The September Residential

The September Residential is a one-year programme is an extracurricular residential programme that aims to take innovative ideas forward within the context of social, corporate, and associative ventures.

The programme is a cross-college initiative, encouraged by our generous funders including David Sainsbury (KC 1959) and the Gatsby Charitable Foundation. The Residential Week is supported by EFG International.

Applications for 2026/2027 Open in June

THE PROGRAMME: EXPLAINED

You'll learn to assess opportunities, conduct market analyses, prepare organisational or business plans, understand the basics of financing your initiative, pitch effectively, and manage dynamic teams. Our goal is to foster an entrepreneurial mindset that you can apply to a business project, a social enterprise, an association or a charity, or a research project, or within organisations as an intrapreneur. We have supported a range of initiatives set up by our students so far including creating a professional association, developing initiatives within large firms, taking intellectual property to market, developing new apps or platforms, social enterprises supporting the marginalised.

The Residential Week each year takes place the week for Michaelmas Term, starting with an informal Pizza dinner on Sunday and running through to the Friday afternoon with Annual Dinner falling in the middle of the week. Students must be able to be present for the entirety of the week in order to be eligible for the programme.

There are three components to the September Residential Programme:

Intensive Residential Week

Kick off your entrepreneurial journey with a week-long programme the week before Michaelmas Term featuring dynamic lectures, interactive seminars, and collaborative study sessions. You'll explore and develop entrepreneurial ideas individually and in teams, gaining invaluable insights into the initial stages of venture creation.

Mornings are devoted to mastering key concepts and frameworks through engaging lectures and thought-provoking discussions. Afternoons focus on hands-on development of entrepreneurial projects.

Year-Round Learning and Mentorship

Following the residential week, your entrepreneurial journey continues throughout the academic year. You'll participate in tailored events, workshops, and inspiring talks. The programme culminates in an exciting competition for seed funding to propel your ideas forward.

You'll benefit from personalised mentoring provided by visiting industry experts, successful entrepreneurs-in-residence, and accomplished research associates. Their diverse perspectives will help shape your entrepreneurial mindset and refine your project.

Take a glance at last year's programme

Venture Creation Weekends

Throughout the year, in collaboration with the Global Education Lab, residential students will be encouraged to take part in one 0-2-1 Weekend, a 2.5-day immersive acceleration studio designed to take participants from raw idea to a credible, testable venture (each time focused on a particular industry or area).

Participants will work on pre-defined, high-impact challenges in different industries and move through focused mini-sprints, from problem discovery and MVP creation to validation, business modelling, and pitch development.

  • Learn from Peers and Experts

    Through, founders’ stories, expert facilitation, and interactive workshops, you’ll have the opportunity to dive deeper into the world of entrepreneurship and innovation to learn together with a diverse and cross-College cohort of fellow students.

  • Practice Pitching with a Team

    In interdisciplinary groups, you’ll need to practice how to communicate your ideas and visions both through multiple pitching sessions and tailored feedback clinics. After all, the art of communication is one that requires repetitive rehearsal.

  • Experiment with New Tools

    Trial and error sits at the centre of any entrepreneurial journey and during the residential week, you’ll be given the space to experiment, play and build. Put your ideas to the test and learn to be comfortable with getting it wrong and adapting quickly.

  • Join Our Impressive Community

    Community building is at the heart of the September Residential Programme and you’ll join a growing community of aspiring innovators and entrepreneurs and have the chance to socialise with the E-Lab community through dinners, drinks and multiple networking events.

  • Get Inspired from Other's Energy

    It should go without saying that the commitment to learning must be paired with the ability to have a little fun and our residentials are designed to support not only serious skills development but the joy of building with others from across and beyond the Cambridge ecosystem!

Read more from Residential Students:

Crafting Connections: An Art Historian’s Journey into Entrepreneurship

 
Jin Cheng, Art History, Murray Edwards College
Read Here

Learning to Lead with Courage: From Islamic History to King’s E-Lab

Maryam Bham, Education, Lucy Cavendish College

Read Here

  • "The E-Lab created a space where it was safe to fail, laugh, and grow. I came unsure of my ideas; I left inspired to act, guided by the essons of history, the wisdom of my peers an he experiences from throughout the week."

