About the opportunity
What this programme is offering
Unearthodox Edges of Possibility Exploration Co-Lab 2027: Applications Open for Nature and Systems Innovators
Innovators, researchers, changemakers, and nature-focused initiatives are invited to apply for the Unearthodox Edges of Possibility Exploration Co-Lab 2027, a 10-month programme supporting unconventional ideas that seek to transform humanity’s relationship with nature.
The programme is designed for individuals and initiatives that want to go beyond conventional solutions to environmental and societal challenges. It encourages participants to question established systems, challenge dominant worldviews, and explore new possibilities for creating a more sustainable and equitable relationship between people and the natural world.
Applications are open from 15 September to 16 November 2026. This opportunity is particularly relevant to innovators whose ideas address the underlying causes of environmental challenges and seek to create lasting, systemic change.
Programme Overview
Programme: Unearthodox Edges of Possibility Exploration Co-Lab 2027
Organiser: Unearthodox
Duration: 10 months
Focus: Nature, systems change, transformative innovation, and societal transformation
Target audience: Innovators, changemakers, researchers, environmental practitioners, and relevant initiatives
Application opening date: 15 September 2026
Application deadline: 16 November 2026
Application method: Online application through the official platform
Official application information: Available through Unearthodox’s official website and open-call platform.
Applicants should consult the official application page for complete eligibility requirements, participation arrangements, and submission instructions.
About the Edges of Possibility Exploration Co-Lab
The Edges of Possibility Exploration Co-Lab is an alternative incubator established by Unearthodox to support innovators whose ideas may not fit within traditional categories or conventional approaches to problem-solving.
The programme recognises that many environmental and societal challenges cannot be adequately addressed through short-term interventions alone. Issues affecting the relationship between people and nature are often connected to deeper systems, institutional practices, and beliefs that shape how societies value and interact with the natural world.
Rather than concentrating exclusively on immediate environmental problems, the Co-Lab encourages participants to investigate these underlying causes and explore alternative ways of thinking and acting.
Over 10 months, selected participants receive dedicated time and space for exploration, opportunities to learn alongside other innovators, and customised support to help develop and advance their ideas.
The programme provides an environment for testing assumptions, exploring unconventional possibilities, and developing approaches that could contribute to more fundamental change.
Key Areas of Focus
The open call welcomes initiatives that seek to address the root causes of challenges in the relationship between humanity and nature. Relevant approaches include the following.
1. Transformative Worldviews
The programme encourages ideas that challenge conventional ways of understanding the natural world and promote perspectives that recognise the wellbeing of people and all life on Earth.
Applicants may explore how cultural beliefs, social values, and prevailing assumptions influence human behaviour towards nature and how alternative worldviews could support more sustainable relationships.
2. Systems Change
Environmental challenges are often shaped by wider economic, institutional, and social structures.
The Co-Lab supports initiatives that question systems contributing to environmental degradation, unequal relationships with nature, and approaches that treat the natural world primarily as a commodity.
Applicants should demonstrate how their ideas seek to address these deeper structural causes rather than focusing only on their immediate consequences.
3. Nature-Centred Innovation
The programme encourages new approaches to building meaningful relationships between humanity and the more-than-human world.
This may involve rethinking how societies interact with ecosystems, recognise the value of nature, and develop practices that support the wellbeing of people and other forms of life.
4. Radical and Imaginative Solutions
The Co-Lab is intended for ideas that move beyond incremental improvements and explore more fundamental alternatives.
Innovators are encouraged to question established assumptions, experiment with unconventional approaches, and imagine new possibilities for responding to interconnected environmental and societal challenges.
Applicants should explain how their initiatives challenge existing thinking and could contribute to transformative change.
Who Can Apply?
The open call is intended for innovators and initiatives working on challenges at the intersection of nature and society, particularly those seeking to transform the systems and assumptions that underpin these challenges.
Potential applicants may include:
Changemakers developing unconventional approaches to environmental challenges.
