Ready to challenge yourself and be at the forefront of longevity innovation?
Understand the system.
Test the solution.
Build the venture.
Connect with the people who can help make it happen.
LSE Generate & Longevity
As people live longer, one of the defining questions of our time is not simply how we extend life, but how we make those additional years worth living. While much of the longevity conversation has focused on health, medicine and lifespan extension, longer lives also raise profound social, economic and behavioural challenges. Societies must rethink interconnected systems — from work and learning to housing, communities, finance and the environment — that were often designed around shorter lives and different demographic realities.
The LSE Longevity Programme was created to address this gap by approaching longevity as a systems challenge, looking beyond health alone to explore how longer lives are reshaping society. It does this by creating spaces to explore and discuss the challenges of ageing societies, building an international longevity ecosystem, and supporting innovations that can strengthen not only healthspan, but also wellbeing, connection, purpose and joy across longer lives.
LSE Longevity Design Challenge
The LSE Longevity Design Challenge, the programme’s entrepreneurship and innovation strand, brings together entrepreneurship, social science and systems thinking to explore these challenges and develop practical, scalable responses. Through challenges shaped with partners, we invite multidisciplinary teams from around the world to understand the systems surrounding a problem, test ideas and develop innovative solutions, while connecting them with the expertise, partners and networks that can help turn those ideas into real-world impact.
For innovators, the programme provides a space to investigate complex problems, validate assumptions, develop solutions and build ventures within an international longevity ecosystem. For corporate and organisational partners, it offers a university-led platform to explore emerging longevity challenges, access new ideas and global talent, and contribute to research, experimentation and venture creation.
Get Involved
Whether you are an innovator looking to develop a solution or an organisation interested in shaping the future of longevity, there are different ways to get involved.
- Interested in taking part? Register your interest here to hear about upcoming challenges and application opportunities.
- Interested in becoming a partner? Work with us to define real-world longevity challenges, connect with global talent and explore innovative solutions. Email L.J.Silverman@lse.ac.uk
- Join our longevity community here. Follow our Substack for programme updates, insights, events and opportunities from across the longevity ecosystem.
Current Challenges
Challenges will open for applications soon.
How does the Challenge work?
The LSE Longevity Design Challenge takes selected founders and teams from problem and systems understanding through to solution development and entrepreneurial experimentation.
- Autumn — Challenge Launch: Challenges are launched and applications open.
- December — Shortlisting: Applications are reviewed and shortlisted teams are invited to progress to the next stage.
- January — Panel Interviews & Selection: Shortlisted founders and teams present their ideas to a panel. Selected teams progress to the venture-support phase.
- January–April — Venture Support: Selected teams receive three months of intensive online support to validate assumptions, develop and test their solutions, and strengthen their venture models.
- April — Demo Day: Teams showcase their progress and solutions at the final Demo Day.
Who can apply?
Eligibility may vary depending on the specific challenge, but the programme is designed to be open and interdisciplinary. We welcome applications from individuals and teams interested in developing innovative responses to the challenges created by longer lives.
Check each individual challenge page for specific eligibility requirements, full challenge descriptions and selection criteria.
Expected commitment: 4–5 hours per week (online), plus individual work.
What are the benefits?
Selected teams will receive tailored support to develop, test and strengthen their solutions, including:
- Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EiR) support — regular one-to-one guidance from an experienced entrepreneur throughout the venture-development phase.
- Cohort sessions — opportunities to share progress, challenges and learning with other participating teams.
- Business development workshops — practical self-paced sessions covering key areas of venture development.
- Longevity & systems-thinking workshops — live sessions with experts to explore longevity challenges and strengthen teams’ understanding of the wider systems in which their solutions operate.
- Longevity mentoring — access to relevant experts and mentors based on each team’s challenge and needs, when available.
- Final Demo Day — the opportunity to pitch your solution to an international audience at the programme’s online Demo Day.
- LSE Generate community — access to LSE Generate’s entrepreneurship and longevity networks, including relevant ecosystem events and opportunities.
- International opportunities — travel support for selected key in person programme events, where applicable.
- Perks & discounts — access to relevant tools, services and benefits available through the LSE Generate network.
- Funding opportunities — depending on the challenge, winning teams may have the opportunity to receive funding at the end of the programme.
Past Editions
Read what our founders say
"What I really loved about the programme was how closely it met me where I was. The programme helped me move from a very vague, almost unformed idea to something much more concrete and directionally clear."
"The program provided me with a roadmap. It showed me the steps I had to take to move forward."
"Above all: I have gained confidence."
"Broadened my horizon on the longevity topic so we come across more holistic in thinking, which helps in systems change."
For any questions, contact v.riccardi@lse.ac.uk or L.J.Silverman@lse.ac.uk