Cleantech Innovation
Become a climate innovator and cleantech entrepreneur through this interdisciplinary MSc.
Innovate new technologies to tackle the climate challenge with deeptech and design skills.
Become a cleantech pioneer through collaboration with designers, engineers and scientists.
Launch a cleantech venture with your team as part of London’s startup ecosystem.
Course key facts
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Qualification
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MSc
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Duration
1 year
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Start date
October 2025
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Study mode
Full-time
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Fees
£18,500 Home
£42,900 Overseas
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Delivered by
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Location
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South Kensington
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Minimum entry standard
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2:1 (or equivalent) in a Science, Technology or Engineering discipline
Course overview
Learn the theory and practice of innovation.
Develop a deep understanding of the technical aspects of climate change challenges and formulate your own solutions to these, ranging from climate resilience through to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in varied sectors and contexts.
The MSc Cleantech Innovation is a joint programme between the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment and the Dyson School of Design Engineering. You will interact with the Grantham Institute’s innovation initiative, Undaunted, which houses The Greenhouse accelerator programme.
You will have the opportunity to meet and learn from expert innovators across the cleantech spectrum, learn and test your skills as designer, innovator and problem solver, create your own solutions and get ready to launch them into the world, delivering real change.
You will work with collaborators, inside and outside Imperial, to help make your cleantech solutions a reality!
The course includes individual and group components, across a variety of modes including videos, written work, invention, prototyping and business planning.
Structure
This page is updated regularly to reflect the latest version of the curriculum. However, this information is subject to change.
Find out more about potential course changes.
Please note: it may not always be possible to take specific combinations of modules due to timetabling conflicts. For confirmation, please check with the relevant department.
You’ll take two core modules per term, plus complete your thesis and undertake a residency project.
Core Modules
Develop ideas as a team to address climate change challenges through lectures, workshops, and hands-on prototyping.
Delve into the science of climate change, explore potential solutions and their implementation factors, including policy and economics, and choose a Cleantech theme to formulate your innovation proposal.
Develop your customer discovery skills to tailor solutions to customer needs, learn about Cleantech financing and pitching, and engage with industry experts to foster an innovative mindset and develop practical approaches to sustainability challenges as a team.
Enhance your design skills through practical exercises and challenges, learning to apply various design engineering techniques and software programs, including CAD, sketching & rendering, in the context of cleantech innovation.
As a team, engage in advanced prototyping and asset creation to work on your Cleantech Innovation, to design and test both hardware and software solutions in team settings.
Deepen your understanding of your innovation project through learning about Life Cycle Assessment and social impacts, focusing on the measurement and considerations necessary for the development and deployment of potential innovations.
Synthesize your accumulated knowledge from the MSc program and contextualise your cleantech innovation project through compelling communication of your findings.
Through Undaunted, you will collaborate with a start-up from the Greenhouse for 8-9 weeks to apply your skills in a real world cleantech venture context.
You will choose one optional module in Autumn term and one in Spring term, to complement your core learnings.
Optional Modules
Navigate the ethical dimensions of technology product development and the broader impacts on society through a lens of philosophy and psychology to foster the creation of better, more responsible products.
Learn to design data-driven products through modern data science approaches.
Explore nanotechnology fundamentals through lectures and workshops, to create nanotech-driven design concepts in a culminating virtual project.
Gain insight into sustainable resource management to conserve materials and energy, preserve natural resources and protect public health and the ecosystem.
Learn about the critical role of visual data in modern engineering systems, covering the human visual system and technologies for acquiring and analysing visual information, complemented by practical exercises to apply this knowledge to real-life problems.
Equips aspiring engineers and designers with the expertise to leverage Industry 4.0 through additive manufacturing and 3D printing, to address future industry challenges.
Testimonials
Teaching and assessment
Balance of teaching and learning
Key
- Taught modules
- Independent Study
- Specialist Events
Balance of assessment
- 18% Taught modules
- 70% Independent Study
- 12% Specialist Events
Teaching and learning methods
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Lectures
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Tutorials
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Presentations
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Guest Lectures
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Virtual learning environment
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Skill workshops
Balance of assessment
Key
- Practical
- Coursework
- Exams
- 16% Practical
- 78% Course Work
- 6% Exams
Assessment methods
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Individual and group coursework
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Written reports and portfolios
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Video Presentations
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Essays
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Prototyping and Sketchbooks
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Practicals and demonstrations
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Oral presentation
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Written Exams
Entry requirements
We consider all applicants on an individual basis, welcoming students from all over the world.
How to apply
Apply online
You can submit one application form per year of entry. You can choose up to two courses.
Application deadlines – Round 1 closes on Thursday 16 January 2025
We operate a staged admissions process with several application rounds throughout the year.
Apply by 23.59 (UK time) on the closing date of an application round, to ensure you receive a response on your application by the relevant decision date.
