Design Thinking 2026 Cohort 2

🔥 Ready to think differently, solve real-world problems, and build the skills that top employers actually want?

Join us for an immersive 1-week design thinking sprint where you’ll learn to tackle challenges with creativity, empathy, and impact. Whether you're dreaming of launching your own venture or just want to bring fresh thinking to your career — this program will change how you approach problem-solving, forever.

Get real-world insights into professional problem solving. You'll gain exposure to corporate design thinking and innovation in action – and make some great connections along the way!

You’ll walk away with:
💡 Tools to turn insights into bold ideas
🤝 Techniques for empathetic and human-centred design
🎯 The ability to clearly frame challenges and identify real opportunities
⚡ Rapid prototyping and testing skills
🧠 Confidence working with uncertainty and ambiguity
🛠️ Life-long skills in creative thinking, leadership, and resilience

As part of the upcoming MQ Incubator × KPMG Design Thinking Program, the top student teams will progress to a Grand Final held at the KPMG offices in Sydney CBD. There, the teams with the strongest ideas will pitch their solutions directly to KPMG leadership and industry experts. This event offers students a rare opportunity to showcase their thinking in a professional environment, build meaningful connections, and gain exposure that can support their future career pathways.

The theme for this series will be the Circular Economy. The circular economy describes close-ended production systems wherein resource consumption and production practices are designed to elongate the lifespan of goods, for example, through maintenance, reuse, refurbishment, remanufacture, recycling, and composting. These efforts are designed to build-in sustainability factors within socio-economic systems by reducing wasteful resource use, minimising climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.

Joining us as the industry partner for this cohort will be Adam Culley. Adam is the CEO of Planet Ark. Established in 1992 Planet Ark is a not-for-profit organisation which serves to unite people, businesses and governments through positive environmental actions and support meaningful action-based change throughout society. Under Adam's leadership, Planet Ark has grown to be one of Australia's most respected and trusted environmental organisations.

This is a free program exclusively for current Macquarie University students. All participants who complete the full program will receive a digital certificate and badge.

🚨 Spots are limited – and by registering, you’re committing to the full week:

Mon–Friday

• 10:00AM–12:00PM

This program is in-person only. You must have your attendance marked each day of the program in order to receive the digital certificate and badge.

Get ready to level up. We'll see you at the Incubator.