This week, we ask whether technology is accelerating or solving the climate crisis.

Alyssa Gilbert, Director of Undaunted and Director of Innovation at Imperial’s Grantham Institute, sits down with Lok Yee Liu to discuss the launch of EarthScale, a nationwide, university-led programme providing vital scaling support to climate tech startups in that tricky ‘missing middle’. Alyssa also responds to students’ anxiety around the impact of their tech use on the planet.

EarthScale is announcing its first cohort of ventures in October 2025. Follow their journeys and stay updated on when applications open for Cohort 2:

• EarthScale website
• EarthScale LinkedIn
• EarthScale newsletter

Find out more about Imperial’s Grantham Institute and Undaunted, and visit the Notpla website to find out more about its biodegradable, plastic-free packaging.

Follow the IDEA Lab at Imperial Business School on LinkedIn for further insights into innovative educational technologies and experiences. You can also check out the IDEA Lab website.

This week, we want to know what higher education would look like if attending lectures were as simple as putting on a VR headset. And whether this could become a reality.

Adrian Cowell, Innovation Lead for the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial, and Stephen Vaz, the IDEA Lab’s Director of Learning Innovation, sit down with Lok Yee Liu to explore virtual reality’s place in the future of higher education. Plus, students from Imperial give us their take on wearing headsets instead of attending classes.

Follow the IDEA Lab at Imperial Business School on LinkedIn for further insights into innovative educational technologies and experiences. You can also check out the IDEA Lab website.

Episode links:

Imperial’s Virtual Reality Student Experience (ViRSE)

Imperial School of Medicine LinkedIn

In the first episode of IDEAs Rewired, the team wants to know whether students (and teachers) are becoming too reliant on AI.

Cloda Jenkins, Associate Dean (Education, Pedagogy and Innovation) at Imperial Business School, and Sean O’Grady, Lead Learning Designer at the IDEA Lab, catch up with Lok Yee Liu to discuss the current impact of AI on teaching and learning in higher education. We also hear from a few of our students, who tell us whether they think AI is making them lazy.

Follow the IDEA Lab at Imperial Business School on LinkedIn for further insights into innovative educational technologies and experiences. You can also check out the IDEA Lab website.

Find out more about Imperial’s StudentShapers programme referenced in the episode.