Peer Leadership Incubator
Hidden Structure by John F. Gerrard
Join your own “hidden” network of peer support leaders across the world!
If you want to go quickly, go alone.
If you want to go far, go together.
—African proverb
At the IPLN, we believe the people closest to peer support are the people best placed to make it better. Peers and lived experience leaders see where services fall short, where communities are going unheard, and where a practical change could make a real difference. What is so often missing is the time, the network, and the hands-on support to turn that insight into action.
The Peer Leadership Incubator exists to change that.
You do not need a polished plan to belong here. Some of our strongest projects arrived as half-formed ideas that someone had been carrying around for years. What matters is that you understand the problem you want to solve and care enough to work on it. We will help with the rest.
Many of us come to peer leadership brimming with ideas on how to strengthen the workforce, build better systems, and deliver truly impactful services for the people we walk alongside. But too often, we lack the dedicated time, the right network, and the hands‑on skills to turn those ideas into action.
Our online incubator creates just that: a focused space where peer leaders can learn, and practice, the practical tools for driving change. Here, lived experience isn’t merely heard, it’s elevated and amplified.
Think of the incubator as a learning community and support circle: you’ll gain new skills, test real‑world approaches, and grow alongside a diverse group of peers whose expertise and encouragement will lift your project, and your leadership, to the next level.
“An incredible way to move peer support forward globally, and should be attended by any peer who has a big goal or dream and no clue how to get there, as so many of us do.”
DEADLINE: Tuesday August 25th 2026 at 12:00 pm (UK time)
What is the Peer Leadership Incubator?
The Peer Leadership Incubator is an intensive, nine‑month learning community open to any peer with lived experience, regardless of title, role, or years behind them, who has an idea to spark change and turn your project ideas into reality. You’ll receive:
Dedicated Mentorship: One‑to‑one and small‑group coaching from peer leaders and experts in strategy, implementation, and research.
Global Peer Network: A diverse cohort of peers at all levels and from different sectors, sharing feedback, resources, and encouragement.
Sector Insight: Deep dives into the key challenges and opportunities facing peer support and lived experience work worldwide.
Practical Tools: Hands‑on workshops, templates, and exercises to help you map your idea, build logic models, craft persuasive pitches, and engage funders or decision‑makers.
Who is the Incubator for?
You should apply if you are a peer with lived experience: whether you’re a practising peer supporter, peer researcher, lived experience leader who is simply passionate about driving change, or a peer who has an idea (even if it’s still taking shape) and wants to:
Build or refine practical skills to design, test, and launch your project.
Gain mentorship and a global peer network for feedback, accountability, and collaboration.
Step into (or strengthen) your peer leadership role, increasing your influence in policy, practice, or community settings.
If you’re ready to turn your idea into reality and elevate your impact, this incubator is for you.
New for 2026-27: you can also apply as a pair or small group developing a project together. You submit one application between you, and every member is expected to participate fully, attending sessions and completing tasks together rather than rotating attendance between members.
What will you learn on the Incubator?
In the Incubator, you will:
Lead with confidence: Plan, design, and launch your peer‑led project from initial concept through to a polished pitch.
Engage stakeholders: Facilitate collaborative solution‑building for both your local context and wider global challenges in peer leadership.
Influence strategically: Gain techniques to amplify your voice and drive change in policy, practice, or organisational settings.
Communicate effectively: Craft compelling proposals and business cases, and navigate challenging conversations with clarity and poise.
Build your network: Cultivate a supportive, global community of peer leaders for ongoing feedback, accountability, and co‑creation.
Give and receive feedback: Develop skills for constructive critique to continuously refine your ideas and leadership practice.
What is the format of the Incubator?
90 minute online sessions.
A mixture of discussion-based and interactive exercises.
What is the time commitment?
The Peer Leadership Incubator is 9 months long. There are monthly online sessions from October to June, including a welcome session, making 10 sessions in total. We ask that you commit to attending at least 8 out of the 10 sessions. Each session lasts 90 minutes and there is an expectation that you continue to work on your project outside of the sessions. How much time you dedicate is up to you and will have an impact on the success of your project. Our suggestion for the amount of out-of-session time you should spend on your project is between 2 - 3hrs on average depending on the stage of your idea.
Who is leading the Incubator?
The incubator is being led by peers with years of experience in accelerating and incubating ideas to action, with vast expertise in the global context of peer support from a grassroots and community organising and advocacy lens all the way up to formal clinically delivered peer support in various health and care settings and systems. To learn more about our Incubator facilitators click here.
How much does it cost?
Participation in the incubator costs £2,500 GBP (approximately $3,350 USD). This is the fee per place, so a pair or group applying together pays a single participation fee, and a scholarship, where awarded, covers that one fee.
Thanks to the programme sponsor, Habitus Collective, we are able to remove cost as a barrier to participation. As part of their commitment to empowering Peer Supporters from around the world, Habitus Collective offers a limited number of full and partial scholarships. Each scholarship funds a place on the incubator, with the sponsorship applied directly to the participation fee on the recipient's behalf.
If the cost would be a barrier for you, please indicate in your application that you would like to be considered for a full or partial scholarship.
Who will be in the Incubator with me?
We aim to have no more than 12 places in the group. A pair or group applying together counts as one of the twelve places, with a single participation fee. We are committed to have a range of peers with varied backgrounds ranging from different locations across the world, sectors, years of experience, job titles, and a range of peers who come from a more formal or clinical perspective mixed with peers from grassroots, community and less formal perspectives. We believe that this mix will help provide the group with a wide range of perspectives to consider when developing and actioning their project ideas.
