2025-03-31-accounts - Odyssean Institute

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Trustees’ Annual Report for the period

From 1 April 2024 To

31 March 2025

Charity name: Odyssean Institute

Charity registration number: 1204794

Objectives and Activities

	SORP reference
Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document	Para 1.17	The object of the CIO is, for the public benefit, to advance the education of the general public in the field of existential risk and global catastrophic risk by adding to the collective knowledge and understanding of specific areas of study and expertise in this field by: a. Conducting research and modelling around the risks of civilisational collapse; b. Running experiments around the processes of decision-making mechanisms and frameworks; and c. Establishing citizen assemblies through which the charity’s research and findings may be deliberated and through which the general public may be educated and gain greater understanding and insights. In all cases publishing the useful results of that research. For the purposes of this clause, existential risk and global catastrophic risk refer to risks including but not limited to threats arising from ecological (including solar flares, major asteroid impact, supervolcanic eruptions, extreme climate change, and ecological collapse), technological (nuclear weapons, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, and synthetic biology) and social (bad global governance, global systems collapse, and global democratic retreat) factors, and the inherent connections and intersections between these factors.
Summary of the main activities in relation to those purposes for the public benefit, in particular, the activities, projects or services identified in the accounts.	Para 1.17 and 1.19	The Odyssean Institute wrote up the results of our pilot study ‘A Global Catastrophic Risk Horizon Scan’, after the completion in March 2024 of the final deliberative workshop. We subsequently were able to submit the groundbreaking paper, the first of its kind in foresight on Global Catastrophic Risks (GCR) in October 2024.

		In the interim, we continued to refine the initial stages of the Global Resilient Anticipatory Infrastructure Network (GRAIN). In support of this work, we raised £18032.6 (250,000 Norwegian Kroner) in July 2024 from the Dag Strand Nielsen Foundation to conduct work on holistic wellbeing, as well as aim for a citizen assembly building on this in West Africa. Sadly, building further funding for the latter was not possible, but this initial literature review on wellbeing has led to the eventual development of our third research strand in summer 2025, Aeonic Flourishing (publications forthcoming). In October we continued critical new hires, one of whom James Balzer was integral in developing another foresight methodology called a Horizon Summit, sustaining our record of innovation in decision making for the public interest. We subsequently raised £15592.41 ($20,000) to test this new methodology on ‘2nd order impacts of a nuclear exchange’ in a novel Horizon & Solution Scan culminating in a Summit, which was conducted from January-March 2025. This was related to the broader GRAIN remit, identifying critical vulnerabilities and systemic interventions for global resilience. Finally, right at the end of this period we raised $25,000 (£19,227) from Kristian Rönn for the inaugural Odyssean Process on AI for 2026. Accounts reflect these and other receipts, and a greater emphasis on sustained hiring of researchers after certain outgoings saw our team reach a maximum of 12 by December, declining with some outgoing volunteers and part time staff leaving subsequently to stabilise around 8 total by period end.
Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit	Para 1.18	Trustees confirm receipt of guidance.

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

SORP reference Para 1.38 Policy on grant making

Policy on social investment including program related investment	Para 1.38
Contribution made by volunteers	Para 1.38	Volunteers remain an integral part of our team in this period, with some larger expenditure on part time staff helping increase operational and research output consistency in this period.
Other

Achievements and Performance

	SORP reference
Summary of the main achievements of the charity, identifying the difference the charity’s work has made to the circumstances of its beneficiaries and any wider benefits to society as a whole.	Para 1.20	We completed the writeup of the world’s first ever horizon scan on global catastrophic risks, which concluded in a final workshop in March 2024. We focused on identifying especially urgent emerging trends by eliciting expert insights on 96 initial, and 15 final (after rounds of voting and scoring) tipping points that could lead to terminal or irreversible transitions in the system. This paper has since been integrated into the University of Cambridge's core reading for the MPhil in Global Risk & Resilience, a fairly impressive outcome for such a young research institute. It has also furnished the next steps of testing the Odyssean Process, our bespoke combination of foresight, scenario simulation at scale, and democratic deliberation designed to help those most exposed to these risks build resilience fairly and effectively. This was the Process outlined in the White Paper aforementioned. We began work on the inaugural Horizon Summit on 2nd order effects of nuclear strikes, which concluded later in the year. We continued finishing work on the GRAIN overview report, including large trade and comparative analysis data gathering, which also concluded with publication later in the year. All of these continued our mission to expand resilience awareness for policy makers, researchers, and the general public. The achievements listed deepened our credibility,

expanded our networks, and established our novel approaches for combining best practices into operational success, proving our prototyping and innovations could be delivered under estimated timelines and on fairly sparse budgets also. We also achieved more substantial fundraising for the first full test of the Odyssean Process from start to finish, on AI governance with an accompanying documentary, beginning with committed funds in February for the project which has subsequently helped to raise considerably more.

