“The Pioneering Education Team” (EGIS) “The Pioneering Education Team” member (EGIS) who were devoted to developing avant-garde, global challenge design-based pilot studies to inspire the wider academic community to adopt similar activities. The team exuded maximum impact through actively living the Heriot Watt University Values, by inspiring academics to utilise the opportunities COVID-19 offers to open the window of future learning and teaching practices and supported academic staff by designing alternative learning & teaching approaches to better manage pandemic challenges, despite challenges ourselves. (June 2020)