Community STEAM labs
Solar-powered, eco-friendly labs for young people aged 12 to 28, in or out of school: a space to think, create, collaborate and invent every day, not only when the grid allows.
Thinklab Foundation Africa
Community science and innovation labs for young people in Africa
We build solar-powered STEAM labs where young people aged 12 to 28 work on real problems in their communities and take their ideas from a first sketch to a working product. We are starting in Uganda.
Ways to take part
Schools and collegesBring Thinklab to your learners and teachersJoin as a member school. Under-served rural schools pay no fees.See membership
University studentsJoin the Thinklab University FellowshipCareer guidance, enterprise building and mentors for UGX 85,000 a year.Apply any time
Parents of 11 to 16 year oldsEinstein Curiosity science programSix weeks of science and innovation from 5 December 2026.Apply by 25 November
Funders and partnersFund a lab, set a challenge or commission researchGovernment, companies, foundations and individuals all have a place.Partner with us
Why Thinklab exists
Young people across Uganda study science they never get to practise
They learn the parts of a microscope without looking through one, and study circuits in classrooms with no electricity. The curiosity is there, but the tools are not.
Thinklab is not another science lab for exams. It is a shared community lab where young people in high school, TVET and university, and those out of study, can research, build and test ideas that answer the problems they see around them.
Read about who we are70%
of people in sub-Saharan Africa are under the age of 30.1
≈19
years is Africa’s median age, the youngest of any continent.2
33M+
Ugandans are aged 30 or under: 73% of a population of 45.9 million.3
1. United Nations, LDC5 Conference (youth). 2. Worldometer (UN data), 2025. 3. Uganda Bureau of Statistics, National Population and Housing Census 2024.
What a Thinklab is
One shared lab for a whole community
Each Thinklab serves the high schools, TVET institutes and universities around it during the day, and young people out of study and the wider community in the evenings and at weekends. Sharing one lab keeps it busy and keeps fees low.
| Feature | A typical school lab | A Thinklab |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Covering the exam syllabus | Solving real problems in the community |
| Who leads | The teacher | Young people, guided by mentors |
| Who uses it | One school’s students | All young people aged 12 to 28, in or out of school |
| What comes out | Grades | Prototypes, patents and products |
| Power | The grid, where there is one | Clean solar energy |
150
young people at a time in the model lab
10
staff, with volunteers and mentors
100%
solar power, where the grid does not reach
How it works
From a problem in the community to a product
We do not tell young people what to think. Mentors guide their thinking and help turn their models into working solutions.
- OrientationMembers join and learn how the lab works.
- Problem searchThey look around them for a real problem.
- Problem analysisThey describe it and who it affects.
- Solution draftsThey sketch and compare possible solutions.
- PrototypingThey build working models in the lab.
- PresentationThey present and defend their prototypes to partners.
- Production and patentingThe strongest ideas are refined, made and patented.
- Market and partnersSolutions reach the market or development partners.
20+
patent-ready ideas a year from each lab, from young people’s own thinking
5+
solutions a year launched as products for real community needs
50%+
girls in every lab, with sessions timed so young women can attend
These are targets for each lab once it is fully running. Labs open one at a time, as funding comes in.
What we offer
Four ways one lab serves young people, schools and partners
Innovation challenges
Companies and partners bring a real problem, such as a product to rethink or a process to fix. Teams of young innovators build prototypes and present their solutions.
Commissioned research
Research done in the community by people who live there, giving governments, development agencies and companies an accurate picture of real needs.
Teacher mentoring and AI adoption
Regular in-lab coaching for science teachers, and practical training that helps schools and communities use AI and digital tools responsibly.
Open now
Programs you can join today
Thinklab University Fellowship
For university students who want to build a strong career or enterprise in science or the creative industries.
- Fee
- UGX 85,000 a year
- Apply
- Any time
- Includes
- Career guidance, bootcamps, challenges, mentorship
A six-week STEAM and innovation program for children aged 11 to 16, starting on 5 December 2026. Only 100 places.
- Fee
- UGX 700,000 in total
- Where
- Online and at Thinklab, Wakiso
School and organisation membership
For high schools, TVET institutes, colleges and organisations that want a place for their learners and teachers to invent.
- Packages
- Associate (free), Elite, Partner
- Waiver
- Under-served rural schools pay nothing
Sustainability
Built to be kind to the planet and to pay more of its own way
For the planet
- 100% solar from the first day, so labs run where the grid does not reach.
- Eco-friendly buildings with shade, natural light and planted courtyards.
- Challenges on energy, water, waste and climate.
For the long run
- Income from membership, challenges and research is planned to grow from 15% to 35% of running costs by 2032.
- Running costs kept under 20% of spending.
- Labs run with their communities, local mentors and trained teachers.
Roadmap
Where we are now, and where we are going
We are at the start. The model will be put in place step by step, as resources come in.
- 2026FoundingRegistration, governance, policies, brand and our first partnerships.
- 2027Schools and the first challengeWork with schools, colleges and communities, and our first innovation challenge.
- 2028First model labFor 150 young people at a time and 10 staff, at about UGX 500 million.
- 2029Regional lab campaignsFundraising for regional labs of about US$1 million each, one at a time.
- 2035First flagship labA state-of-the-art, eco-friendly lab in Uganda for more than 2,000 young people.
Questions
Common questions about Thinklab
What is Thinklab Foundation Africa?
Thinklab Foundation Africa is a Ugandan non-profit, founded in 2026 and registered as Thinklab Foundation Ltd (URSB Reg. No. 80043438913782). It builds solar-powered community STEAM labs where young people aged 12 to 28 solve real problems in their communities.
Who can take part?
Young people aged 12 to 28, wherever they live: high school, TVET and university students, and young people who are out of study. We never segregate any young person on the grounds of gender, religious affiliation, economic status or disability.
Where is Thinklab based?
We are based in Wakiso, Uganda (P.O. Box 119678, Wakiso). We are starting in Uganda and will open, step by step, across the rest of Africa.
Is there a Thinklab I can visit now?
Not yet. Our first model lab is planned for 2028. Until it opens, our sessions run in a Pop-Up Lab, and we share the details with members and participants.
How can my school join?
High schools, TVET institutes, colleges and organisations can join as Associate (free), Elite (US$1,000 a year) or Partner (US$3,000 a year). Under-served rural schools pay no fees. You can apply on the Membership page.
How can university students join?
Through the Thinklab University Fellowship. It costs UGX 85,000 a year, with a one-time application fee of UGX 10,000, and applications are open all year.
How is Thinklab funded?
Through school and organisation memberships, commissioned innovation challenges and research, and gifts from individuals, companies and foundations, including our US$5 million campaign for five regional labs.
How can I support Thinklab?
You can donate, sponsor a lab, bring us a challenge, commission research, or give your time as a mentor or volunteer. Call +256 772 310 404 or email connect@thinklabfoundation.org.
When you take part, you help shape a future you have not seen yet
Give to the campaign, bring us a challenge, mentor a young innovator or join as a member school.