Two ways to make an impact
Whether you want to join our programme or fund change in your own community — there's a place for you here. The time to act is now.
Two pathways forward
The Main Programme connects exceptional students with leading researchers. Community Impact Grants fund individuals driving change in their own communities.
Five impact categories where real change happens
These are not abstract problems. They are the systems that fail communities every day. You will work in one of these five spaces, building solutions that matter. Each category draws from multiple disciplines because real problems do not fit neatly into single subjects.
Food, water and waste systems
Biology, chemistry, geography, environmental science, economics. You build composting systems, rainwater harvesting, food growing, waste-to-energy.
Renewable energy infrastructure
Physics, engineering, mathematics, computer science, biology. You install solar, micro wind systems, biogas digesters that actually work.
Social and economic resilience
Economics, sociology, politics, psychology, business. You design community cooperatives, employment programmes, financial literacy systems.
Sustainable building and retrofitting
Physics, geography, art and design, engineering. You create low-cost housing from local materials and retrofit public spaces.
Two hundred and forty exceptional sixth form students paired with forty doctorate researchers from Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, UCL and LSE. Together they design and build sustainable technology prototypes across five impact categories that matter.
Seven steps from application to global impact
The Main Programme moves fast. From your first application through to seeing your prototype deployed across six continents, the journey is structured, demanding, and real.
The best prototypes travel the world
One hundred fifteen spots across eighteen countries on six continents. Each prototype is paired with safeguarding nonprofits and rotates through implementation cycles that keep the work honest and grounded in real communities.
What doctorate researchers build here
One full day each month. Weekly oversight of your students' work. That is the commitment. In return, you gain global impact, research opportunities, an international network, and potential roles at our Colombia site starting at £60,000 per year.
What's expected
Monthly full day commitment plus weekly research oversight and mentorship.
What you gain
Global impact, research data, international network, and potential leadership roles.
Fund your own community impact
We back individuals outside the main programme who can show real local impact. No interviews. No weekly sessions. Just a proposal and proof you can make it happen.
Who can apply for community grants
Any individual. Any age. Anywhere. You must demonstrate genuine community need in one of our five categories, show clear measurable outcomes, and commit to reporting back on what you build.
From application to impact in six months
The grant process moves fast. You submit. We review. You build. You report. The best projects get invited into the full programme the following year.
September
Your application is reviewed.
Week 4
Those who are accepted after the interview get their funding
Monthly
Check-ins keep your work on track and connected to our network of builders.
December
Impact report submitted. Results measured. Best projects invited to join next year.
Next June
Top grant projects transition into the full programme with doctorate mentors.
Applications close August 2nd
June 2026 opens both pathways. August 2nd 2026 closes them. The time to act is now.