The Unearthodox Edges of Possibility Exploration Co-Lab 2027 is inviting applications from innovators, changemakers, and initiatives working to transform humanity’s relationship with nature. The 10-month programme supports ambitious ideas that challenge the underlying systems, worldviews, and institutional structures contributing to today’s environmental and societal challenges.
Applications are open from 15 September to 16 November 2026. The opportunity is suited to people and initiatives seeking transformative change beyond conventional, incremental solutions to nature-related problems.
About the Edges of Possibility Exploration Co-Lab
The Exploration Co-Lab is an alternative incubator created by Unearthodox for innovators whose work does not fit neatly into traditional categories. It aims to help develop ideas that could reshape how societies understand and interact with the natural world.
Rather than focusing only on immediate environmental problems, the programme encourages participants to investigate the deeper causes of the challenges facing people and the planet. These include dominant worldviews, institutional practices, and systems that prioritise commodification, human-centred thinking, or colonial structures.
Over 10 months, selected participants can benefit from dedicated thinking space, cohort-based learning, and customised support to help strengthen and advance their ideas.
Areas of Focus
The open call seeks initiatives addressing the root causes of challenges in the relationship between humanity and nature. Relevant approaches may include:
- Transformative worldviews: Developing new ways of thinking that support the wellbeing of people and all life on Earth.
- Systems change: Challenging institutional and economic structures that contribute to environmental degradation and unequal relationships with nature.
- Nature-centred innovation: Exploring new ways to build meaningful relationships with the more-than-human world.
- Radical and imaginative solutions: Advancing ideas that go beyond incremental improvements and address the deeper drivers of environmental and societal problems.
Applicants should demonstrate how their work questions existing assumptions and creates possibilities for more fundamental change.
Who Can Apply?
The open call is intended for innovators and initiatives working on nature-society challenges with the ambition to transform the systems that underpin them.
Potential applicants may include changemakers, researchers, social innovators, environmental practitioners, and teams developing unconventional approaches to ecological and societal transformation. However, the announcement does not provide a complete list of formal eligibility criteria, geographic restrictions, or application requirements.
Interested applicants should therefore review the official application platform carefully to confirm eligibility, whether applications from individuals or teams are accepted, and any required supporting materials.
Programme Benefits
The Exploration Co-Lab offers a 10-month development experience designed to help participants explore, refine, and strengthen ambitious ideas.
The announcement highlights the following forms of support:
- Dedicated time and space for thinking and exploration.
- Cohort-based learning with other innovators.
- Customised support tailored to the needs of radical or unconventional initiatives.
- An opportunity to develop approaches that challenge established systems and reimagine humanity’s relationship with nature.
The announcement does not specify a monetary grant, stipend, salary, travel allowance, or other financial benefits. Applicants should consult the official application page for further details about programme costs, funding, participation arrangements, and any additional support.
How to Apply for the Unearthodox Exploration Co-Lab 2027
Applications must be submitted through the official online application platform.
Applicants should follow these steps:
- Review the open call: Understand the programme’s focus on root-cause challenges and transformative systems change.
- Assess the initiative: Explain how the proposed work addresses the underlying causes of nature-society challenges rather than only their immediate effects.
- Clarify the proposed change: Describe the assumptions, institutional structures, or relationships with nature that the initiative seeks to question or transform.
- Prepare the application: Follow the instructions on the official application platform and provide all requested information.
- Submit before the deadline: Complete the application by 16 November 2026.
How to Strengthen an Application
Applicants should clearly communicate the problem their initiative addresses, why existing approaches are insufficient, and how their work could contribute to deeper transformation.
A strong application should explain the initiative’s underlying vision, its potential to challenge conventional thinking, and the kind of support needed to advance it. Applicants should also demonstrate why the Exploration Co-Lab’s emphasis on experimentation, systems change, and imaginative thinking is relevant to their work.
Because the programme is designed for initiatives that do not fit conventional categories, applicants should focus on the originality and transformative potential of their ideas rather than relying only on familiar project descriptions.
Application Deadline
The application period runs from 15 September to 16 November 2026. Applicants are encouraged to begin preparing early and check the official application platform for the final submission requirements.