Will I get a certificate or CPD credits?
We have built upon the learning from our first incubator in 2023 as such we continue to learn and develop alongside you. As such the course is not yet available for CPD credits or formal certification, however we will continue to monitor this as we go and everyone who participates will receive a certificate of completion from the IPLN.
If I am connected to an organisation, do they have to support me?
Whilst support from your organisation is always a benefit and sets you up for greater success, it is not a requirement to have organisational backing in order to attend the incubator. Depending on your time zone, you may be participating during working hours and so support from your organisation from a practical sense may be required. You may also wish to use your professional development fund towards participating in the incubator.
What kind of idea or project are you looking for?
That’s up to you! We help you take your idea and bring it to life and put it into action. Ideas can range from involving peer researchers more broadly in social or academic research or creating pathways for them to be in greater decision making roles, to developing standards or pathways for peer leadership within your own organisation, or developing peer support designed specifically for your underrepresented community. But it can be none of these! This is an opportunity for you to bring your own idea, no matter what stage you’re at, and get support to drive it forward.
Ideas that grew here
Every project in the incubator starts with one person, who sees something that needs to change. Previous participants have taken ideas from an idea all the way through to real change across housing, research, exploitation of women, policy, and community peer support, in countries all around the world.
Meet the peer leaders who have come through the incubator and the projects they built here.
Your idea doesn’t need to look like any of theirs though!
I applied to the incubator in the past but wasn’t accepted, can I apply again?
Yes, absolutely! Demand for our 12 spots is very high, and not receiving a place is in no way a reflection on you or your idea. Each year we strive to assemble a diverse cohort: peers from different countries and sectors, a balance of formal/clinical and grassroots perspectives, and projects at all stages (idea through testing).
If you weren’t selected this time, we encourage you to:
Reapply next year, when we’ll run the incubator again.
Stay engaged now by joining our free International Community of Practice on the 4th Wednesday of every month. It’s a great place to network, share ideas, and learn alongside peer leaders worldwide.
We look forward to seeing your application and continuing to support your peer leadership journey!
I’m not a peer, but I have lived experience. Can I still join?
Unfortunately our incubator is just for people working in peer roles. This includes peer supporters, peer leads, peer researchers etc. There is a requirement to have worked/be working in a peer role in order to participate in the incubator.
How do I sign up?
You can submit a short application to participate by clicking on the button below. Please note that whilst we hope to accept everyone who would like to participate, it is not a guarantee that everyone who applies will secure a space. Deadline for applications is 25th August 2026 at 12:00 pm (UK time). You will hear the outcome of your application by 28th August 2026, and the incubator begins on 1st October 2026
Are there any testimonials from previous participants?
Absolutely! See below for a few quotes from our participants from previous incubators:
“It’s just been a great experience, and an accountability partner around my project. It’s actually also been incredibly helpful and helped with resilience. Sometimes it’s hard to keep knocking on a door that doesn’t want to open for you. So it’s been an opportunity to come back on a regular basis, and just kind of revisit where you’re at with it. I’ve had some challenges and success could have looked differently for me, and I’ve learned some of that now through the incubator.
The training and learning along the way I found really helpful for me and I might not be exactly where I want to be at the end of the project but the tools and the things I’ve learned I’m sure will help me get there. So I would highly encourage anyone to join. It’s just been such a super skilled group that I’ve really benefitted from.”
“It’s the structured training and tools that we’ve had that has been very helpful for me. And the networking has been wonderful and hearing other people’s ideas of what they want to do and what they want to and have achieved has been really interesting. For me, I’m based in the UK and got to talk to people in America as part of my project and learn from them. So in all it has been really very good.”
“I have deeply appreciated building a network of support around the world and to hear all the amazing peer support work happening all around the world, think the whole incubator has been super helpful and an amazing opportunity; its helped build confidence in working with the collective approach of support. It was one of the best experiences I’ve had.”
“The support and feedback for our ideas, and for the challenges specifically has been what I have felt has been the most beneficial as being part of the incubator. There are only a handful of “peer leaders” around me, and it’s occasionally a competitive atmosphere, rather than a collaborative one. It’s been amazing to learn about peer support across the world in a friendly and supportive environment. It’s an incredible way to move peer support forward globally, and should be attended by any peer who has a big goal or dream and no clue how to get there, as so many of us do.”
“There’s lots of things I want to do, but I had no idea where to start, it’s really help me understand how to slow down, take the learning I’ve gotten from here and apply it in my role.”
“Being able to talk with others who have similar ideas and experiences, getting to learn from each other and relieve our concerns… Just being able to have a group chat in between the sessions to allow us to reflect on it… it’s been a very empowering community.”
“The incubator really did help me to believe in myself. I leave a much stronger and happier lived experience leader, which will most importantly have an impact on those using services”
“Being part of the incubator has been one of the most meaningful learning experiences of my peer support journey. Every session encouraged me to think differently, stretch my ideas, and lean more deeply into my authentic voice. My confidence continued to grow, and I found myself taking greater initiative, trusting my instincts, and believing more fully in what is possible.”
“The incubator was a powerful reminder of the strength and value of peer work, and what can be achieved together... I valued the safe and supportive discussions about peer leadership, and the chance to think about leadership together.”
“Being part of the incubator has been one of the most meaningful learning experiences of my peer support journey. Every session encouraged me to think differently, stretch my ideas, and lean more deeply into my authentic voice. My confidence continued to grow, and I found myself taking greater initiative, trusting my instincts, and believing more fully in what is possible.”
“The relationships, learning, and sense of community that have been cultivated through this incubator feel far too valuable to leave behind.”