🔬 Activation Phase – Lab Descriptions [June 2026]

During the Activation Phase, you will join a Lab to develop your final thesis project. This is the culmination of your degree: a structured, applied piece of work that demonstrates your ability to define a problem, apply rigorous thinking, and generate meaningful outcomes.

Across all labs, you can:

• Join existing research or innovation projects
• Or propose and develop your own thesis idea

All projects result in:

• A written thesis
• A final presentation and defence
  
  
  

🌍 Research & Impact Lab

Focus: AI, data, and sustainability applied to real-world societal challenges

In this Lab, you will conduct rigorous, evidence-based research to address complex global problems at the intersection of AI, sustainability, and society.

You will define a clear research question, apply structured methodologies, and generate insights that lead to real-world impact—whether for organisations, communities, or policy.

Research topics may include:

• Responsible and explainable AI
• AI for climate, health, or social good
• AI governance and ethics
• Organisational adoption of AI
• Data-driven sustainability solutions

Example projects:

• Designing a framework for ethical AI use in healthcare
• Using machine learning to predict environmental risks
• Evaluating the impact of AI tools on workforce transformation

👉 Ideal if you want to produce deep, research-driven work with societal relevance

 

🚀 Innovation & Technology Lab

Focus: Building and testing technology-driven solutions

This Lab is centred on applied technological innovation. You will move beyond theory to experiment, prototype, and validate solutions using AI, data science, or digital systems.

Your thesis will typically involve testing hypotheses, building systems, or analysing technical implementations.

Research topics may include:

• Applied AI and data science
• Explainable and responsible AI systems
• Technology governance (e.g. EU AI Act)
• Digital transformation and innovation systems

Example projects:

• Developing a prototype AI tool for decision-making
• Testing explainability techniques in machine learning models
• Designing a governance framework for AI adoption in organisations

👉 Ideal if you want to build, experiment, and apply technical solutions

 

🧭 Leadership Lab

Focus: Leadership, culture, and organisational effectiveness

In this Lab, you will explore what makes leadership effective in practice, across individuals, teams, and organisations.

You will combine research with real-world application, often developing frameworks, interventions, or tools that improve leadership outcomes.

Research topics may include:

• Leadership behaviours and decision-making
• Culture design and organisational dynamics
• Leadership development frameworks
• Measuring leadership effectiveness

Example projects:

• Designing a leadership framework for remote-first teams
• Evaluating the impact of leadership styles on team performance
• Building a tool to assess organisational culture

👉 Ideal if you are interested in people, organisations, and leadership development

 

📈 Transformation in Innovation & Marketing (TIM) Lab

Focus: Innovation, branding, and market adoption in the age of AI & New Technologies

This Lab explores how innovation is perceived, communicated, and adopted in real-world markets.

You will study how organisations position new ideas, how customers respond, and how AI is reshaping marketing and creativity.

Research topics may include:

• Branding and marketing in AI-driven environments
• Innovation perception and adoption
• AI in creative processes and ideation
• Customer and employee perception of AI

Example projects:

• Analysing how AI-generated branding affects customer trust
• Studying innovation adoption in SMEs or family businesses
• Designing and testing AI-supported marketing strategies

👉 Ideal if you are interested in innovation, marketing, and customer behaviour

 

💡 Venturing Lab

Focus: Building and validating new ventures

In this Lab, your thesis becomes a venture-building journey. You will develop, test, and validate a startup or product idea.

The focus is on real-world feasibility, combining research with execution.

Research topics may include:

• Business model validation
• Market research and user discovery
• Product development and MVP testing
• Entrepreneurial strategy

Example projects:

• Launching and validating a startup concept
• Building an MVP and testing it with real users
• Conducting market validation for a sustainability-focused product

👉 Ideal if you want to build something real and entrepreneurial

 

🌱 Sustainable Solutions Lab

Focus: Practical solutions to sustainability challenges

This Lab focuses on designing and evaluating solutions that address environmental and sustainability challenges.

You will work on applied projects that combine data, systems thinking, and innovation to create measurable impact.

Research topics may include:

• Tech and product innovation for sustainable impact
• Systems transformation for sustainability (energy, mobility, cities, circular economy etc)
• Nature-based solutions for sustainable development
• Environment and biodiversity management
• Sustainability metrics and impact measurement

Example projects:

• The Role of artificial intelligence (AI) in Overcoming Barriers to Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) in urban development
• Circular Economy Approaches to Photovoltaic Module End-of-Life Management: Challenges and Pathways for Sustainable Solar Energy Systems
• Exploring the effectiveness and credibility of community-based carbon removal projects through nature-based solutions in coastal East Africa
• Designing Heat-Resilient Cities: A Participatory Approach to Prototyping Heat-Health Warning Systems for Vulnerable Groups in Munich-Hadern

👉 Ideal if you want to work directly on sustainability challenges

 

🌐 Planetary Design Lab

Focus: Designing products, services, and systems for a sustainable and equitable future

This Lab takes a systems and design-oriented approach to global challenges, focusing on how we design while operating within planetary boundaries.

Through design research, prototyping, and real-world experimentation, you will explore how systems—social, technological, and environmental—can be redesigned for long-term sustainability. The projects combine product development, sustainability innovation, and systems thinking, translating complex ecological and societal challenges into tangible concepts, prototypes, and interventions.

Research topics may include:

• Systems thinking and planetary boundaries
• Planet-Centric Product & Innovation Design
• Design for Socio-Ecological Transformation
• Regenerative design and future systems
• Urban systems and sustainable cities
• (More-Than-)Human-centred design for global challenges
• Prototyping Sustainable Futures

Example projects:

• Designing a regenerative system for urban environments
• Mapping and improving a complex sustainability ecosystem
• Creating a design framework for planetary-scale innovation

👉 Ideal if you think in systems, planet-centred design, and long-term impact

 

🧠 Applied Psychology Lab

Focus: Human behaviour, decision-making, and human-tech/AI interaction

This Lab explores the psychological forces that shape how people think, behave, and make decisions, including in the context of AI and digital systems.

You will apply psychological theories to real-world problems, often designing interventions or evaluating behaviour.

Research topics may include:

• Behavioural change and decision-making
• Human-AI interaction
• Motivation, learning, and cognition
• Digital behaviour and wellbeing

Example projects:

• Designing an intervention to improve sustainable behaviour
• Studying how users trust AI systems
• Analysing the psychological impact of digital tools

👉 Ideal if you are interested in human behaviour and psychology in practice

 

🔄 Transformation Lab

Focus: Organisational and systemic transformation

This Lab focuses on how organisations and systems adapt and transform in response to technological, societal, and environmental change.

You will explore transformation from a strategic and operational perspective, often working directly with business and real-world cases.

Research topics may include:

• Digital and AI transformation
• Organisational change and strategy
• ESG and sustainability transformation
• Change management and implementation

Example projects:

• Developing a transformation strategy for an organisation
• Analysing barriers to AI adoption in enterprises
• Designing a roadmap for sustainable transformation

👉 Ideal if you are interested in strategy, change, and organisational transformation

 

🧭 Not Sure Which Lab Fits You Best?

To help you identify which Activation Lab aligns most closely with your interests, goals, and preferred type of project, complete the Activation Lab Quiz below.

👉 Activation Lab Quiz

The quiz is designed to help you reflect on:

• The type of thesis you want to create
• Whether you prefer research, technical building, entrepreneurship, systems thinking, leadership, psychology, sustainability, or transformation-focused work
• The kind of impact and methodologies you are most interested in

👉 The result is intended as guidance and reflection support. Final Lab allocation and project fit may still be discussed with your Lab Owner.