harrison-institute.org

The Harrison Institute is now based at the University of Exeter's Penryn Campus in Cornwall, UK. It was previously based in Sevenoaks, Kent, where it had been for 96 years before making the move. If you are looking for the Institute today, Penryn — not Sevenoaks — is the current location.

The move, in short

Why the location matters

The Harrison Institute works with local students, scientists and communities to discover, describe and conserve biodiversity in Asia and Africa, with a particular focus on small mammals — especially bats from the Palaeotropics — and, more recently, birds in the Himalayas.

Its model depends on collaboration and long-term mentoring rather than on a single building. Moving to a university campus places the Institute alongside academic researchers and students, which supports the same goals it has pursued for almost a century: strengthening scientific expertise and turning research into practical conservation.

An example of that model in practice: Aicha Gomeh-Djame, a PhD student from Cameroon mentored through the Harrison Institute, led the discovery of two bat species new to science — work that highlights both Central African forest biodiversity and the importance of developing the next generation of conservation scientists.

If you are trying to reach or reference the Institute

• Use the current affiliation — University of Exeter's Penryn Campus in Cornwall — for correspondence, visits or citations about where the Institute is based today.
• Expect Sevenoaks references in older material. Publications, records and institutional history spanning the past 96 years may still list Sevenoaks, Kent. That reflects the former base, not the current one.
• Check the Institute's own site for contact specifics. The location is confirmed by the Institute's announcement of its new chapter at Penryn; day-to-day contact details and visiting arrangements are best taken from its current pages rather than from older listings.

Common points of confusion

"Is the Harrison Institute still in Sevenoaks?" No. After 96 years there, it has relocated to Cornwall.

"Did the move change what it does?" The stated purpose is to open opportunities for research collaboration, student mentoring and biodiversity conservation, while strengthening existing international partnerships and scientific collections — an expansion of its work, not a change of mission.

"Is it part of the University of Exeter?" The Institute has begun a new chapter at the University of Exeter's Penryn Campus. The move is described in terms of collaboration and shared facilities rather than a merger, so treat the campus as its location and the University as its host and partner.

The Harrison Institute's approach rests on a single working belief: biodiversity is best conserved by the scientists and communities who live alongside it. Rather than running conservation as an outside intervention, the Institute combines scientific research, long-term mentoring and international collaboration so that local students, scientists and communities can discover, describe and protect the biodiversity around them. Its work concentrates on Africa and Asia, with a particular focus on small mammals — especially bats of the Palaeotropics — alongside more recent bird research in the Himalayas.

The core principle: conservation led from within

The Institute states that this belief "shapes everything we do." In practice, that means the people who share a landscape with its wildlife are treated as the ones best placed to study and safeguard it — not as bystanders to a project designed elsewhere. The Institute's role is to supply research expertise, training and international partnerships that make local leadership possible.

How the approach works in practice

The Institute describes its method as three connected strands:

• Discovering biodiversity — field research to find and document species, particularly in biodiversity-rich but under-studied regions.
• Developing scientific capacity — long-term mentoring of students and scientists, rather than one-off training.
• Conserving nature — turning research findings into practical conservation action.

These strands reinforce each other: a new species record is only useful for conservation if someone locally can keep studying it, and scientific capacity is only meaningful if it feeds into protection on the ground.

Why the focus on small mammals and bats

The Institute has worked for almost a century on small mammals, with bats from the Palaeotropics as its longest-standing specialism. More recently it has also collaborated on bird research in the Himalayas. This focus reflects the regions and animal groups where the Institute judges that research and local expertise are most needed — areas that are species-rich but comparatively under-studied.

A concrete example: new bat species from Cameroon

The Institute points to the work of Aicha Gomeh-Djame, a PhD student from Cameroon mentored through the Harrison Institute, who led the discovery of two bat species new to science. Her research highlighted both the biodiversity of Central African forests and the value of developing the next generation of conservation scientists. It is a direct illustration of the model: local researcher, Institute mentoring, new scientific knowledge, and a stronger local base for future conservation.

Collaboration and institutional change

The Institute frames its work as international collaboration with university staff and students, aimed at strengthening local leadership for conservation. That model has also shaped the Institute itself: after 96 years in Sevenoaks, Kent, it began a new chapter at the University of Exeter's Penryn Campus in Cornwall. According to the Institute, the move opens opportunities for research collaboration, student mentoring and biodiversity conservation while strengthening its long-standing international partnerships and scientific collections.

