Learning by Doing
The Learning by Doing Project is a UK-based, IKI-funded international climate research initiative that develops 2–1.5°C compatible socio-economic visions, sectoral transition narratives, and implementable project portfolios for Mexico, South Africa, Lebanon, the Dominican Republic, and Latin America and the Caribbean.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- Headquarters—
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Learning by Doing does
The Learning by Doing Project (LbD) is an international, grant-funded climate research initiative founded in 2020 and domiciled in the United Kingdom. It develops long-term socio-economic and climate visions — articulated through present, dystopia, and eutopia scenarios — for specific countries, integrating sectoral transition narratives, graphic narratives, and multilateral opportunity portfolios. The project's outputs target 2–1.5°C compatible societies by 2050 and are built through an iterative, participative methodology that combines academic modelling rigour with bottom-up community engagement.
LbD is implemented by Energeia (UK/Mexico) and the Consortium de Investigación Económica y Social (CIES, Peru), with country partners including ITAM (Mexico), the University of Cape Town (South Africa), IndyAct (Lebanon), and Fundacion Popular (Dominican Republic), plus a regional component through the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). Its deliverables include country-specific project and policy portfolios, climate vision scenario documents, the SPES graphic novel, the Portfolio of Multilateral Actions 2022–2025, the Good Life 2050 architectural vision developed with the University of Sheffield, and the Cambridge Conference 2024. The organisation does not sell products or services; all activities are funded by the Federal Government of Germany through the International Climate Initiative (IKI), implemented since 2022 by BMWK in cooperation with BMUV and the Federal Foreign Office.
LbD serves civil society, academia, government policymakers, private sector participants, and local communities across Mexico, South Africa, Lebanon, the Dominican Republic, the United Kingdom, and the broader Latin America and Caribbean region. The organisation employs 11–50 staff and distributes its intellectual outputs as open-access knowledge goods through its website, newsletter, blog, LinkedIn, and in-person events such as the 2024 Cambridge Conference at Corpus Christi College.
Learning by Doing firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Learning by Doing
- Legal name
- The Learning by Doing Project
- Website
- https://learningbydoingproject.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Learning by Doing Project is a UK-based, IKI-funded international climate research initiative that develops 2–1.5°C compatible socio-economic visions, sectoral transition narratives, and implementable project portfolios for Mexico, South Africa, Lebanon, the Dominican Republic, and Latin America and the Caribbean.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Learning by Doing industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Climate Transition Research and Policy Consulting
- NAICS
- Environmental Consulting Services (54162)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Climate Policy, Governance & NDC Support (BPADALAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Climate Adaptation & Resilience Programs (BPADALAD), Environmental Education, Capacity Building & Community Engagement (BPADALAO), Climate, Environment & Natural Resource Management Aid Programs (BPADABAI), Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation (BPAGAGAF), Climate Risk & Scenario Analysis (TCFD/IFRS S2) (EUAHAJAD)
Keywords
Learning by Doing business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
Learning by Doing product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Learning by Doing is an international, grant-funded climate research initiative that develops long-term socio-economic and climate visions (present, dystopia, and eutopia scenarios) compatible with a 2–1.5°C rise by 2050. It produces country-specific portfolios of projects, policies and multilateral opportunities, plus graphic narratives, reports and capacity-building activities, for five country teams (Mexico, South Africa, Lebanon, Dominican Republic, UK) and a Latin America/Caribbean regional component. The project is funded by the German Federal Government through the International Climate Initiative (IKI) and implemented by Energeia and CIES.
