Grand Challenges Impact Lab

Program Overview

GCIL India is a 15-credit study abroad program in Bangalore, India during winter quarter. The program is open to UW graduate students and undergraduate junior and senior students from any department.

Through the Grand Challenges Impact Lab, you will learn about Grand Challenges and be challenged to propose and test solutions to them. GCIL is a quarter-long program that will be offered during every Winter Quarter in Bangalore, India. The program offers an active, hands-on learning laboratory and is open to graduate students and undergraduate junior and senior students from any department.

Program Details

Offered Winter Quarter
Number of credits 15-credits + 1-credit introductory course during Fall quarter
Dates January 1st to March 18th, 2025
Cost Approximately $6,700
Applications due May 15, 2025 11:59 PM PST
Syllabus Download draft syllabus here
GCIL Manifesto Download manifesto here
16 questions for defining your social venture Download 16 questions here
GCIL Informational Session Watch 2023 info session here
For queries, please email us at gcil@uw.edu

Program Description

Grand Challenges (GCs) are the big problems facing humanity — things like food security, clean energy, and poverty. The Grand Challenge Impact Lab (UW-GCIL) is a new UW study abroad experience that empowers students to address GCs.

About GCIL
GCIL teaches students about GCs and invites them to propose and test solutions. This program offers a hands-on active learning laboratory in Bangalore, India.

The UW-GCIL course is divided into two parts:

  • Weeks 1-3: Students learn about GCs such as food security, clean water, sustainable housing and public health. Local professionals share insights into how communities in Bangalore experience GCs and the approaches that have succeeded and failed in addressing them. Students will also learn entrepreneurship skills such as design thinking and lean startup, which can help in designing effective strategies for GCs.
  • Weeks 4-10: Students work in interdisciplinary teams to understand and address GCs. Teams identify a population or community experiencing the GCs, define the GC problem facing that population, consider potential solutions, and design solutions to meet that population’s needs. Students will be placed in a local organization with experience with that GC, and will work with local mentors and UW faculty mentors.

Bangalore, India, is an excellent place for studying GCs; there are many problems present in that environment, as well as many organizations working on solutions. Bangalore as a globally-connected city has amenities and connections with the US that will facilitate the students’ time there, including student learning. Bangalore has a comparatively pleasant climate and environment, and good infrastructure (roads, airport, hospitals, restaurants).

Informational Video | GCIL India

Made by GCIL Alumnus

Visas

Visit the UW Study Abroad Passports and Visas webpage for more information. Note that there can be strict entry and exit rules and restrictions for foreign visitors. This may impact your ability to travel within the region before or after your program, or to attend two subsequent programs.

Prerequisites and Language Requirements

There are no prerequisites or language requirements for this program. Instead, selected students will have an interest in learning about GCs and have a desire to work with local communities to solve those challenges.  Because the course is intended to be experiential, most activities will take place outside of a classroom including the group placements with local organizations in the second half of the program. Students should be comfortable working outside and standing for long periods of time. We will do our best in working with our community partners to accommodate any requests from students regarding physical requirements during the program, including the placements with local organizations.

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