What this means if you are evaluating the Institute

If you are a student, researcher or conservation organisation considering working with the Harrison Institute, its approach suggests a few things to look for:

• Mentoring over short courses — the emphasis is on long-term development of people, not one-off workshops.
• Local authorship and leadership — projects are expected to be led by researchers from the region concerned.
• Research tied to conservation — findings are meant to translate into practical protection, not sit in a journal.
• Small mammals and bats as the entry point — this is where the Institute's deepest expertise lies, though bird research is also part of its recent work.

The Institute's own summary of its purpose is the clearest statement of the approach: discovering biodiversity, developing scientific capacity, conserving nature — with the people who live alongside that biodiversity at the centre of all three.

The Harrison Institute focuses primarily on small mammals, especially bats from the Palaeotropics, and works across Africa and Asia. More recently it has also collaborated on bird research in the Himalayas. Its work centres on biodiversity-rich but under-studied regions, combining research with training local students, scientists and communities.

Animals: small mammals first, bats in particular

The Institute's stated focus is small mammals, with bats from the Palaeotropics as the main group. Birds are a newer addition, through collaboration on Himalayan bird research. The common thread is fauna that is diverse but often poorly documented, where describing species and building local expertise can feed directly into conservation.

A concrete example from the Institute's own reporting: Aicha Gomeh-Djame, a PhD student from Cameroon mentored through the Harrison Institute, led the discovery of two bat species new to science. That case shows how the animal focus (bats) and the capacity-building model (mentoring a local researcher) operate together.

Regions: Africa and Asia, with long-term local partnerships

Fieldwork and partnerships span Africa and Asia. Cameroon is one documented example, tied to the bat discoveries above. The Himalayan bird research extends the geographic range into Asia. The Institute describes its target as biodiversity-rich but under-studied regions, which is the selection criterion behind where it works rather than a fixed list of countries.

How the research is organised

The Institute pairs scientific research with long-term mentoring and international collaboration, aiming to strengthen local leadership for conservation. In practice this means working alongside university staff, students and communities in the regions where the research happens, rather than running extractive fieldwork. If you are looking for a partner, supervisor or collaborator, the relevant question is whether your region and taxon fall within small mammals, bats or birds in Africa and Asia.

Institutional note

After 96 years in Sevenoaks, Kent, the Harrison Institute has moved to the University of Exeter's Penryn Campus in Cornwall. The move is described as opening opportunities for research collaboration, student mentoring and conservation work while maintaining its international partnerships and scientific collections. For anyone contacting or visiting the Institute, the current base is Penryn, not Sevenoaks.

The Harrison Institute builds scientific capacity by combining long-term mentoring of university students and early-career researchers with collaborative field projects in Africa and Asia. Its stated approach is to work alongside local students, scientists and communities so that the people who live closest to biodiversity-rich regions can study, understand and protect it. The clearest documented example is a PhD student from Cameroon who, mentored through the Institute, led the discovery of two bat species new to science.

What "capacity building" means in practice here

The Institute describes its work as three connected activities: discovering biodiversity, developing scientific capacity, and conserving nature. Capacity building is not a side programme — it is presented as the mechanism that makes conservation last. The underlying belief, in the Institute's own words, is that biodiversity is best conserved when the scientists and communities who live alongside it have the opportunity to study, understand and protect it.

That translates into a working model rather than a classroom one:

• Long-term mentoring of university students and PhD researchers, rather than one-off training.
• Collaborative projects with university staff and students in Asia and Africa, so research questions are shared rather than imposed.
• International collaboration that connects local researchers to wider scientific networks and collections.
• A focus on under-studied regions where biodiversity is rich but scientific expertise and data are thin.

The Cameroon example: mentoring that produced new species

The Institute's featured story describes Aicha Gomeh-Djame, a PhD student from Cameroon, who was mentored through the Harrison Institute and led the discovery of two bat species new to science. The Institute frames this in two ways: as evidence of how much remains undocumented in Central African forests, and as evidence that developing the next generation of conservation scientists is itself a conservation outcome.

For anyone trying to understand the mentoring model, this example is useful because it shows the full chain — a local researcher, long-term support, fieldwork in a biodiversity-rich but under-studied region, and a result that feeds back into both science and conservation.

