(Partnership Announcement) UKBT Institute x Black in Academia

Exploring the knowledge, discoveries and technologies shaping what comes next.

London, UK — September 2026 — Black in Academia and the UKBT Institute are joining forces to launch FRONTIERS SERIES – 100 Years From Now, a programme connecting academics, technologists and communities to explore the ideas shaping our collective future.

From life sciences and artificial intelligence to critical minerals, energy, health and future cities, the series will bring academic expertise into conversation with technological innovation and community knowledge.

Through online seminars, interdisciplinary discussions and in-person gatherings, the partnership will connect researchers, engineers, entrepreneurs, policymakers, practitioners and communities to exchange knowledge and develop new collaborations.

The ambition is simple: to push knowledge beyond traditional boundaries and create opportunities to put it into practice.

Where disciplines meet

Some of society’s most pressing challenges demand perspectives from across disciplines.

The future of our cities is simultaneously a question of engineering, computing, transport, economics, sustainability, design and human behaviour. Digital trust raises questions about cybersecurity, privacy, law, misinformation, democracy and how people experience increasingly automated systems.

Living in a digital world also requires us to consider accessibility, education, culture, work and wellbeing, alongside the technologies themselves.

FRONTIERS SERIES will create space for these perspectives to meet, encouraging participants to challenge assumptions, share expertise and identify questions they could not answer alone.

At its heart is a belief that the future should be interrogated, researched and shaped by a wider range of people and perspectives.

About Black in Academia

Black in Academia connects Black academic communities, provides role models for young people and makes Black-led research more accessible to audiences around the world.

Created by UK-based organisation Leading Routes and launched in November 2018, it began as a national campaign highlighting the underrepresentation of Black students and staff within UK universities and asking what needed to change across the academic pipeline.

Since its launch, Black in Academia has connected with academics and researchers across the United States, Africa, the Caribbean and Europe, recognising that barriers to participation and progression take different forms across countries and institutions.

Today, it is building a global platform to showcase Black-led scholarship, connect researchers and bring academic knowledge to wider audiences.

About the UKBT Institute

The UKBT Institute is the research and innovation engine of UKBlackTech. It brings together technologists, clinicians, data scientists, engineers, academics, entrepreneurs, policymakers, creative practitioners and grassroots communities.

The Institute operates as a Townhouse: a collaborative environment where people from different disciplines investigate emerging technologies, develop ideas and address real-world challenges.

Its Townhouse Innovation Model and Practitioner Readiness Level (PRL) Framework provide pathways for ideas to progress from conversations and research into experiments, pilots, prototypes and scalable innovation.

The partnership with Black in Academia strengthens the connection between academic research, technological capability and community knowledge.

“There is extraordinary knowledge, research and intellectual leadership within Black academic communities across the UK and internationally. We need more spaces where that expertise can connect across disciplines and reach beyond universities.

“FRONTIERS SERIES brings academics into conversation with technologists, practitioners and communities around some of the biggest questions shaping our future. We want Black academics and Black-led scholarship to help define those questions and shape the responses.”

– Paulette Williams, Founder of Black in Academia

Introducing the programme

FRONTIERS SERIES will begin over the coming months with online and in-person sessions exploring major areas of scientific, technological and societal change:

• FRONTIERS SERIES: Life Sciences
• FRONTIERS SERIES: AI & Compute
• FRONTIERS SERIES: Critical Minerals
• FRONTIERS SERIES: Health
• FRONTIERS SERIES: Energy
• FRONTIERS SERIES: Future Cities

Each session will bring together people who might not ordinarily share the same room, creating opportunities for new research questions, collaborations and practical experiments.

The next breakthrough could begin with a conversation beyond your discipline.

“Some of the most significant breakthroughs emerge when people understand what is happening beyond their own field: when technologists engage with biology, AI researchers consider energy and critical minerals, and engineers work alongside social scientists.

“Communities belong in those conversations as contributors to knowledge, with experience and insight that can shape both the questions we ask and the solutions we develop.

“Black in Academia brings depth of scholarship and domain expertise. The UKBT Institute provides an environment where that knowledge can connect with technology, experimentation and practical challenges.

“Together, we want to expand who gets to imagine, investigate and build what comes next.”

– Mark Martin MBE, Founder of UKBT Institute

Call for Contributions: Share Your Work

We are inviting researchers, technologists, founders, innovators and community practitioners to contribute to the FRONTIERS SERIES.

We have presentation slots available for people working across environmental sustainability and air quality, critical infrastructure, life sciences and energy. Contributions may include:

• Academic research or published papers
• Work-in-progress and emerging ideas
• New technologies, tools or prototypes
• Start-ups and innovation projects
• Community-led research and lived-experience insights
• Practical case studies and demonstrations

You do not need to be an established academic or have a published paper. We welcome contributions from anyone with valuable knowledge, evidence, technology or experience to share.

If you would like to present, please send us a short expression of interest outlining what you would like to share, its relevance to the theme and a brief introduction to you or your organisation.

Bring your research, technology or idea into a conversation that could take it further.

Deadline: Closes at midnight on Thursday 1 October 2026.