Imperial Business School is inviting organisations to collaborate with its talented students through the MSc Group Consulting Projects, a flagship experiential learning programme running from June to July 2026. The initiative offers businesses a unique opportunity to tackle strategically important challenges while gaining fresh, research-driven insights, free of charge. 

The programme allows organisations to partner with a dedicated team of MSc students for four to five weeks. Student teams conduct in-depth research, analyse data and deliver practical, evidence-based recommendations tailored to each organisation’s needs.  

"Organisations benefit from working closely with the next generation of business leaders - driven individuals who bring curiosity, analytical rigour and strong commercial awareness to real-world issues,” says James Eteen, Academic Director of MSc Management and Senior Teaching Fellow. 

Connecting fresh perspectives with real impact  

Students are drawn from seven MSc programmes, including Management, Strategic Marketing, Business Analytics, and Global Health Management, ensuring a strong match between academic expertise and business needs.  

In previous years, student projects focused on open-ended, real-world business issues ranging from developing business and marketing strategies to tackling analytical challenges using internal datasets. Common themes have also included research to support innovation, evaluating the impact of emerging technologies, and developing entrepreneurial ventures. The programme welcomes projects from businesses of all sizes, spanning from startups to global corporations, across a wide range of sectors, including: 

• consulting 
• finance 
• energy  
• healthcare  
• technology 
• media  
• telecommunications 
• fast-moving consumer goods  
• not-for-profit organisations 

Alumni-led collaboration that delivers value 

For many organisations, the programme is also a way to reconnect with Imperial’s global alumni network. Ghassan El Darazi, Principal at Kearney and alumnus of the MSc Management (2014-15), participated in a recent project and highlights its impact: “Imperial has made a huge impact on my personal and professional career. Collaborating with the Business School allowed us to work with fresh, curious minds and explore new perspectives on a meaningful challenge. The team delivered a rich, research-backed analysis full of actionable insights, and it’s something we’ll continue to use.” 

He adds: “Bringing together people with different ways of thinking and a willingness to dig deep turned a complex brief into something far richer. I would absolutely encourage other alumni and organisations to get involved.” 

Collaborating with the Business School allowed us to bring together people with different ways of thinking and a willingness to dig deep turned a complex brief into something far richer. 
Ghassan El Darazi, Principal at Kearney and alumnus of the MSc Management (2014-15)

Solving for real-world challenges 

Sebastian Varela-Garcia, Senior Manager at BIP UK, has been a keen advocate for collaboration with universities and endorses working with Imperial’s community: “Each project we’ve undertaken has had a clear commercial dimension, leading to tangible outcomes, whether through internal developments or solutions applied directly with our clients. Since 2020, every year has produced results we’ve been able to build on and put into practice.” 

He adds: “These projects reaffirm that collaboration with institutions like Imperial acts as a real accelerator. The biggest takeaway is the power of working collectively to address challenges, rather than approaching them in isolation.” 

Participating companies frequently note that the quality of commendations rivals those of professional consulting firms, while also creating a direct connection to the next generation of business leaders. Many go on to build lasting relationships with Imperial, using the projects as a pipeline for future talent and collaboration. 

How to get involved? 

The process starts with identifying a suitable business challenge that requires resolution and submitting a project brief. The deadline for submitting project briefs is Monday, 30 March 2026.  

Submissions will be reviewed and matched to an appropriate MSc programme. Students will then bid for the projects, which are reviewed by internal academic panels, to find suitable alignment with interests and skills. At the end of the project, students get an opportunity to present their final recommendations to a panel comprising academic assessors and company representatives. 

This is your chance to participate in a strategic, no-cost way to solve your business challenges that can spark meaningful business impact.