AKUMEN Labs: Where Insight Meets Impact
Research for good. We bridge cutting-edge insights with tangible impact, creating evidence-driven solutions that address today's most pressing social and environmental challenges.
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Our Mission
At AKumen Labs we bridge academia and practice by transforming rigorous research into actionable insights.
We collaborate with governments, NGOs, and businesses to co-create evidence-based solutions that drive social and environmental impact.
Our Aims

Inspire Change
Catalyzing evidence-driven solutions to global challenges
Support Innovation
Enabling responsible initiatives that create lasting value
Advance Research
Pioneering work in social, environmental, and governance domains
At AKUMEN Labs, we're committed to research that serves the public good, aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals, and transforms insights into measurable impact for communities worldwide.
What We Do: Research Focus Areas
Social Impact
  • Health equity research
  • Urban regeneration studies
  • Social inclusion frameworks
Environmental Governance
  • Sustainability metrics
  • Climate resilience models
  • Resource management solutions
Policy Support
  • UN SDG implementation guidance
  • Legislative advisory services
  • Thought leadership publications
Our interdisciplinary teams tackle complex challenges at the intersection of society, environment, and governance, delivering actionable insights that drive meaningful change.
Why AKUMEN: Our Approach
1
Interdisciplinary Collaboration
We bring together experts across fields and forge global partnerships to address complex challenges from multiple perspectives.
2
Data-Driven Methodology
Our research produces actionable recommendations based on rigorous analysis and evidence-based practices.
3
Impact Measurement
We implement collaborative processes that track and verify real-world outcomes, ensuring measurable positive change.
Through our unique approach, we bridge the gap between academic research and practical implementation, creating solutions that are both innovative and immediately applicable.
Impact in Action: Case Studies
Improving Social Outcomes in Urban Development: A Playbook for Practitioners
In collaboration with the World Economic Forum and Avison Young, we co-created the playbook for embedding social value into large-scale urban regeneration.
This practical guide tackles the systemic challenges of multi-stakeholder development projects and outlines six core principles—supported by real-world case studies—to help cities, developers, and communities align regeneration efforts with meaningful, lasting impact.
Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard: Creative Round Tables to Amplify the Impact
We facilitated an interactive session on the emerging UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard, combining expert insights with collaborative roundtables.
Participants from across sectors contributed to key areas such as investor perspectives, interoperability, and political leadership—helping shape the evolution of the Standard and accelerate its industry-wide adoption.
A-Delphi:
Cross-Industry Partnerships for Urban Regeneration
Our A-Delphi study, staged and delivered at MIPIM, brought together 12 industry leaders—including policymakers, developers, occupiers, authorities, and investors—to explore new models of cross-sector collaboration in real estate.
Designed to surface actionable solutions, the study focused on unlocking more sustainable and inclusive development practices by bridging perspectives across the industry and amplifying collective impact.
Understanding Social Wellbeing: Research for Wellness Startup Innovation
We shadowed a 6-week Innovate UK–supported trial led by a creative mental wellness startup using circus arts to support wellbeing.

Through qualitative research and semi-structured interviews with participants, we captured rich insights into how creative movement and performance practices can foster measurable improvements in mental health and community connection.
Teaching Case Study on Creative Mental Wellness and Social Entrepreneurship
We led an interactive case discussion at leading business schools, based on our peer-reviewed teaching case study exploring the balance between social impact and financial sustainability in early-stage ventures.

Using CirQ’s circus-based mental wellness program as a live scenario, participants engaged with real-world challenges around scaling, stakeholder collaboration, and impact measurement—gaining hands-on insights into strategic decision-making for mission-driven startups.
Thought Leadership for Industry Leaders: ESG & AI in Real Estate and Manufacturing for CTP
We explored the intersection of AI and ESG in real estate and manufacturing through a practical lens, drawing on industry case studies and emerging research.
Using real-world examples such as smart grids, digital twins, and AI-powered retrofitting, participants examined how advanced technologies are reshaping sustainability efforts, operational efficiency, and governance structures—offering a grounded perspective on managing innovation and risk in rapidly evolving sectors.
Work With Us
Identify Challenge
Define the specific impact you seek to create
Co-Design Research
Collaborate with our experts to create the perfect approach
Implement Insights
Transform findings into actionable strategies
Measure Impact
Track and evaluate real-world outcomes
Whether you're a government agency, NGO, startup, or enterprise, we customise our research services to catalyse sustainable impact for your organisation and the communities you serve.
Team
Founder, Principal Investigator
Anna is Russian-British, holding five Master Degrees, and currently writing Executive Doctoral in Business Administration on Impact Innovation in Ecole Des Ponts.
She has 15+ years in regeneration impact studies as an academic and practitioner, startups founder and consultant.
Serves as Head of ESG & Impact for MIPIM, educator in leading Business Schools like HUTT, EDP, Baynes.
Social Research Manager & Community Engagement Lead
Rifka is Swiss-British, with an Erasmus Mundus Master’s Degree in Global Public Policy, following a B.A. in International Development and Anthropology at the University of Sussex.
She has, among others, worked at the Ministry of Justice in the UK and Chamber of Labour in Austria.
Her expertise lies in social research, stretching from health policies, to impact reports. Her academic focus lies on the socio-ecological transformation of societies.
Urban Development Research Manager & Data Analyst
Joséphine is French-German with an Erasmus Mundus Master’s Degree in Political Economy, following a B.Sc. in Business Administration.
She has, among others, worked at the European Parliament and the OECD. Passionate about urban policy, she is writing her thesis on social mix policies Paris and their impact in the housing sector.
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AKUMEN Labs