Cardiff University team becomes first from Wales to win Enactus UK and Ireland Championship
28 May 2025
A student team from Cardiff University has become the first-ever team from Wales to win the Enactus UK and Ireland National Championship, earning the honour of representing the UK at the Enactus World Cup in Bangkok this September.
The Enactus UK and Ireland National Championship unites students, business leaders, and social entrepreneurs to celebrate social enterprise, showcasing innovative university-led projects making real impact in communities nationwide.
The winning team, made up of third-year students Hajira Irfan (Integrated Engineering), Harry Parkinson (Physics), Gurpreet Singh (Electrical Engineering), and Benjamin Drury (Physics), secured the national title with their innovative climate action project, Spiruflow. The students were supported throughout by academic mentors including Professor Les Baillie, Professor Adrian Porch, and Dr Jonny Lees.
The entire group is so excited to represent Cardiff University and UK and Ireland on such a global stage, this has been our first year competing in Enactus and the first time Cardiff University and any university in Wales has won the competition! So, everything is very new and exciting for us. We are working hard before the world cup to give it our best but to also have fun along the way!
Held on the 8th–9th April at ExCel London, the competition saw 20 teams from across the UK and Ireland present their projects to panels of judges. The Cardiff team advanced to the final four before claiming the national title on day two. Alongside the main championship, the team also won four sponsor-led competitions:
- British Airways Better World Winner
- Ford Motor Company C3 Winner
- Action4Impact Winner
- 2025 Enactus UK & Ireland National Champions
Their winning project, Spiruflow, is an algae-based direct air carbon capture (DACC) system that integrates sustainable photobioreactor technology. It uses a chemical solution to capture CO₂ from the atmosphere and feeds it directly to algae, which convert the carbon into oxygen—offering a low-energy, scalable alternative to traditional carbon capture methods.
Beyond technology, the team is committed to climate education. With support from Professor Bailes, they’ve brought Spiruflow into schools across Wales to engage the next generation in environmental innovation.
Looking ahead, the team plans to scale up their system in partnership with Cardiff Council.
Physic student Harry Parkinson explains, “As part of our preparations for the world cup, we’re developing a large-scale Spiruflow system in partnership with Cardiff Council, aiming to install it in the city centre to showcase Wales’ commitment to being carbon zero."
We’re also continuing our outreach in local schools to educate young children about the ways engineering can solve global problems like climate change. We hope to give it our best shot for the upcoming world cup and have many things planned!
The Enactus World Cup takes place in Bangkok on 26th September 2025.
