Global Challenge Lab

The Technical University of Munich (TUM) is one of Europe’s top universities. It is committed to excellence in research and teaching, interdisciplinary education and the active promotion of promising young scientists. The university also forges strong links with companies and scientific institutions across the world. TUM was one of the first universities in Germany to be named a University of Excellence. It’s affiliated entrepreneurship centre UnternehmerTUM is Europe’s Leading Center for Innovation and Business Creation. The Munich-based center offers founders and start-ups a complete service from the initial idea to IPO. A team of over 250 experienced entrepreneurs, including scientists and investors, supports start-ups with business creation, market entry and financing – also with venture capital.

UnternehmerTUM is TUM’s affiliated entrepreneurship institute and Europe’s Leading Center for Innovation and Business Creation. The Munich-based center offers founders and start-ups a complete service from the initial idea to IPO. A team of over 250 experienced entrepreneurs, including scientists and investors, supports start-ups with business creation, market entry and financing – also with venture capital.

LSE Generate supports students and alumni to build a socially responsible business, in the UK and beyond. Our year-round programme is packed with funding competitions, treks, events and networking opportunities. We support LSE innovators at each stage of your entrepreneurial journey and provide the infrastructure to build, develop and scale your ideas.

 

The University of Queensland (UQ) is one of Australia’s leading teaching and research universities. For more than a century, UQ has educated and worked with outstanding people to deliver knowledge leadership for a better world. UQ ranks among the world’s top universities, and with a strong focus on teaching excellence, UQ has won more national teaching awards than any other Australian university.UQ’s 280,000 graduates are an engaged network of global alumni spanning more than 170 countries, and include more than 15,400 PhDs. More than 53,600 current students, including more than 19,900 postgraduate students and approximately 20,200 international students from 142 countries, currently study across UQ’s three campuses in South East Queensland. UQ’s six faculties, eight globally recognised research institutes and more than 100 research centres attract an interdisciplinary community of 1500 scientists, social scientists and engineers who champion research excellence and continue UQ’s tradition of research leadership. This is reflected in UQ being the number one recipient of Australian Research Council Fellowships and Awards nationally across all scheme years (419 awards worth over $290 million). UQ is also one of only three Australian members of the global Universitas 21; a founding member of the Group of Eight (Go8) universities; a member of Universities Australia; a member of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU); and one of only three Australian charter members of the global edX consortium for massive open online courses (MOOCs).

 

The University of Ghana, the premier university and the largest university in Ghana was founded as the University College of the Gold Coast by Ordinance on August 11, 1948 for the purpose of providing and promoting university education, learning and research. As a University poised to distinguish itself in the area of research to make an impact at the national and international level, the University has launched a new Strategic Plan. This new strategic plan (2014-2024) is intended to consolidate the gains made from the review of the University’s mission and practices and situate these within the context of a very dynamic environment of higher education in Ghana and beyond. Our Vision To become a world class research-intensive University over the next decade. Our Mission We will create an enabling environment that makes University of Ghana increasingly relevant to national and global development through cutting-edge research as well as high quality teaching and learning.

The University of São Paulo (USP) is the largest institution dedicated to higher education and research in Brazil. Founded in 1934, USP is a public university, with approximately 90,000 students, 13,000 administrative and support staff, 5,300 professors and 8 campuses located in the State of São Paulo. USP offers undergraduate courses in all fields of knowledge and graduate programs in the Exact, Human and Biological Sciences. USP has Institutes and Schools in all fields of knowledge, hospitals, physical and digital libraries and centres and institutes specialised in advanced research, which complete the scientific development promoted by the University. The university has an active role in disseminating science, culture and quality health care for citizens across the country. Strongly integrated with the local community, USP runs several hospitals, museums and public services that benefit the population. USP International Cooperation Office develops and implements policies that promote the internationalisation of the institution. USP International Cooperation Office seeks to: Establish cooperation strategies between USP and its international partners; Foster international academic cooperation; Select, organise and disseminate information about programs and initiatives concerned with academic cooperation.

