The Swedish Research Council has identified Practice-oriented professional research on crime as a national strategic research area and has proposed funding for the initiative Building Resilience in Crime Prevention (BRiC), led by Lund University. The initiative aims to strengthen Sweden’s efforts to combat crime through practice-oriented and interdisciplinary research, with a particular focus on children’s vulnerability, drug markets, and new technologies and digitalisation.
Technology, AI and crime prevention
BRiC includes nine principal investigators responsible for different sub-areas. At the Department of Sociology, Lisa Flower is involved as a Principal Investigator (PI) with a focus on emerging technologies.
The research examines how digitalisation, AI and new technologies affect crime, crime prevention, and professional practices. It also explores the risks, opportunities and consequences for children and young people in vulnerable situations. In this way, sociological research contributes important perspectives on how social change, technology and institutions interact in efforts to prevent crime.
Research close to practice
The aim of BRiC is to develop new knowledge that can be applied directly in crime prevention work involving children and young offenders, drug markets and violence, as well as in areas related to technology, AI and digitalisation. The research is carried out in close dialogue with professional groups working across the entire justice chain – from social services, the police and public prosecutors to the courts, youth care and the prison and probation service.
The initiative responds to increasing pressure on these professions, not least in efforts to address organised crime. By bringing together practitioners and researchers from fields such as sociology, social work, law, criminology and economics, BRiC seeks to contribute to more coordinated and long-term sustainable approaches to crime prevention.
Facts: Part of a broader national initiative
Building Resilience in Crime Prevention (BRiC) brings together researchers from Lund University, the University of Gothenburg, Linnaeus University and Malmö University. At Lund University, the initiative involves the School of Social Work, the Faculty of Law, and the Department of Sociology.
BRiC is one of eight new strategic research areas identified by the Swedish Government as particularly important for Sweden. According to the Swedish Research Council’s assessment, Lund University is proposed to receive funding in six of these areas – more than any other higher education institution in the country. The recommended funding for BRiC amounts to SEK 12.5 million in 2027 and SEK 25 million in 2028.