Engineers Without Borders UK has announced the unveiling of the 2025/26 Engineering for People Design Challenge, an award-winning international programme that has reached more than 110,000 students across six countries since its inception 15 years ago.
Delivered in collaboration with Engineers Without Borders South Africa and CIVIC SQUARE, this year’s challenge will see university students explore real-world issues faced by the neighbourhood of Ladywood, Birmingham – a community characterised by creativity and resilience, but also facing significant challenges linked to economic inequality, under-investment in infrastructure, and the escalating impacts of the climate and ecological emergency.
CIVIC SQUARE. Image: Angela Grabowski.
Imandeep Kaur, co-founder and director, said: “We’re delighted that the Engineering for People Design Challenge is focusing on Ladywood this year. At CIVIC SQUARE, we believe that neighbourhoods like ours hold incredible knowledge, skills, and creativity when it comes to shaping regenerative futures.
"Inviting the knowledge and expertise from the students into the heart of neighbourhoods creates a powerful opportunity to reimagine how engineering can contribute to thriving places and people. And we’re excited to reflect on how this shapes their practice as they move through their education and beyond.”
A living example of community-led change
Ladywood provides a powerful context for learning, reflecting challenges common to cities worldwide while also showcasing bold, imaginative work led by local people. Through this year’s challenge, students will engage with stories, aspirations and lived experiences from the community, gaining insight into how engineers can design with people, not just for them.
Students will be invited to respond to eight interconnected challenge areas – food, water, energy, sanitation, waste, transport, digital and the built environment – developing design concepts that reflect the complexity of real-world systems. By working in this way, students will learn how responsible engineering means listening, collaborating, and designing solutions that consider both people and the planet.
Tom Whitehead, programme manager at Engineers Without Borders UK, said: “By the end of the challenge, students won’t just have created design concepts – they’ll have developed the confidence to work with complexity, the empathy and humility to learn from different perspectives, and a deeper understanding of what it means to engineer for the benefit of both people and planet.”
More than a competition
Each university’s top projects will be reviewed by a panel of industry experts and community representatives, with the most outstanding ideas progressing to the national grand finals. There, students from across Ireland, the Netherlands, South Africa, the UK and the USA will showcase their work and compete for the first prize, second prize and people’s prize.
But the challenge is about much more than winning. For many students, it represents their first opportunity to respond to complex societal and environmental realities, providing formative experience in globally responsible engineering.
In 2024, nine in ten participants reported a deeper understanding of global responsibility after taking part, while more than 80% said they felt better equipped to address the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Head to the Engineers Without Borders UK website to find out more and register interest on behalf of your university.
The Engineering for People Design Challenge is made possible through the support of Anglo American Foundation, Cundall, Publitek, Ramboll, Richter Foundation, and RS Group. Their backing helps inspire thousands of students each year to design with people and planet in mind. To explore partnership opportunities, contact community@ewb-uk.org