Apply: 2017 Global Grand Challenges Competition

The Royal Academy of Engineering are inviting university teams to participate in the 2017 Global Grand Challenges Competition; a seven-month programme of challenge-led innovation, design and business development, culminating in the opportunity for five successful teams to attend the Global Grand Challenges Summit in Washington DC.

Nominated teams of undergraduate students will take part in the two-day interactive workshop in February, facilitated by UCL Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy (STEaPP), where they will be confronted with a global challenge and tasked to develop a solution that engineering expertise can address in an innovative and effective way.

Following this preparatory workshop, the university teams will work independently to develop focused design solutions to their global challenges in preparation for a competition showcase hosted by the Academy in April 2017. During the competition, students will pitch their design solutions to a panel of experts, and five teams will be chosen to continue to the next round.

The winning teams will go on to develop full business proposals for their design solutions, supported by a Business Development Bootcamp in June, and then will have the opportunity to represent the United Kingdom at the Global Grand Challenges Summit in Washington DC in July, competing against teams from the United States and China.

Costs

February Workshop

• If not based in London, the Academy will cover the cost of economy travel from the team’s university location to London for the two-day workshop in February and student accommodation for the night of the first day.
• If the team’s university location is more than 200 miles’ distance from London, the Academy will also cover student accommodation for the night prior to the workshop.

How to Apply: 

• University,
• Names, email addresses and disciplines of all team members,
• A plan outlining an initial idea to address one of the Grand Challenges for Engineering,
• Details of two team mentors from the university
• Please submit all applications by 27 January 2017 to rebecca.gaitch@raeng.org.uk
• Successful applicants will be notified by 30 January 2017

Learn more about the Grand Challenge here: Global Grand Challenge