Creating a sustainable future together.
Building partnerships between students and organisations for positive change
The University Living Lab applies the energy and expertise of students to real-world sustainability challenges. We do this by developing student projects with external organisations that help them to meet their sustainability goals. At the same time our projects enable students to make a difference through their studies and gain key skills and experience.
“The greatest threat to the planet is the belief someone else will save it.”
— Robert Swan
Students
What we can do for you
You could affect change for sustainable development through your University work.
We believe in the power of students to affect change. We have hundreds of Projects set by a range of organisations. The Projects are real research that organisations need for sustainable development. We are drawing on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals which are a blueprint for a better future, for all, by 2030. You can adapt any of these Projects for a dissertation, an essay, an assignment, and so forth.
Students
What you can do
Adopt suitable ethical frameworks for all research.
Let us know that you are undertaking this research via the form.
Conduct your fantastic research that will make an impact for sustainable development.
Send us your completed Report so that we can share it with the organisation who set it. We will send you any details of the impact that your Report has affected as the external partner shares them with us. We might showcase your report on this platform.
Be aware that you should not use the same piece of work for multiple assignments.
Bask in the knowledge that you are affecting change in our challenged world.
“I am a student research intern at the University of Manchester and I think that without the research skills I gained during the project I wouldn’t have been able to get this position.”
— Student studying UCIL ‘Creating a Sustainable World’, University of Manchester
Organisations
What we can do for you
We can offer student power to research your sustainable development needs. We embrace the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals so are welcoming a vast range of projects.
Tell us what you need researching and we will make your project available to an approximate 40,000 strong force for sustainable development. When completed, we will send you the Report to use as you need. We would welcome feedback on the report and details of any impact it had.
We particularly welcome smaller organisations or charities who might particularly benefit from some (free) research power.
Academics
How this might be useful for you?
Please feel free to offer this assessment approach, and the projects, as part of courses that you are teaching. Jen has piloted this concept on different courses, at different levels for over four years and would be happy to discuss how you might use it. Students love the assessment style, it enhances their employability and student experience whilst affecting change for sustainable development – what’s not to like.
Likewise, if you are undertaking a similar assessment approach and might be willing to contribute projects to enhance their reach and impact we would be delighted to share this site. We could also host your students’ work to grow our knowledge base and increase your students’ profiles.
Featured student reports
“The assessment style is the best I have had yet, it challenges 21st century challenges with the learning, and lets you interact with these challenges alongside a business - learning feels useful when it is put into real-world contexts”
— Student, Governing Urban Transformations, University of Manchester