Who the mentoring is aimed at

The Institute's stated focus is university students and early-career scientists, particularly those working in or from biodiversity-rich parts of Africa and Asia. Its research emphasis is on small mammals, especially bats of the Palaeotropics, with more recent collaboration on bird research in the Himalayas. A student or researcher whose interests sit in those areas — or in the broader taxonomy, survey and conservation of under-studied fauna — is the closest match to what the Institute describes.

What has changed recently

After 96 years in Sevenoaks, Kent, the Harrison Institute has moved to the University of Exeter's Penryn Campus in Cornwall. The Institute says the move opens opportunities for research collaboration, student mentoring and biodiversity conservation, while strengthening its international partnerships and scientific collections. For prospective students or collaborators, this is the most relevant recent development: the institutional base is now a university campus, which is the kind of setting where student mentoring and joint research are typically easiest to arrange.

How to judge whether this fits your situation

If you are a student or early-career researcher looking for mentorship, the useful question is not simply "does this organisation mentor students" but whether your region, taxon and career stage match its stated priorities. The Institute's own description points to:

• Region: Africa and Asia, with a focus on biodiversity-rich, under-studied areas.
• Taxa: small mammals, especially Palaeotropic bats; more recently, Himalayan birds.
• Stage: university students and PhD researchers, plus collaboration with university staff.
• Model: long-term mentoring and international collaboration, not short courses.

If your work sits outside those regions or taxa, the fit is likely to be weaker. If it sits inside them, the Cameroon example suggests the model can extend as far as leading a species description — but that depends on the specific project, supervision and funding arrangements, none of which are detailed in the available material. Those practical questions are best raised directly with the Institute rather than assumed.

The Harrison Institute is a biodiversity research and conservation organisation that, for almost a century, has worked with local students, scientists and communities across Africa and Asia. Its focus is on discovering, describing and conserving biodiversity — especially small mammals such as bats — and, more recently, birds in the Himalayas. It is best understood as a research-and-mentoring institute rather than a visitor attraction or a general environmental charity: its work combines scientific research, long-term mentoring and international collaboration to strengthen local leadership in biodiversity-rich but under-studied regions.

What the Harrison Institute does

The institute's stated mission is to discover, describe and conserve Asian and African biodiversity, working alongside the people who live closest to it. Three strands run through its work:

• Discovering biodiversity — field research and scientific description of species, particularly small mammals.
• Developing scientific capacity — mentoring students and early-career scientists, often through long-term collaborations with university staff and students.
• Conserving nature — turning research findings into practical conservation outcomes.

A guiding belief shapes this approach: biodiversity is best conserved when the scientists and communities who live alongside it have the opportunity to study, understand and protect it.

Where it works and what it specialises in

The emphasis on bats is notable. Bats are diverse, ecologically important and comparatively under-studied in many tropical regions, which makes them a natural fit for an institute oriented toward discovery and local capacity-building.

A century of history — and a recent move

The Harrison Institute was based in Sevenoaks, Kent, for 96 years. It has since begun a new chapter at the University of Exeter's Penryn Campus in Cornwall. According to the institute, the move opens opportunities for research collaboration, student mentoring and biodiversity conservation, while strengthening its long-standing international partnerships and scientific collections.

This matters if you are trying to locate or contact the institute: its historic association with Sevenoaks is real, but its current base is the Penryn Campus in Cornwall.

An example of its work: new bat species from Cameroon

One illustration of how the institute operates is the case of Aicha Gomeh-Djame, a PhD student from Cameroon mentored through the Harrison Institute. She led the discovery of two bat species new to science. The institute presents this work as highlighting both the remarkable biodiversity of Central African forests and the importance of developing the next generation of conservation scientists.

The example is useful because it shows the model in practice: international collaboration, local scientific leadership, and research that feeds directly into understanding and conserving biodiversity.

Who this information is useful for

• Students and early-career researchers looking for mentoring or collaborative research opportunities in biodiversity-rich regions.
• Universities and research groups interested in international partnerships on small mammals, bats or birds.
• Conservation organisations and funders wanting to understand the institute's approach to capacity-building.
• Anyone trying to place the name — for instance, after encountering it in a paper, a species description or a news story about the Sevenoaks-to-Cornwall move.

If your interest is in visiting, volunteering or donating, note that the available information describes the institute's research, mentoring and collaboration work rather than public programmes or admission details. For specifics on current projects, partnerships or how to get involved, the institute's own site is the appropriate starting point.