Our work

ISC Digital Journeys

Strengthening the digital maturity of science organisations

Science, technology, and innovation (STI) systems are evolving rapidly, but organisations in low-resource settings, especially in low- and middle-income countries, face significant challenges in adopting digital tools like AI and online platforms, as well as developing the necessary ways of working that underpin them.

Frontier Tech Hub

Testing the production of hydroponic fodder for cattle

Across northern Nigeria, climate change is accelerating conflict between nomadic herders and settled farmers. As pastureland shrinks and traditional grazing routes disappear, livelihoods are under threat, and the country’s dairy sector is struggling with poor yields, land disputes, and dry-season feed shortages.

Frontier Tech Hub

Piloting a radical new platform for locust control in Kenya

Exploring whether drones could be used as a nimble, low-cost and environmentally friendlier complement to traditional locust control, particularly for early-stage outbreaks, hard-to-reach areas and smaller swarms.

Frontier Tech Hub

Supporting e-mobility pioneers in Africa

Motorcycle taxis are a dominant mode of transport in East Africa, yet high fuel costs and emissions burden drivers and the environment. While electric motorcycles offered a solution, adoption was hindered by high upfront costs, battery limitations, and lack of charging infrastructure.

Repair & Reuse CoLab

Imagining a better future for the repair and reuse economy in Kenya

Kenya’s repair and reuse sector is significant yet undervalued, contributing £1.12 billion GBP (1.5% of Kenya’s GDP). Despite its economic and environmental value, the sector remains underfunded, lacks policy support, and is largely excluded from investment frameworks.

TRANSFORM

Reimagining the Future of Work in Kenya

Across Africa, the ‘informal’ economy is a critical lifeline, supporting livelihoods for millions. With 280 million facing food insecurity and 600 million lacking electricity, the informal sector is a key source of employment. By 2050, it is estimated that the population will reach 2.5 billion people with young people making up half of this.

ASToN

Creating innovative ways for a city council to provide effective local services

Challenged assumptions and introduced ‘bureaucratic innovation’ right across the council, leading to smart, citizen-centered services that make paying taxes simpler.

Humanitarian Grand Challenge

Creating community across conflict zones

Developed a supportive and dynamic community that allows those working in unpredictable and extreme environments to come together and make meaningful connections, identify new opportunities and form sector-chan.

Macmillan CoLab

Addressing health inequalities through inclusive design

In just five months we designed and tested a holistic ‘fatigue safety net’ proposition that was then piloted by healthcare staff across an NHS Trust in two hospitals. Along the way we changed.

Well_Lab

Accelerating the flow of evidence from academia to the workplace so frontline workers can access, use, and respond to research and improve their health.

Future of Work in the Informal Economy

Working to understand the current realities and future possibilities for the millions of entrepreneurial Kenyans who hustle to sustain livelihoods across the informal economy.

100x Impact Accelerator

Bringing our ventures and experimentation expertise to our work with the 100x startups in the accelerator on real-world tests for their propositions and scaling pathways.

Mainstreaming innovation methods in government

Co-creating a framework for the adoption of innovation in international development organisations through research, collaboration with the OECD's Development Assistance Committee members and contributing to a working paper on institutionalising new ways of working.

Repair and Reuse CoLab

Making the Invisible Visible: Imagining a Better Future for Kenya's significant repair and reuse economy.

Nesta: Innovation Squared

A horizon scan of emerging methods for supporting and managing innovation, including interviews with 50+ world leading innovators.

The four futures of work: Coping with uncertainty in an age of radical technologies

Designing a series of conversations with the UK's retail sector to activate the RSA's report on the four futures of work and co-create next steps for industry.

Research and Innovation Systems for Africa (RISA) Fund

Target portfolio strategy and design, and grantee storytelling in this multi-country FCDO-funded programme that aims to support research and innovation systems strengthening in Africa.

Assistive Tech Impact Fund (ATIF)

Portfolio strategy, fund design and grantee support to enable frontier technology solutions to reach people with disabilities in Africa, and to test business models that are most likely to succeed.

Oxfam America

Finding new ways for Oxfam America to make a bigger impact in the world

Working with the senior team at Oxfam America to shape strategy, plan and design their portfolio with the aim to improve how the organisation fights poverty, inequality and injustice across the world.

LearnAdapt

Building capabilities across a UK government Department (DFID) to manage adaptive development programmes better. We drew on approaches from the development and tech sector including adaptive management, agile ways of working and lean start-up and worked to realign incentives across procurement and HR practices.

Elimu-Soko Initiative

Supporting a portfolio of EdTech innovations in Rwanda with Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning on this ‘education marketplace’ for innovations, which was piloted in Rwanda 2022-2023.

LEGO Foundation

Translating evidence, knowledge and emergent insights into practical products and tools to inspire and inform board level decisions and future strategies.

Future Forum 2023

Creating a learning experience for GIZ teams to learn strategic foresight and develop a future vision to apply to their work across agriculture & food, resources & circularity, energy & mobility.