Product overview
Learning by Doing is an international, multi-disciplinary climate research project (not a software product) that creates visions and transitions to societies compatible with a 2-1.5°C temperature rise by 2050. The organization's 'products' are research deliverables including: Climate Visions Portfolio (urban/rural present-dystopia-eutopia scenarios), Graphic Novel SPES, Project Reports (2021-2024), Portfolios of Multilateral Actions and Policies/Projects, The Good Life 2050 architectural vision (with University of Sheffield), Cambridge Conference 2024, Essays/Publications, Newsletter, and Blog. These offerings work together to provide comprehensive climate transition pathways for Mexico, South Africa, Lebanon, Dominican Republic, and Latin America, supported by the German Federal Government through the International Climate Initiative (IKI).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Climate Visions Portfolio A collection of urban and rural environment visions depicting present, dystopian and eutopian scenarios for climate transition to 2-1.5°C compatible societies by 2050. Covers transport, energy, housing, built environment, public space, waste, port industry and maritime environments across participating countries.
- Graphic Novel SPES A graphic novel documenting the Learning by Doing project's efforts and findings, presenting climate transition narratives in visual storytelling format for diverse audiences. Available in English and Spanish versions.
- Portfolio of Multilateral Actions 2022-2025 A portfolio documenting multilateral climate action opportunities and cooperation frameworks developed through the Learning by Doing project for implementation across participating countries (Mexico, South Africa, Lebanon, Dominican Republic) and Latin America/Caribbean.
- Policies and Projects Portfolio A portfolio of country-specific projects and policies developed to support the transition to climate-compatible societies, engaging civil society, academia and the private sector across participating countries.
- Portfolio of Visions and Graphic Interface A compilation of visual visions and graphic interfaces illustrating the transition pathways and desired outcomes of the climate transition project.
- Project Reports (Annual Activity Reports) Annual and multi-year activity reports documenting the Learning by Doing project's progress, including 2021-2024 reports, country-specific activities across Dominican Republic, Lebanon, Mexico, South Africa, and transport modelling publications.
- The Good Life 2050 - UOS Live Project An architectural and urban vision collaboration with the University of Sheffield School of Architecture, creating visualizations of what a 'good life' could look like in Miramar, Guadalajara in 2050, following a successful transition to a 1.5-2°C maximum temperature rise scenario.
Quantifiable outcome
- Development of country-specific project and policy portfolios for Mexico, South Africa, Lebanon, Dominican Republic, and Latin America & Caribbean
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Learning by Doing
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Learning by Doing technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Learning by Doing partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- Energeia (UK/Mexico)coreEnergeia serves as the primary implementing organisation alongside CIES. It leads the overall project coordination, methodological development, and integration of climate transition visions across participating countries. Energeia is the lead implementing partner referenced in project documentation and is headed by Jose Alberto Garibaldi, who is identified as Director of Energeia and a key figure in the project's visioning and methodology.
- Consorcio de Investigación Económica y Social (CIES) (Peru)coreCIES is a key implementing partner alongside Energeia, contributing research expertise and facilitating engagement across Latin American contexts including Peru as the host institution and the broader Latin America and Caribbean regional work through ECLAC.
- University of Cape Town (South Africa)coreUniversity of Cape Town is a country partner team contributing South African perspectives, expertise, and local engagement to the LbD project. It participates in developing South Africa's transition vision and project portfolio.
- Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) (Mexico)coreITAM is the Mexico country team partner, contributing academic expertise and local engagement to develop Mexico's ambitious 2050 vision. The Mexico team published the An Ambitious Vision for 2050 Mexico document outlining pathways in energy, transport, and agriculture sectors.
- Fundacion Popular (Dominican Republic)coreFundacion Popular is the Dominican Republic country partner, facilitating local engagement and developing the Dominican Republic's transition vision and project portfolio.
- IndyAct (Lebanon)coreIndyAct is the Lebanon country partner, contributing to the development of Lebanon's transition vision and facilitating engagement in the Middle Eastern context.
- United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)coreECLAC serves as the regional partner covering Latin America and the Caribbean. It facilitated a Santiago meeting in 2023 and contributes to the regional component of the project, helping to shape and disseminate the Latin American and Caribbean visions and roadmaps towards low-carbon resilient societies.
