Earlier this month, second-year Management Science students took part in Scenario Week on Level 50 of One Canada Square as part of the programme’s ‘Design’ module, culminating in a showcase of student innovation. The event saw students working closely with two sustainability-focused start-ups - Catalys and SeaSoil - to address their specific business challenges. A key part of the BSc/MSci Management Science programme, Scenario Weeks occur throughout the year and require students to work in teams to address complex interdisciplinary management problems.
In a dynamic collaboration with Catalys, teams aimed to broaden the reach of green ammonia in sustainable energy sectors. Out of the competing groups, one team’s “Democratisation Campaign” stood out for its ingenuity in making Catalys’s technology more accessible, earning them the top spot. This brilliant strategy by Neelaksha, Jad, Kevin, Jessica, Rizqi, and Ipek perfectly aligned with Catalys’s vision.
Student engagement with SeaSoil focused on innovative uses of biodegradable materials. The winning team, consisting of Duru, Angela, Oliver, Freya, Louis, and Krystal, proposed a groundbreaking #BioPad – a biodegradable sanitary pad. Their approach, which cleverly suggested the sale of the formula’s intellectual property, captured the SeaSoil CEO’s interest, highlighting the potential for a different market trajectory.
A highlight of the week was on day three when Edward Nicholson (Lead at Accenture Fin-Tech Innovation Lab) and Duncan Robertson (Managing Director at Dott), visited Level 50 to observe student projects. Their real-world insights proved invaluable in helping students refine their prototypes, adding a layer of practical expertise to the theoretical knowledge.
Post-challenge, the CEOs of Catalys and SeaSoil provided insightful feedback, praising the students’ creativity and expressing hope for further collaboration with the winning teams. This initiative not only demonstrated the students’ ability to develop practical, forward-thinking solutions but also reinforced UCL School of Management’s commitment to bridging academic insight with real-world business challenges.
We look forward to seeing how these collaborations evolve and encourage other companies and startups to engage with our students in future scenario weeks for more groundbreaking solutions and partnerships.
Find out more about UCL School of Management’s BSc/MSci Management Science programme.
