The Global Impact Industry Project is designed to provide real-world experience to UC Business School students, while at the same time enabling businesses interested in overseas expansion to benefit from their unique knowledge and expertise.
It is an in-person programme that involves a mix of domestic and international students working together in teams to undertake market research for Canterbury businesses considering entering a new international market.
Teams will submit a report and give a presentation to the client at the end of the programme, designed to inform the expansion strategy of the organisation.
- $1,500 prize pool for the best contributions
- Awards for both team and individual performance
- Completion certificate
- Hands-on consulting experience for a New Zealand business
- Connections with industry professionals and peers from diverse backgrounds
- Possible pathway to work experience and career opportunities
The Global Impact Industry Project is a great opportunity to gain experience and learn more about working with a New Zealand business. It also enables you to demonstrate what you can bring to local businesses. For example, a 2021 report found that 61% of South Island businesses surveyed believe that Asia is important to their future, but 57% identified a lack of language skills as a barrier and 51% identified a lack market knowledge. You are uniquely placed to fill this gap, and the Global Impact Industry Project allows you to showcase this.
“I'm from China and because of my real-life experience, I know about Chinese e-commerce platforms, I know how Chinese companies do marketing campaigns. And when I get to New Zealand it is a totally different commerce environment, but I can apply something I learned from the Chinese market to the New Zealand market, and this can provide the company with some innovation. By combining different models of thinking, it can create really interesting and creative ideas.”
- Jenny Jin, 2022 programme participant.
"The UC Global Impact Industry Project programme truly broadened my perspective and strengthened my leadership skills. The combination of academic insight and real-world projects gave me the confidence to tackle complex challenges and create meaningful impact in my career. It’s a transformative journey that I’d highly recommend to anyone seeking growth and purpose.”
- Jia Liu, Master of Marketing, 2025 programme participant.
The Global Impact Industry Project is a great opportunity to gain experience working in an international team on a real-life international business project. This is essential whatever your major, and whether you plan to launch your career in New Zealand or abroad, given how global and interconnected the world of business is today.
“As a first year student doing the Global Industry Impact program the entire experience was incredibly valuable. Through this program I linked my academic study to real world experiences. In this program I applied knowledge I was learning in lectures in real time. I also formed amazing connections with my group members and mentors along with our clients! I would highly recommend this program to any students who want to gain insight into the business environment.”
- Ella Douglas, 2024 programme participant.
“Not only is this a great project and internship, one you can use in job interviews, CV, LinkedIn, but it also develops your many business, consulting, team, and presentation skills, and you get to network, meet, and communicate with so many different, interesting people of all backgrounds, disciplines, and talents.”
- Andrei Golovko, Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws, 2025 programme participant.
This is an unpaid programme towards which you are expected to dedicate at least 70 hours of your time, which means you are expected to work on this project at least 7 hours per week on average. Its main purpose is to build your professional experience and skills.
The programme runs throughout Semester Two and has been designed specifically to not clash with the busiest academic periods of the semester. You should therefore ensure you have sufficient flexibility in your schedules throughout Semester Two to participate in project activities.
2026 Timeline
The following key activities are currently planned for the programme (subject to minor adjustments). These activities will take place in Rehua 226:
- Programme Launch: Friday, 24 July 2026, 3–5pm
- International market research workshop: Thursday, 30 July 2026, 3 – 4pm
- Mentoring Session: Friday, 14 August 2026, 3–5pm
- Presentation & Writing Workshop: Friday, 18 September 2026, 3–5pm
- Final Presentations: Friday, 2 October 2026 (time to be confirmed)
In addition to these scheduled activities, teams will also participate in:
- 3 client meetings throughout the project
- 2 - 3 check-in meetings with the Business School Internationalisation Team
These meetings will take place during Semester Two and the mid-semester break, with exact timing arranged based on the availability of students and client organisations.
You need to have met the requirements listed below by the end of 2026 Semester One to be eligible to do this programme:
- Current University of Canterbury student with a B- GPA (or equivalent), and;
- Undergraduate students: have completed 120 points at UC (or 60 points if you are from an approved pathway) of which at least 30 points must be from Commerce courses (MGMT, ACCT, ECON, FINC, INFO, BSNS, MKTG), or;
- Postgraduate students: have completed 60 points towards a UC Business School programme.
Where appropriate, you may also be required to undertake an interview with the UC Business School Internationalisation Team to understand your intentions and motivation for joining the project.
UC Business School CQ Certificate
This is an approved experience under the UC Business School CQ Certificate. Students who complete the experience, as well as meet all other requirements, will receive a UC Business School CQ Certificate.
Contact us
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