The world's first global movement for neurodivergent minds in tech & research
Fifteen percent of the world
thinks differently.
Most of them have never seen themselves represented in a room where the future of research is being decided.
Launching 2026 · divergent-in-tech.org
Our Mandate
Not accommodation.
Recognition.
Neurodivergent researchers are not a population to be accommodated. They are a cognitive asset — one that academic institutions and tech organisations are systematically underutilising.
Divergent in Tech & Research® Global is designed from the outset as a partnership organisation. We work with universities, research institutes, funding bodies, and doctoral schools to build the evidence, community, and frameworks that benefit neurodivergent researchers — and the institutions that host them.
This is not a support group. It is a movement with intellectual ambition, institutional reach, and a five-year plan to become the world's reference organisation for neurodivergent minds in tech and research.
Manifesto
“What neurodivergent researchers have lacked is not ability. It is infrastructure.”
Somewhere right now, a PhD student is doing something extraordinary. They have spent the last six hours in complete absorption — tracing a thread through three literatures that no one had connected before. When they surface, they will have produced something genuinely original. They will also spend the next two days wondering whether they are cut out for this.
Not because the research was wrong. Because the rhythm was. Because the way they work — in bursts, in depth, in directions that are hard to explain until they resolve — doesn't map cleanly onto the structures academic life is built around. And without language for that, without peers who understand it, without a community that has made the same journey, the doubt accumulates quietly alongside the work.
We are founding Divergent in Tech & Research® Global to change that. The research starts now, with you.
The Four Pillars
Built to last.
Designed to matter.
Research
The annual State of Neurodivergent Minds in Tech & Research report — the evidence base no other organisation produces. Academic partnerships, peer-reviewed publications, and the data that drives institutional change.
Community
A global chapter model — 65+ countries by 2030. A mentorship platform connecting neurodivergent researchers across career stages. A professional network with institutional weight, not just an online forum.
Advocacy
EU policy engagement. UNCRPD dialogue. Corporate neuroinclusion certification. Going where the decisions are made — with data, with evidence, and with the standing of tens of thousands of members.
Talent
A talent marketplace connecting neurodivergent professionals with neuroinclusive employers and research institutions. Certification programs that give organisations a rigorous framework for cognitive inclusion.
For You If
You've always worked
differently. So have we.
PhD Students
You're navigating a system not built for the way your brain works. So are 20% of your cohort.
Postdoctoral Researchers
You've proven you can do the research. Now you want a community that understands the journey.
Academics & Professors
You've built a career. You want to make the path easier for those who come after.
Tech Professionals
You're neurodivergent and working in tech. You've never had a professional home that gets it.
ND Founders
You build things differently. The best innovations often come from the most divergent minds.
Institutions
You want to understand, support, and retain neurodivergent talent. We have the research and the frameworks.
Join the Movement
Become one of 100
founding members.
No application. No fee. No form to fill — just this one. Tell us who you are and why this matters to you. We'll be in touch before the public launch.
The Founder
Issam Ourrai
Founder, Divergent in Tech & Research® Global
PhD Researcher · GRANEM, Université d'Angers
Lecturer · IESEG School of Management
Founder · Praxis Ventures
Neurodivergent, researcher, entrepreneur. I spent years navigating academic and professional systems that weren't built for minds like mine. The research always came naturally. The navigation required something extra.
Divergent in Tech & Research® Global exists because that navigation doesn't have to be solitary. Built on 14 peer-reviewed publications, academic partnerships across France and Europe, and the conviction that neurodivergent minds don't need fixing — they need infrastructure.
Contact
Get in touch.
Questions, partnerships, or just want to say hello? Send a message and we'll reply directly.