A two-week festival of talks, debates, comedy and demonstrations aims to share a university's "incredible research" before "it hits the headlines".
Topics covered in the annual Cambridge University event will include how to fix the NHS, and the impact of artificial intelligence on democracy.
Organisers said it is one of the largest such festivals in the UK, with more than 350 events and activities.
They hope to "reach people who haven't gone before", said manager David Cain.
Mr Cain said its aim was "to share incredible research, dive behind the doors, meet the academics and share their work, which as regular people we don't usually find out about".
"This includes the latest technology developments, new archaeological research or cancer treatments and visitors can find out about it before it hits the headlines," he added.
The university puts on the festival alongside partners including Anglia Ruskin University.
Its work on three of the world's biggest challenges - climate, cancer and AI - will be explored throughout the fortnight.
