How does the annual DigitalHack differ from the usual business pitch and start‑up competitions? “The global DigitalHack enables interdisciplinary and high-intensity collaboration between current UCL MBA students and alumni, high-performing graduates from other UCL faculties, industry experts and senior business leaders in a dynamic online environment. “In today’s complex world, it is crucial to bring together diverse innovation teams from across sectors, geographical regions and experience levels to work on hard-to-solve societal and organisational challenges. The DigitalHack features a multi-staged and progressive methodology that was developed by UCL School of Management associate professor Rikke Duus and Hult Ashridge’s Mike Cooray and published by Harvard Business Publishing Education. “With the theme AI – A Catalyst for Change? , the 2024 DigitalHack brought together participants from across more than 13 countries and 15 different organisations. The interdisciplinary teams engaged in fast-paced research, ideation and concept development, using digital tools and analytical frameworks to deliver their proposed human-centred and responsible AI solutions. They did this for each of the four participating client organisations: the UK’s National Health Service and Department for Education, Parsons and Reach PLC. In the process, MBAs gained critical hands- on experience of interdisciplinary team-based innovation conducted in a fully online environment that resulted in tangible, real-world solutions.” Each of the labs runs its own projects, but how are these decided on, who acts as lead and what is the level of faculty involvement in each of the initiatives? “Now that the labs are established, any participant – whether that’s a current student, alumnus or industry partner – can propose a collaborative project. For the Analytics Lab groups to address the projects that interest them and are therefore self- determining in this way. While each lab has a faculty advisor, student leadership is at the centre of the labs’ continued operation, with UCL MBA staff supporting the labs’ leaders in ongoing operations and succession planning. and the Sustainability Lab, projects are proposed to the wider lab community. Students and alumni then form working
“The global DigitalHack runs in a slightly different way. Each year, its theme engages teams in the design of new solutions that meet specific United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, with Duus and Cooray working with multiple businesses, UCL MBA students and alumni to identify a topical challenge that requires innovative solutions. In addition to this year’s AI theme, other topics covered have included tech-led health solutions, citizen equity in urban spaces, nutrition and wellbeing. In 2025, the DigitalHack plans to address how technology and media ecosystems can drive dialogue that leads to innovative societal solutions in an increasingly divided and fragmented world.” How do the labs overcome the traditional challenges of engaging and strengthening an online MBA community? “With students and alumni based across the globe, event location and timing can be a challenge, but lab activities use various online tools to encourage active engagement and incorporate global collaboration. Plus, the dispersed nature of our participants means that projects can be continually worked on regardless of an individual’s current timezone. As lab projects are self-determined by members, interest and engagement in projects is also sustainably maintained and can easily incorporate new challenges affecting business and society in different parts of the world.” Why was it considered so important to engage the wider UCL community in the MBA student and alumni network through the labs? “With the UCL MBA being
an intentionally small and selective programme, it
is important to provide links to the much larger
UCL community so that students can build a broad foundation for their future. The outreach of the labs and inclusion of other business school students, as well as students from UCL’s faculties in engineering,
30 | Ambition | DECEMBER 2024
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