- University of Sheffield School of Architecture (UK)flagshipUniversity of Sheffield's School of Architecture partnered with LbD through their Live Projects programme to create architectural and urban visions for Miramar, Guadalajara in 2050. This partnership produced detailed eutopia/dystopia visualisations and the 'Good Life 2050' tapestry, representing a flagship creative collaboration. Sheffield is ranked 1st in the UK for Architecture (Complete University Guide 2025) and top 30 globally (QS).
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Learning by Doing competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- SouthSouthNorth: SouthSouthNorth supports developing countries on climate mitigation, adaptation, and transparent reporting — directly comparable to LbD's country-team model in South Africa, Mexico, Lebanon, and the Dominican Republic, and its emphasis on South-South knowledge exchange.
- E3G: E3G is a climate think tank producing policy analysis and convening governments on 1.5°C-aligned transitions — comparable to LbD in convening high-level stakeholders (e.g., the Cambridge Conference) and producing transition thought-leadership.
- Climate Analytics: Climate Analytics produces downscaled climate projections, 1.5°C scenario analysis, and policy advice for vulnerable regions — directly overlapping with LbD's core activity of developing 2–1.5°C compatible visions and country-specific transition pathways for developing countries.
- Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI): SEI is an independent research institute producing climate scenario analysis, policy research, and country-level transition studies — comparable to LbD in combining rigorous modelling with stakeholder engagement across multiple geographies.
- NewClimate Institute: NewClimate Institute provides climate policy research, NDC analysis, and transition pathway modelling for governments and international bodies — a direct analogue to LbD's country-specific policy and project portfolios aligned with the Paris Agreement.
- Climate & Development Knowledge Network (CDKN): CDKN links climate-compatible development research with policy and practice in developing countries, closely paralleling LbD's mission of bridging academic climate modelling with locally-relevant transition pathways and capacity building.
- Climate Action Tracker (CAT): CAT independently tracks government climate action against Paris Agreement compatibility and produces country-level policy assessments — directly comparable to LbD's country-specific NDC-aligned visioning work.
Emerging players
- Germanwatch: Germanwatch is a German-based climate and development NGO focused on climate policy and international climate negotiations — closely thematically connected to LbD as a fellow German-funded climate initiative with developing-country engagement.
Others
- C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group: C40 Cities convenes major global cities on climate action — thematically related to LbD's urban visioning work (e.g., Good Life 2050 for Miramar, Guadalajara) but operating as an enabling city network rather than a country-research peer.
Broad incumbents
- World Resources Institute (WRI): WRI is a large, established global research organization producing climate scenario analysis, NDC support, and country-level transition work — a broader incumbent operating at greater scale but in the same policy-research space as LbD.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Learning by Doing social profiles
Digital presenceLearning by Doing financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Learning by Doing leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Learning by Doing funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Learning by Doing M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about Learning by Doing
What does Learning by Doing do?
Learning by Doing is an international, grant-funded climate research initiative that develops long-term socio-economic and climate visions (present, dystopia, and eutopia scenarios) compatible with a 2–1.5°C rise by 2050. It produces country-specific portfolios of projects, policies and multilateral opportunities, plus graphic narratives, reports and capacity-building activities, for five country teams (Mexico, South Africa, Lebanon, Dominican Republic, UK) and a Latin America/Caribbean regional component. The project is funded by the German Federal Government through the International Climate Initiative (IKI) and implemented by Energeia and CIES.
Is Learning by Doing a public or private company?
Learning by Doing is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Learning by Doing founded?
Learning by Doing was founded in 2020. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Who are Learning by Doing's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are SouthSouthNorth, E3G, Climate Analytics, Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), NewClimate Institute, Climate & Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) and Climate Action Tracker (CAT). Germanwatch is listed as an emerging player. C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group is listed as an others. World Resources Institute (WRI) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Learning by Doing have an API?
No public API is recorded for Learning by Doing.
What industry is Learning by Doing in?
Learning by Doing's product category is Climate Transition Research and Policy Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADALAA, Climate Policy, Governance & NDC Support, with a secondary code of BPADALAD, Climate Adaptation & Resilience Programs. Its NAICS code is 54162 and its SIC code is 8731.