Approximately 200 attendees and exhibitors convened at Plexal Theatre at Here East for the first time since the pandemic. There were 23 Partner Organisations involved this year including: West Ham United Foundation, Street Child United, Trade Finance Global and StepTribe.

The show was the final instalment of the Collaborate programme. Students worked over the course of 10 weeks in 85 small teams, overseen by an academic Project Lead, and collaborating with their Partner Organisation. They deconstructed their brief, and researched and tested out their ideas before showcasing their proposals.

Ashley Gray, Learning Partnerships Manager said: “It was fantastic to be able bring everyone back together in-person this year. Building on the foundations of digital collaboration tools activated during the pandemic, we’ve been delighted to work with such an adventurous group of Partner Organisations from London and beyond, while also see an increasing number of our alumni bringing in their employers or indeed, their own founded organisations.

“Our students and Partner Organisations have once again raised the collaboration bar, so we very much look forward to developing projects in preparation for next year’s cohort over the summer.” 

Natasha Roston from Trade Finance Global (TFG) added “All the teams took time to really get to know TFG to fully understand our needs. The research and understanding for this complex and niche industry was fantastic.

“We thoroughly enjoyed the process and engaging with the students throughout the project. Seeing their determination to address the challenges we face and developing problem-solving skills to tackle them with creative solutions was lovely.” 

The Collaborate team are currently looking for Partner Organisations for the 2022/23 programme. Applications should be submitted by 1 September.