Themes

UCL Grand Challenges brings researchers together from across UCL, setting the agenda for future research and building strong partnerships with external collaborators. The programme has become part of our university’s institutional fabric.

UCL Grand Challenges is making a significant impact on addressing some of the world's most urgent issues by investing in interdisciplinary research. By bringing together experts from across disciplines, the programme creates innovative solutions that drive real-world change.

Mental Health & Wellbeing

UCL's Grand Challenge of Mental Health & Wellbeing aims to become a beacon for improvements through transformative interdisciplinary research, practice and partnerships.

Climate Crisis

UCL's Grand Challenge of Climate Crisis leverages global expertise across disciplines to develop innovative solutions that protect the future of our planet.

Data-Empowered Societies

UCL's Grand Challenge of Data-Empowered Societies explores how to bring transformative technologies and data use into harmony with the values, vulnerabilities and needs of society.

Cultural Understanding

UCL's Grand Challenge of Cultural Understanding explores the differing, complex and evolving relationships between people, communities and cultures.

Inequalities

UCL's Grand Challenge of Inequalities develops, scales, and promotes best practices in addressing societal inequalities, situated at the intersection of the digital and spatial domains.

Justice and Equality

UCL's Grand Challenge of Justice and Equality examines the barriers that people face to fair solutions and equal opportunities.

Previous Grand Challenges

The Grand Challenge of Sustainable Cities

The Grand Challenge of Transformative Technology

Academic expertise

UCL has a wealth of academic expertise across a full range of academic disciplines.

> Explore the expertise

Impact

Since the Grand Challenge programme was launched in 2008, the programme has invested in nearly 500 projects and brought together over 850 researchers from 170 different centres, institutions and departments.

> See more about impact