About the competition

The aim of the FoNS-Make-a-Difference! competition is to provide undergraduate students with a forum to develop low-cost technology that would have an impact in Society. In the process, they will also develop new skills which will enhance their CV and have the opportunity to take part in workshops on intellectual property, business ethics and team building. 

The competition is open to all undergraduate students from the Faculty of Natural Sciences and to team members from other Faculties.

The main feature of the competition is the opportunity for finalist teams to undertake an 8 week funded lab placement over the summer, where they will have the chance to develop their idea to proof of concept stage. The full FoNS-MAD 2024 Calendar can be found here. 

For more information, please email us at fonsmad@imperial.ac.uk, or read the FoNS-MAD Impact Report November 2022. 

How does it work?

The competition is divided into three stages:

Information blocks

Stage 1

STAGE 1: Workshops & Outline Proposal

November - February

Ideas workshops will bring together undergraduate students from across College to form teams and develop an idea.

Teams identify an issue facing society and come up with an idea for a low-cost technology which could help to solve the problem.

Teams write an outline proposal for their idea and submit it to an expert panel.

Successful outline proposals are then shortlisted for Stage 2.
Stage 2

STAGE 2: Full Proposal

February - March

Teams work together to develop their idea into a full proposal taking into account budget and time limitations.


The full proposal is presented to the judging panel.

The top teams are then selected for the final stage.
Stage 3

STAGE 3: Proof of Concept

May- October

Teams have access to appropriate space, a budget and bursaries to develop their project up to the proof-of-concept stage over 8 weeks during the summer.

Teams then submit a detailed summary of their findings and give a presentation of their project at the Final Judging Event to a VIP panel and an invited audience.

At the final, the winning team will receive a prize worth £7000. Runners-up prizes are also available.