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/ˈkuːnguː/  

(n)– Swahili for 'mist' or 'fog', symbolizing the gradual unveiling of possibilities when we get closer.

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KUNGU LABS is a research and design organization supporting impact projects, programs, and organizations in creating lasting change. Founded in 2018,  KUNGU LABS partners with communities and problem-solvers, using social innovation and enterprise to advance environmental, social, and infrastructure justice in more inclusive and sustainable ways.

We believe the people closest to the problem often hold the clearest path to the solution. Our work brings together ethnography (how people live, behave, and make decisions) with design thinking to co-design, pilot, and scale interventions.

Across the world, emerging researchers, designers, and practitioners are seeking meaningful ways to engage with social, environmental, and infrastructure challenges. Yet opportunities for structured, field-based experience, mentorship, and institutional affiliation remain limited—particularly in contexts outside their home countries.

At the same time, many initiatives doing critical work in these areas face multiple constraints: limited budgets (worse now with shrinking donor funding), overstretched staff with little room for reflection, and restricted access to technical expertise that could help refine programs and strategies. Without targeted support, it can be difficult to amplify impact or translate promising practices into scalable solutions.

In response, the Research + Design Residency (R+D Residency) is a curated program for graduate students, practitioners, and faculty exploring social enterprise pathways to address pressing challenges in under-served communities and research sites across Kenya.

The residency is part of the Fellowships & Mentorship service area at KUNGU LABS, where we reinvest resources to cultivate communities of practice and create opportunities for emerging researchers and designers to learn, connect, and contribute toward addressing real-world social and environmental challenges.

The 2026 R+D Residency is seeking four residents (graduate students, early-career practitioners, and faculty) interested in action research, co-design, and the piloting and scaling of social enterprise models for development.

The residency has two goals:
Goal 1: Residents: to provide space and a clearer pathway for institutional affiliation, field access, and collaboration for visiting students, academics, and practitioners interested in social innovation and social enterprise.

Goal 2: Partner Initiatives: to support initiatives solve their core challenges while giving graduate students, practitioners, and faculty exploring social enterprise pathways an opportunity to contribute their skills and ideas to real-world projects in Kenya.

Highlights

• Up to 4 residents selected for the 2026 cohort

• Two Residency Tracks to choose from

  1. Independent Track: Develop and co-design around your own idea aligned with the thematic areas 

  2. Integration Track: Contribute to selected partner initiatives. A portfolio with initiative profiles will be shared upon expression of interest.

• Residents’ projects should align with one or more of the following thematic areas:

  1. Digital Innovation, Connectivity & Economies (DICE): Technologies to expand livelihoods, inclusion, and community impact.

  2. Food & Agricultural Systems (FAS): Building resilient food and farming systems.

  3. Circular & Regenerative Economies (CREGE): Resource reuse, repair, and regeneration for sustainable local economies.

  4. Culture & Economies (CUES): Linking culture and creativity to identity, community, and social innovation.

  5. Healthy People & Planet (HEPP): Supporting human and environmental health through better systems, services, and communication.

  6. Water, Sanitation & Hygiene Systems (WASH): Promoting access, innovation, and good governance in water and sanitation.

• Residency period: May – August 2026

• Remote engagement begins in early May (scoping + alignment)

• 4 weeks in Kenya for fieldwork and on-the-ground collaboration (June–July)

• Residency Talk to share key learning with stakeholders

• Remote wrap-up through early August.

Benefits for Residents

Each year, up to 4 residents will be selected. Residents will receive:

1. Mentorship & Advisory: Weekly guidance from local advisors and guest experts in research, social innovation, and design.

2. Field & Community Engagement: Immersive research and co-design opportunities with partner initiatives, supported by a local research assistant and field liaison.

3. Lab & Event Support: Dedicated workspace, administrative support, and platform to present findings through public events.

4. Professional Development & Networking: Exposure to applied research, social innovation practices, and connection to a global network of practitioners and researchers.

5. Structured Residency Pathways: Choice of Independent Track (your own project) or Integration Track (work with partner initiatives).

6. Access to Resources & Knowledge: Engagement with six thematic areas and opportunities to co-design, pilot, and scale interventions.

7. Financial Support Structure: Cost-sharing model for students (~60% resident-funded, ~40% KUNGU LABS support).

8. A residency talk to shared key learning with stakeholders

9. Beyond the four-month residency, alumni remain connected through ongoing collaboration on projects and publications, invited talks, exhibitions, mentorship opportunities with new cohorts, and collaborations on calls and partnerships.

Process

1. Submit Expression of Interest:  Rolling Basis| EOI now via the online form outlining your thematic interests, project idea (if any), and funding plan. Submissions are reviewed on a rolling basis, so early submission is highly encouraged!

2. Review & Info Pack | Starting Dec 12, 2025  |Shortlisted applicants will receive a comprehensive Info Pack (including a residency workbook and initiative portfolio) to prepare for the next stage.

3. Full Application | Jan 24, 2026 | Online form for shortlisted candidates ONLY: Motivation, Project Description, Support Needs, Financial Plan; upload CV, portfolio/writing sample, two references

4. Final Selection & Notification | Feb 7, 2026 | Applicants informed of acceptance

5. Commencement Fee / Deposit | Feb 14, 2026 | Students pay 20% to secure spot; faculty/self-funded pay full fee

6. Funding Confirmation / Formal Agreement | Feb 28, 2026 | Students confirm funding and sign agreement; faculty finalize payment

7. Residency | May 1 – End Aug 2026 | Remote engagement begins; 4 weeks on-ground in Kenya (June–July); continued remote collaboration through early August

Residency Costs

• Students: Expected to cover ~60% of residency costs (~$4,250); KUNGU LABS provides ~40% in-kind support (~$2,840) covering workspace, mentorship, and field support

• Faculty & Practitioners: Full-cost participants cover 100% of expenses (~$7,090).

• Exact costs and funding guidance will be shared with shortlisted applicants to aid planning and applications.

Eligibility

Applicants must satisfy all of the following criteria:

1. Be either a graduate student (Master’s or Doctoral level) at a recognized international university outside Kenya,  faculty or practitioner interested in social innovation and enterprises.

2. Demonstrate alignment with our six thematic areas in project prospectus is applicable to the Kenyan context.

3. Demonstrate clear interest in action research, design methods, or social enterprise innovation.

4. Students must be able to secure external or personal funding to cover 60% of the residency costs. KUNGU LABS provides support covering the remaining 40% (administration, workspace, mentorship, and field support). 

5. Faculty and other non-student participants are responsible for covering 100% of costs.

Application
We are inviting graduate students, early-career practitioners, and faculty to submit their R+D Residency 2026: Expression of Interest on a rolling basis.

Submit an Expression of Interest

Full Application (for shortlisted candidates only, with the link shared in the Info Pack) is due by  January 24, 2026.