Power the world's largest sustainability demand model with a GMS Academic Partnership.
Global Market Signals is opening a limited number of exclusive research partnerships with universities to run annual studies that feed our public, global sustainability demand simulation models. One institution per program, per country. Your research. Your paper. Our global stage.
A coordinated, global research methodology. All sectors, every market.
The GMS switching simulation projects six-fold growth in sustainability-driven consumer switching between 2025 and 2035 - a US$3 trillion reallocation of capital. We're building an important, published calibration layer for this model in partnership with leading academic institutions.
A live, public simulation
The switching simulation is a working, branded artefact presented to markets, brands and policymakers. It runs on real cohort-level inputs: SDG awareness, brand switching propensity, category purchase penetration, and inter-generational wealth dynamics, with appropriate assumptions where data is not currently available.
Independent, connected rigour.
Each partner runs a standardised annual instrument in their market. The instrument ensures cross-country comparability. The program-specific module captures the depth a single research team is uniquely placed to deliver as part of this important research.
Recognition, contribution and publication.
Partners publish their academic findings. GMS publishes the annual model release globally, co-branded and partner-attributed. Every partner gains access to the datasets across all programs and countries - something no institution could assemble alone.
Three programs. Coordinated global release.
Each program addresses a distinct dimension of the sustainability demand transition. Universities may apply for a single program, or, where institutional capacity supports it, multiple programs within a single country.
Consumer Switching Rates by Industry
Annual measurement of sustainability-driven brand switching across cohorts and industries. Feeds the headline $3T Switch forecast.
Employment Impact by Industry
Workforce mobility and the willingness of employees to switch employers on sustainability grounds. The labour-market analogue of consumer switching.
Investment Impact by Industry
Retail and institutional capital flows toward sustainability-aligned holdings. The capital-market analogue of consumer switching.
A common research core.
Every partner, regardless of program, runs the a common core research instrument. This is what makes cross-program and cross-country comparison possible, and what gives every partner access to a dataset they could not produce alone.
- CORE.01 DemographicsStandardised age cohorts, gender, income bands, education, geography
- CORE.02 SDG AwarenessAwareness of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, measured per cohort
- CORE.03 Claimed SwitchingTotal reported behavioural switching on sustainability grounds in the past 12 months
- CORE.04 Priority SDGsRanked importance of individual SDGs to the respondent's decisions
- CORE.05 Program ModuleProgram-specific battery layered on top of the shared core
The partnership grid.
Nine modules open globally across three programs in three initial launch countries. Renewable annually, reviewed every three years.
| PROGRAM / COUNTRY | Australia | United States | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer SwitchingRates by Industry | Open Applications open. Target: applied marketing science institute with sustainability alignment. | Open Applications open. Target: tier-one applied marketing science or research institute. | Open Applications open. Target: leading consumer behaviour or specialist research centre |
| Employment Impactby Industry | Open Applications open. Target: business school with workforce and employement expertise. | Open Applications open. Target: labour economics or HR research group. | Open Applications open. Target: labour economics or HR research group. |
| Investment Impactby Industry | Open Applications open. Target: sustainable finance research centre. | Open Applications open. Target: finance school with retail investor relationships. | Open Applications open. Target: ESG or responsible investment research group or impact group. |
The value exchange.
Partnerships are designed to be balanced on both sides, with no costs flowing between partners. The exchange is research effort for global standing and prominent exposure.
You will
Manage the research.
- Field the agreed annual instrument in your market, to a sample size and methodology approved by the program advisory group
- Deliver calibrated parameters and methodology notes to GMS by the agreed annual date
- Publish your academic paper under your own institutional banner
- Provide a named academic lead to sit on the program advisory group (one quarterly touchpoint, async by default)
- Resource the fieldwork and processing in your market, typically through existing research budgets, grants, or partner-arranged sponsorship
We will
Integrate and publish.
- Name your institution as the exclusive global program partner for your program-country slot,Ingest your calibrated data into the annual simulation release, with full attribution,Co-brand the annual release and feature your work at events,Provide access to the cross-country comparative datasets across realated programs,Maintain and operate the validated simulation instrument, methodology guide, and ongoing technical support,Promote your paper through GMS channels to our investor, brand and policy audiences
What it takes to run a program.
Indicative figures so prospective partners can scope the commitment realistically. Final scope is agreed per partnership.
Partners fund fieldwork in their own market. GMS funds the integration, model development, hosting, and global promotion of the combined release. No fees flow between the institutions in either direction - the partnership is a research-for-standing exchange.
Questions, answered.
The questions every research director asks first.
GMS retains exclusive ownership of core methodology. Both parties retain perpetual, non-exclusive data access rights (in scope of each partnership), with data owned by the academic partner. Partner receives a non-exclusive licence to access calibrated parameters and aggregated findings from the simulation model. Each party retains exclusive access to its own IP and research publications with conditional on appropriate attribution being upheld.
The partner publishes an academic paper under their own banner, in any journal of their choosing. GMS publishes the annual model release, with the partner credited as the exclusive research source for the relevant program and country. The two outputs are co-promoted in media, events and other content by mutual agreement.
One fielded study per year, one set of parameters delivered to GMS, one paper authored and published, one launch event, and regular advisory group touchpoints (async by default). The work is sized to fit within standard academic research cycles.
The partner does, through existing research budgets, grant funding, or industry sponsorship arranged by the partner. GMS funds the integration, the model development, hosting, and global promotion. No fees flow between the institutions without prior agreement.
Yes. A single institution may apply for and hold up to all three programs within their country, provided they can demonstrate the research capacity to run them concurrently. Institutions with established multi-country panel infrastructure may also apply for matched slots across countries, assessed case by case.
Apply anyway. We maintain a reserve list and rotate partners every three years where there is strong reserve-list interest. Reserve-list partners are also offered first refusal on adjacent program slots in their country as they open.
The shared research methodology is fixed across partners. GMS provides the validated instrument, sampling guidance, and methodology documentation. The cross-partner advisory group reviews the instrument annually and signs off any changes. Program modules are co-designed with the program partner cohort. Access to subsidised research technology partnerships ensure rigour and efficiency are maintained.
One named institution per program per country, recognised globally as the sole research source for that program-country slot. GMS will not engage a second institution for the same slot during the partnership term, and will direct all related media, brand and policy enquiries to the named partner.
Submit an application.
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. We typically respond within ten working days. Initial conversations are exploratory - there is no obligation in either direction at this stage.
Applications are reviewed by the GMS Institute. We will acknowledge receipt quickly and respond substantively within 1-2 weeks. All applications are confidential.