Formally inaugurated in 1959, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM), is one among the foremost institutes of national importance in higher technological education, basic and applied research in India. A faculty of international repute, a highly motivated and brilliant student community, excellent technical and supporting staff and an effective administration have all contributed to the pre-eminent status of IITM. The institute is proud to be the top-ranked engineering institute in India for five consecutive years (2016-2020) as well as the ‘Best Educational Institution’ in the Overall Category in the NIRF Rankings (2019 & 2020) by the Ministry of Human Resource Development. More recently, IITM has been given the distinction of Institute of Eminence by the Government of India. IITM is internationally renowned for the quality and diversity of its academics and research in various fields of science, technology, humanities, and management which is nurtured through various programmes run by its 16 departments and through sponsored programmes funded by national organizations and the industry. The institute has advanced research centres in various disciplines of engineering and pure sciences, with nearly 100 excellent laboratories organized in a unique pattern of functioning. There are 37 Centres of excellence, and the institute is also home to India’s first university-based research park – IITM Research Park. IITM is a residential institute with a self-contained campus located in a beautiful, forested area of about 250 hectares. The institute is in the city of Chennai, which is the state capital of Tamil Nadu, a southern state in India.

The University of Tokyo (UTokyo) was established in 1877 as the first national university in Japan. UTokyo has primarily five main campuses in and around Tokyo and 51 facilities which are located across Japan. UTokyo also has research facilities worldwide. Additionally, UTokyo has international offices in Seoul (Republic of Korea), New-Delhi (India), and Colombo (Sri Lanka). As a leading research university, UTokyo offers courses in essentially all academic disciplines at both undergraduate and graduate levels and conducts research across the full spectrum of academic activity. UTokyo is the largest energy consumption institute among all national universities in Japan, and the Hongo Campus is the largest single energy consumption institutional area in Tokyo Metropolitan Area. In order to realize a sustainable campus while utilizing its existing intellectual resources and revitalizing research and education, the University of Tokyo established the UTokyo Sustainable Campus Project (TSCP) in 2008.

Founded in 1872, Sciences Po is France’s leading university in the social sciences. For nearly 150 years, Sciences Po has educated decision-makers in the public and private sectors. Our college offers a three-year undergraduate degree that includes a year abroad at one of our 478 partner universities. There are seven graduate schools composed of 30 master’s degrees and five PhD programmes. Sciences Po offers over 40 dual degrees with partner universities, including Columbia University in New York, the London School of Economics and Peking University. We also provide executive education with 15 dedicated executive master’s degrees and over 100 customised training programmes. Sciences Po offers a multidisciplinary, multilingual and outward looking education. In order to provide a comprehensive curriculum, Sciences Po places great emphasis on fundamental academic courses, professional training and extra-curricular activities. Sciences Po also integrates digital teaching methods into its programmes and continues to develop innovative teaching platforms, such as MOOCs.

Cornell is a private, Ivy League university and the land-grant university for New York state. Cornell’s mission is to discover, preserve and disseminate knowledge, to educate the next generation of global citizens, and to promote a culture of broad inquiry throughout and beyond the Cornell community. Cornell also aims, through public service, to enhance the lives and livelihoods of students, the people of New York and others around the world.

 

The American University of Beirut (AUB), a teaching-centered research university, with around 800 instructional faculty and a student body of around 8,000 students. Founded in 1866, AUB bases its educational philosophy, standards, and practices on the American liberal arts model of higher education. The University encourages freedom of thought and expression and seeks to graduate men and women committed to creative and critical thinking, life-long learning, personal integrity, civic responsibility, and leadership.
The University, which was granted institutional accreditation in June 2004 by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools in the United States and reaffirmed in 2016, includes seven faculties: Agricultural and Food Sciences, Arts and Sciences, Engineering and Architecture, Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing, and ​Business. ​AUB currently offers more than 130 programs leading to the bachelor’s, master’s, MD, and PhD degrees.

 

Durham University’s Hazan Venture Lab is a dedicated co-working space for student startups. Sitting within the Careers & Enterprise department, the Venture Lab team delivers a range of support services including: innovation and idea generation workshops, 1:1 business advice sessions, competitions, networking events and funding support. We are dedicated to helping students discover their potential and create transformational new ventures to have a positive impact on the world. The team has recently been recognised by the United Nations for delivering innovation programmes that contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals, and are excited to be a partner for the Global Challenge Lab in 2022.