Systems Change Lab 2025: Reflecting on a year of impact

Engineering sits at the centre of many of the defining challenges of our time – from climate breakdown to infrastructure resilience and inequality. Yet the systems that shape how engineering is taught and practised are struggling to keep pace with a rapidly changing world.

In 2025, the Systems Change Lab brought together educators, engineers, policymakers and changemakers to explore what needs to shift to address this gap. 

Today, we’re pleased to share the Systems Change Lab 2025 Impact Report, which captures our collective journey so far – from the community that formed around the Lab, to the outcomes developed by the Task & Finish Groups, and the insights that will shape what comes next.

Statistics reflect the number of people involved across the five in-person events and three online sessions.

Delivered by Engineers Without Borders UK in collaboration with Ramboll, the Lab convened more than 250 participants from across academia, industry, professional institutions and civil society. Over nine months, participants came together through a series of in-person and online sessions to interrogate systemic barriers and explore new pathways for change.

Central to this year’s programme were four participant-led Task & Finish Groups, each focusing on a different leverage point within the engineering system: Policy and Standards, Education and Upskilling, Roles and Values, and Stories of Change.

Together, these groups developed a range of early-stage interventions designed to spark change across the sector.

The Policy and Standards group explored how professional registration and accreditation frameworks shape engineering practice. Through a cross-sector survey and discussions with sector bodies, the group began building an evidence base to inform conversations around the Engineering Council’s upcoming standards review.

The Education and Upskilling group focused on how engineering education and professional learning can better reflect the realities of modern practice. Their work included developing case studies of existing UK initiatives that could be scaled to help support educators and improve access to engineering learning across all age groups.

The Roles and Values group examined how professional identity and culture influence who enters, stays in and shapes the engineering profession. Among their outputs is a living repository concept exploring the history and geography of engineering, alongside ideas for communications campaigns and workshops that challenge traditional narratives about the profession.

Meanwhile, the Stories of Change group explored storytelling as a lever for systems change. The group developed a blueprint for a podcast series that will surface the human stories behind systemic change in engineering and highlight how creativity, ethics, systems thinking and global responsibility are core facets of modern practice.

Following each in-person event, participants were asked for feedback. The figures above show the percentage of participants who agreed (to any degree) with the statements listed.

Alongside the interventions developed through the Task & Finish Groups, participants reported meaningful personal impact. Many reflected on improved understanding of systems change and greater confidence in applying the principles of globally responsible engineering in their own work. Participants also consistently reflected on the value of stepping outside their usual professional contexts and building relationships across sectors, reporting that they felt able to meaningfully contribute to the conversation throughout the course of the Lab.

While the 2025 Systems Change Lab was time-bound, the conversations and interventions it sparked are only just beginning. As this community continues to evolve in 2026, we are building on the insights, relationships and momentum generated to support further collaboration, experimentation and action across the sector.

Explore the full 2025 Impact Report below to discover the insights and interventions emerging from the Lab, and register here to receive updates on future activities and opportunities to contribute.