    Maryam Bham, PhD Education, Lucy Cavendish

  • "Personally, I've valued the opportunity to share my experience and the chance to meet young energetic members of E-Lab to brainstorm new ideas and identify challenging opportunities. It provides a most welcoming environment and an opportunity to shape up and transform our future."

    Elena Punskaya, Fellow, Christ's College and E-Lab Mentor

  • "What I enjoyed most was the immersive, high-energy atmosphere. Being surrounded 24/7 by passionate, creative people was incredibly motivating. The late-night brainstorming sessions were where some of the most exciting ideas came to life."

    Enoch Alex, PhD in Physiology Development and Neuroscience, Corpus Christi

  • "Because where else can you find genius ideas, free Nespresso coffee, and people who won’t judge you for talking about your work? It’s basically Hogwarts for Academics.?

    Duaa Jamal Karim, PhD Education, Queen’s College

  • "It's a safe space to ask any question, make mistakes, learn and get inspired."

    Mattias Rättzén, PhD Law, King’s College

  • "The (September) programme pushes the students to think big and innovatively. The best part would be the community that the E-lab has and creates; it's a wonderful experience where we can interact with like-minded people who also may have completely different interests from ours. I think what relates all of us is that we want to create something bigger than ourselves for the greater good of humanity."

    Maria Fernanda Torres, MPhil in Obesity, Endocrinology, and Metabolism, King’s College

  • "Not only were all of the speakers informative and engaging but the wide range of topics that were covered have not only broadened my horizons but have allowed me to explore areas of entrepreneurship that I doubt I would have, had it not been for the E-Lab."

    Rohan Gogna, BA Land Economy, St Edmund’s College

  • "Throughout the week I got to understand better the magnitude of the E-Lab. What I love the most is how comprehensive it is: it brings together education, support, networking, mentorship, funding opportunities. I have never seen such a range of things in a single programme."

    Daniel Kraus Vollert, PhD in Social Anthropology, Trinity College

  • "The support from mentors and peers makes the E-Lab feel less like a programme and more like a launchpad."

    Jung Woo Han, MPhil Criminology and Institute of Criminology, Wolfson College

Meet Our Past E-Lab Cohort Members

2025/2026
2022/2023
2024/2025
2021/2022
2023/2024

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Applications open at the beginning of June each year and close at the end of June or in early July. Candidates are informed of selection by mid July.

  • The programme is open to all students regardless of level of study or discipline.

    Our September Residential works in collaboration with various Colleges to ensure that students are able to take part at no financial cost to themselves. For this reason, when we have agreements with certain Colleges to provide selected students with accommodation for the week before Michaelmas term, applications are open widely to members of these Colleges.

    Eligible Colleges for 2026/2027 are: King’s, Trinity, Christ’s, Wolfson, Murray Edwards, Emmanuel, St. Catharine’s, Lucy Cavendish, St. Edmund’s, Pembroke

  • Unfortunately, in order to ensure the programme is entirely accessible regardless of financial constraint, only students from participating Colleges are eligible. If you would like to take part, we encourage you to reach out your College and to let us know so we can share the necessary information and look into it for you.

  • If you reside in College accommodation for the upcoming academic year, accommodation will be provided at no cost in your own College (these arrangements will be communicated to you by your College following success in the applications). All meals during the residential week will be provided at King’s at no cost.

  • Not at all! While we encourage you to think about potential ideas and demonstrate past entrepreneurial thinking (broadly construed), you do not need to have started a venture or have one idea you would like to build. For the Residential Week, no extensive preparation is required—just bring your enthusiasm and ideas!

    • We emphasise developing sustainable and ethical projects with positive social and environmental impact, while expanding entrepreneurial skills to students from all disciplines.

    • During the application process, we ask you to tell us why the programme would be ideal for you. You might be asked to provide a CV and write a summary of why you might be a suitable candidate for the programme.

    • And remember, it's great if you have an entrepreneurial idea, but be prepared to have it challenged!