Researchers exploring new perspectives on nature, society, and systems transformation.
Social innovators addressing the underlying causes of ecological and societal problems.
Environmental practitioners developing alternative approaches to conservation and sustainability.
Individuals or teams advancing ideas that challenge established relationships between humanity and the natural world.
These examples describe potentially relevant applicants rather than a confirmed list of eligible categories.
The published announcement does not provide a complete set of formal eligibility requirements, geographic restrictions, or details on whether all applicant categories are accepted. Interested individuals and teams should therefore review the official application platform to establish whether they qualify and what supporting information is required.
Benefits of the Exploration Co-Lab
The 10-month programme is designed to provide an environment in which ambitious ideas can be explored, refined, and strengthened.
Dedicated Time for Exploration
Participants benefit from dedicated space to think critically, investigate possibilities, question assumptions, and develop ideas that may require approaches beyond conventional project development.
Cohort-Based Learning
The programme provides opportunities to learn alongside other innovators working on different but potentially connected challenges.
Exchanging experiences and perspectives can help participants identify new opportunities, reconsider existing assumptions, and strengthen their approaches to complex problems.
Tailored Support for Innovative Ideas
The Co-Lab offers customised support intended to reflect the needs of radical and unconventional initiatives.
This approach recognises that transformative ideas may require different forms of exploration and development from those used in traditional programmes.
Opportunities to Challenge Established Systems
Participants can explore approaches that question prevailing institutional structures, dominant worldviews, and established ways of relating to nature.
The programme aims to help innovators develop ideas with the potential to contribute to deeper environmental and societal transformation.
Important: The published announcement does not specify a monetary grant, stipend, salary, travel allowance, or other financial benefits. Applicants should confirm whether any financial support, programme fees, or additional participation costs apply before committing.
How to Apply for the Unearthodox Edges of Possibility Exploration Co-Lab 2027
Interested applicants should submit their applications through the official online application platform.
Follow these steps to prepare your submission:
Review the open call: Understand the programme’s focus on unconventional innovation, nature-society challenges, and systems change.
Identify the core challenge: Clearly explain the underlying problem your initiative seeks to address and why existing approaches may be insufficient.
Describe your proposed transformation: Show which assumptions, institutional structures, systems, or relationships with nature your work aims to question or change.
Explain the initiative’s potential: Outline how your idea could contribute to more fundamental environmental or societal change.
Prepare the required information: Follow the official application instructions and provide all requested details and supporting materials.
Submit before the deadline: Complete your application by 16 November 2026.
Applicants should use Unearthodox’s official channels to access the application form and confirm all submission requirements.
How to Strengthen Your Application
Because the Exploration Co-Lab focuses on ideas that challenge conventional thinking, applicants should communicate their vision clearly and demonstrate why their proposed approach matters.
Consider addressing the following questions in your application:
What environmental or societal challenge are you trying to address?
What deeper systems, beliefs, or assumptions contribute to the problem?
Why are conventional approaches insufficient?
How does your idea challenge existing thinking or introduce a different possibility?
What kind of exploration or support would help you advance the initiative?
A strong application should communicate the originality of the idea, the underlying problem it addresses, and its potential to contribute to systemic transformation.
Rather than relying solely on familiar project descriptions, applicants should explain what makes their approach different and why the Co-Lab’s emphasis on experimentation, systems change, and imaginative thinking aligns with their work.
Application Deadline
Applications for the Unearthodox Edges of Possibility Exploration Co-Lab 2027 are open until 16 November 2026.
The 10-month programme offers an opportunity for nature and systems innovators to explore unconventional ideas, challenge established assumptions, and develop approaches that could reshape humanity’s relationship with the natural world.
If you are working on an initiative that addresses the deeper causes of environmental and societal challenges, review the official open call to determine your eligibility and prepare your application before the deadline.
Think beyond conventional solutions. Challenge existing systems. Explore new possibilities for people and nature.
How to apply