Students from Robert Gordon University (RGU) and the University of Aberdeen are being encouraged to sign up to a project which will help drive social and cultural change within the city.
CityLab is a 10-week collaborative project which offers students the chance to develop their skills with the support of mentors from Aberdeen City Council.
The initiative, which is led by the council’s transformation and innovation officer, Zoe Evans, was inspired by a similar scheme in Vancouver and aims to create a path for students to gain live client experience in the working world while helping to create sustainable projects to develop a better city and community.
Last year’s winning idea was Fit Dish, developed by Aberdeen University students Bogdan Goroneanu and Robyn Hannaford, and RGU student Jordan Pellerin. Their final business proposal focused on reducing food waste in the city and has now been developed by local charity, CFINE – Community Food Initiatives North East.
Jon Pengelly, head of postgraduate studies at Gray’s School of Art, coordinates the project for RGU.
“We are encouraging our students to get involved in the next CityLab project, which starts on February 1,” he said.
“The aim of CityLab is to transform and innovate Aberdeen by initiating and supporting student-led solutions for citywide change.
“The project is indebted to the ongoing support from Aberdeen City Council and a wide range of stakeholders from across the city who are able to help mentor the students groups towards developing and delivering there innovative business ideas.”
Students from any discipline are welcome to get involved in the next round of CityLab, which takes place every Wednesday morning starting on February 1. If you are interested or want to find out more, please contact Jon Pengelly on 01224 263644 / J.pengelly@rgu.ac.uk.