in regional studies.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Individual membership for those with interest in regional studies at any career stage outside full-time study or first five years post-PhD |
| Subscription | Annual | Early Career membership for PhD recipients developing careers through funding, training, and networking |
| Subscription | Annual | Student membership for undergraduate, Master's and PhD students |
| Subscription | Annual | Corporate membership for organizations in regional development, research and policy |
| Subscription | Annual | Retired/Emeritus membership for those retired from full-time work |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels10 records
Regional Studies Association product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Regional Studies Association (RSA) is an independent learned society that operates as a membership organization for the regional studies and regional science community. Its core deliverables are six peer-reviewed academic journals (Regional Studies, Spatial Economic Analysis, Territory Politics Governance, Regional Studies Regional Science, Area Development and Policy, Finance and Space), two book series, an annual conference program, tiered membership subscriptions, research funding grants, and an awards program. The Association is funded primarily through membership fees, conference registration fees, and journal publishing royalties via its Taylor and Francis/Routledge partnership.
Product overview
The Regional Studies Association (RSA) is a learned society offering a comprehensive portfolio of products and services for the regional studies and regional science community. The core offering consists of six peer-reviewed journals (Regional Studies, Spatial Economic Analysis, Territory Politics Governance, Regional Studies Regional Science, Area Development and Policy, and Finance and Space), two book series (Regions & Cities Book Series and Regional Studies Policy Impact Books), the RSA Blog, the Regions eZine online magazine, and podcasts. The RSA also organizes global conferences including the Annual Conference, Regional Futures Conference, Central and Eastern Europe Conference, and Student/ECR Conference. Additional services include research funding programs (Early Career Grants, Travel Grants, Knowledge and Policy Exchange Grants, Research Network Grants), an awards program recognizing excellence in the field, professional training and capacity building, territorial and thematic research networks, and tiered membership for individuals, students, early career researchers, corporates, and retired members. The portfolio is unified around advancing regional research, promoting scholarly discourse, enabling policy impact, and supporting researchers at all career stages globally.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Regional Studies journal The flagship peer-reviewed journal of the RSA, publishing interdisciplinary research on regional development, regional science, and spatial analysis; indexed in Clarivate Analytics SSCI and Scopus.
- Spatial Economic Analysis journal A pioneering economics journal dedicated to the development of theory and methods in spatial economics, co-published with RSAI-BIS.
- Territory, Politics, Governance journal An interdisciplinary journal committed to theory and research on territorial politics and the governance of space.
- Regional Studies, Regional Science journal An open access journal covering regional and urban issues in geography, economics, regional science, environmental studies, planning, and governance.
- Area Development and Policy journal A peer-reviewed journal publishing original academic research on the economic, political, cultural, and geographical contexts that shape regions, cities, and rural areas.
- Finance and Space journal A pioneering interdisciplinary journal focusing on the spatial production of finance and the financial production of space.
- Regions & Cities Book Series A book series published by Routledge covering regional responses to a changing world and geographically contingent responses to global changes and challenges.
- Regional Studies Policy Impact Book Series A book series addressing topical policy questions of contemporary importance to communities engaged in regional and urban studies.
- RSA Annual Conference The flagship annual conference bringing together regional studies scholars, policymakers, and practitioners from across the globe for discussion and debate on regional development topics.
- RSA Membership Tiered annual membership subscriptions (Individual, Early Career, Student, Corporate, Retired/Emeritus) providing access to peer-reviewed publications, research funding opportunities, conference discounts, networking, and professional development.
Quantifiable outcome
- RSA26 Annual Conference: 704 registrations from 49 countries
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Regional Studies Association
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Regional Studies Association technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Regional Studies Association partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- EU Commission Directorate General Regional and Urban PolicycorePartnership for conferences and events including EU Regions Week activities and collaboration on regional policy initiatives
- OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and CitiescoreCollaboration on SME, regional, and urban policy research and knowledge exchange activities
- Chinese Academy of SciencescoreHost of RSA China Division based at Chinese Academy of Sciences with dedicated website at rsachina.org and WeChat account RSACHandADP
- European Committee of the RegionsmajorCollaboration on regional policy events and joint initiatives related to European regional development
- Peking University – Lincoln Institute, ChinamajorPartnership on China-related regional studies research and academic exchange
- RSA European Foundation, BelgiummajorRSA Europe foundation supporting European regional studies activities and network development
- Taylor and Francis, RoutledgecorePrimary publishing partner for RSA journals including Regional Studies, Spatial Economic Analysis, Territory Politics Governance, and others
- Regional Cooperation CouncilmajorNew collaboration announced May 2025 for joint activities on regional cooperation in Southeast Europe
- Swiss Academies of Arts and SciencesminorCollaboration on academic activities and knowledge exchange in Switzerland
- European Regional Science Association (ERSA)majorPartnership with fellow regional science association for joint activities and knowledge sharing
- Swiss National Science FoundationminorCollaboration on Swiss-based research funding and academic initiatives
- Academy of Social Sciences, UKminorUK-based partnership for social sciences research and policy engagement
- University of Sydney, School of GeosciencesminorAcademic partnership for research collaboration and knowledge exchange in Australia
- University of Sussex, School of Global StudiesminorAcademic partnership for global studies research and education
- Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI)majorJoint roundtable on planning research and policy with sessions at WPEC26 Helsinki in July 2026
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Regional Studies Association competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Regional Studies Association social profiles
Digital presenceRegional Studies Association financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Regional Studies Association leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Regional Studies Association subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries6 records
Regional Studies Association funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Regional Studies Association M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Regional Studies Association
What does Regional Studies Association do?
The Regional Studies Association (RSA) is an independent learned society that operates as a membership organization for the regional studies and regional science community. Its core deliverables are six peer-reviewed academic journals (Regional Studies, Spatial Economic Analysis, Territory Politics Governance, Regional Studies Regional Science, Area Development and Policy, Finance and Space), two book series, an annual conference program, tiered membership subscriptions, research funding grants, and an awards program. The Association is funded primarily through membership fees, conference registration fees, and journal publishing royalties via its Taylor and Francis/Routledge partnership.
Is Regional Studies Association a public or private company?
Regional Studies Association is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Regional Studies Association founded?
Regional Studies Association was founded in 1965. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Regional Studies Association based?
Regional Studies Association is headquartered in Brighton, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Regional Studies Association make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Membership Fees are the primary driver. The others are conference and Event Fees, publication Revenue and research Funding.
Does Regional Studies Association have an API?
No public API is recorded for Regional Studies Association.