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Ten Years On, Impact Continues at the Reach Alliance

Following its 2025 milestone, the Reach Alliance builds on a decade of turning research into action

By: The Reach Alliance

Following its ten-year milestone in 2025, the Reach Alliance is entering its next phase of growth.  

In 2015, the initiative began as a single-university project with two case studies. A decade later, Reach has grown into a global network of more than 400 students and researchers across ten universities, spanning nine countries, with over 100 research projects conducted across 40 countries worldwide. 

“The purpose of the Reach Alliance is to shed light on some of the most important questions and some of the most enduring challenges that we face in the world today,” says Joseph Wong, Vice President, International, at the University of Toronto and Founder of the Reach Alliance. 

“We, as a global community, have committed to ensuring that no one is left behind. We’re asking questions that no one else is asking, and we’re providing answers that no one else is providing.” 

The Reach Alliance has evolved to meet pressing global issues, designing research in partnership with local stakeholders and communities. 

“One of the most exciting transitions I’ve noticed over the last ten years is that when we got started, we were doing a lot of the problem identification. Now, governments and policymakers are coming to us,” says Marin MacLeod, Executive Director of the Reach Alliance and alum from the second Reach cohort. 

“This is the direction that I see Reach going over the next ten years—being a broker between communities, policy makers, and practitioners, and helping to close the research-to-policy gap that we know exists.”

Researchers apply their academic training to real-world challenges while developing leadership skills for careers in the public service, the private sector, and in places where evidenced based approaches are solving the world’s biggest economic, public health, and climate challenges. Working in interdisciplinary teams strengthens collaboration and intercultural skills. Over the years, Reach researchers and alumni have produced actionable insights, published in leading journals, and drawn on a global network to deepen their impact. Many alumni highlight learning from peers’ lived experiences and building meaningful relationships across the global Reach network as one of the program’s most valuable aspects. 

As the 10th Reach Alliance cohort concludes and the 11th begins, momentum continues to build through strong cross-sector partnerships and research-driven insights. A decade of impact marks both a significant milestone and a foundation for what comes next. The Reach Alliance remains committed to bridging research and practice to generate insights that drive tangible change across sectors and communities.