Application rounds
Round 1
- Applications open on Friday 27 September 2024
- Applications close on Thursday 16 January 2025
- Decision by Thursday 6 March 2025
Round 2
- Applications open on Friday 17 January 2025
- Applications close on Thursday 27 March 2025
- Decision by Thursday 1 May 2025
Round 3
- Applications open on Friday 28 March 2025
- Applications close on Thursday 15 May 2025
- Decision by Thursday 17 July 2025
There is no application fee for MRes courses, Postgraduate Certificates, Postgraduate Diplomas, or courses such as PhDs and EngDs.
If you are applying for a taught Master’s course, you will need to pay an application fee before submitting your application.
The fee applies per application and not per course.
- £80 for all taught Master's applications, excluding those to the Imperial College Business School.
- £100 for all MSc applications to the Imperial College Business School.
- £150 for all MBA applications to the Imperial College Business School.
If you are facing financial hardship and are unable to pay the application fee, we encourage you to apply for our application fee waiver.
Find out more about how to apply for a Master's course, including references and personal statements.
Students who are eligible will be invited to interview. All interviews will be 10 minutes carried out via an electronic platform (such MS Teams or zoom).
An ATAS certificate is not required for students applying for this course.
Tuition fees
Home fee
2025 entry
£18,500
You should expect and budget for your fees to increase each year.
Your fee is based on the year you enter the university, not your year of study. This means that if you repeat a year or resume your studies after an interruption, your fees will only increase by the amount linked to inflation.
Find out more about our tuition fees payment terms, including how inflationary increases are applied to your tuition fees in subsequent years of study.
Whether you pay the Home or Overseas fee depends on your fee status. This is assessed based on UK Government legislation and includes things like where you live and your nationality or residency status. Find out how we assess your fee status.
If you're a UK national, or EU national with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you may be able to apply for a Postgraduate Master’s Loan from the UK government, if you meet certain criteria.
For courses starting on or after 1 August 2024, the maximum amount is £12,471.
The loan is not means-tested and you can choose whether to put it towards your tuition fees or living costs.
Overseas fee
2025 entry
£42,900
You should expect and budget for your fees to increase each year.
Your fee is based on the year you enter the university, not your year of study. This means that if you repeat a year or resume your studies after an interruption, your fees will only increase by the amount linked to inflation.
Find out more about our tuition fees payment terms, including how inflationary increases are applied to your tuition fees in subsequent years of study.
Whether you pay the Home or Overseas fee depends on your fee status. This is assessed based on UK Government legislation and includes things like where you live and your nationality or residency status. Find out how we assess your fee status.
If you're a UK national, or EU national with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you may be able to apply for a Postgraduate Master’s Loan from the UK government, if you meet certain criteria.
For courses starting on or after 1 August 2024, the maximum amount is £12,471.
The loan is not means-tested and you can choose whether to put it towards your tuition fees or living costs.
Scholarships
The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 Industrial Design Studentships
Value per award
- Full tuition fees plus stipend.
Who it's for
- UK resident, recently graduated first degree, and intending to make a career in British Industry.
Presidential scholarships for students of Black heritage
Value per award
- Home tuition fees up to £18,500, an annual maintenance grant of £21,000, and an allowance of £1,500 for equipment.
Who it's for
- Applicants of Black heritage
Master's Scholarship supporting disabled students
Value per award
- Tuition fees up to £18,500, maintenance grant of £21,000, and allowance of £1,500 for equipment.
Who it's for
- Disabled applicants
Sanctuary Scholarship – Postgraduate
Value per award
- Full tuition fees, £21,000 living costs, and £1,500 equipment grant
Who it's for
- Refugee applicants
How will studying at Imperial help my career?
Develop, launch, and manage innovation as a product manager
Collect experience in the cleantech industry to work for a deeptech venture fund or in impact investment.
Launch your own startup with your MSc Cleantech Innovation Team.
Design strategies to measure the impact of cleantech innovation to work in consulting.
Develop your systems thinking skills to become a portfolio manager for large cooperations.
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Work in product development and research for cleantech companies.
Further links
Contact the department
- Telephone: +44 (0)20 7589 5111
- Email: cleantech@imperial.ac.uk
Course Directors: Dr Elena DIeckmann, Alyssa Gilbert and Anne Houston
Visit the Dyson School of Design Engineering and the Grantham Institute websites.
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Request info
Find out more about studying at Imperial. Receive updates about life in our community, including event invites and download our latest Study guide.
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Events, tasters and talks
Meet us and find out more about studying at Imperial.
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Terms and conditions
There are some important pieces of information you should be aware of when applying to Imperial. These include key information about your tuition fees, funding, visas, accommodation and more.
You can find further information about your course, including degree classifications, regulations, progression and awards in the programme specification for your course.
Programme specifications