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

Achievements against objectives set	Para 1.41	We successfully completed a world first, under-typical budget, and a good 1-3 months quicker than usual. Our findings were diverse but perhaps suffered a little from being maximally transdisciplinary and focused on tipping points, an inherently hard to quantify or pin down phenomenon. Nevertheless, we demonstrated ambition and delivered on our goals under pressing resource constraints. We grew the organisation and expanded our fundraising, continuing a healthy trend of approximately x2 funds raised from our prior year of operation.
Performance of fundraising activities against objectives set	Para 1.41	Our fundraising in this period begins to approach more viable project aims for delivering a full Odyssean Process, although the largest wins in this regard came after March (and are still too little to execute fully with a documentary, yet).
Investment performance against objectives	Para 1.41
Other

Financial Review

Financial Review
Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the period	Para 1.21	We retained £8230 after salary payments to our core team at the end of the period.
Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves stating why they are held	Para 1.22	To enable continued, sustained wages for researchers, and operational expenditure for our deliberative and foresight experiments.
Amount of reserves held	Para 1.22	£8230
Reasons for holding zero reserves	Para 1.22
Details of fund materially in deficit	Para 1.24
Explanation of any uncertainties about the charity continuing as a going concern	Para 1.23	None
Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
The charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising)	Para 1.47	Private donors, Longview Philanthropy, and the old Dag Strand Nielsen Family Foundation fund.
Investment policy and objectives including any social investment policy adopted	Para 1.46
A description of the principal risks facing the charity	Para 1.46
Other

Structure, Governance and Management

Description of charity’s trusts:
Type of governing document (trust deed, royal charter)	Para 1.25	Constitution
How is the charity constituted? (e.g unincorporated association, CIO)	Para 1.25	CIO
Trustee selection methods including details of any constitutional provisions e.g. election to post or name of any person or body entitled to appoint one or more trustees	Para 1.25	Trustees recruited and appointed by the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Board of Trustees, confirmed at the next annual meeting with trustees.
Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
Policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees	Para 1.51
The charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works	Para 1.51
Relationship with any related parties	Para 1.51
Other

Reference and Administrative details

Charity name	Odyssean Institute
Other name the charity uses	Odyssean Institute
Registered charity number	1204794
Charity’s principal address	32 Brooklands Road, Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, FY8 4BW

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

Trustee name	Office (if any)	Dates acted if not for whole year Nam e of pers on (or body ) entitl ed to appo int trust ee (if any)
Giuseppe Dal Prá	Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of the Board
Paul Ingram
Catherine Rhodes		Appointed October 2024
Jan Kwakkel
Dan Hoyer

– Corporate trustees names of the directors at the date the report was approved

Director name Giuseppe Dal Prá

Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity

Trustee name Dates acted if not for whole year

Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others

Description of the assets held in this capacity	N/A
Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects	N/A
Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets	N/A

Additional information (optional)

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)	Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)	Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)	Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)
Type of adviser Name Address




Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)

Exemptions from disclosure

Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details

Other optional information

Declarations

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s) Paul Ingram Full name(s) Giuseppe Dal Prá Position (eg Secretary, CEO, Chairman of Board of Trustee Chair, etc) Trustees Date 9th December 2025

Charity Name No (if any) Odyssean Institute 1204794

Recei ts and a ments accounts p p y

CC16a

For the period Period start date Period end date To from 1st April 2024 31st March 2025

Section A Receipts and payments

Unrestricted Restricted Endowment Total funds Last year funds funds funds to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £

A1 Receipts

DagStrand Nielsen Foundation	18,033	-	-	18,033	-
Longview Philanthropy	-	15,592	-	15,592	-
Foresight Transitions	-	1,250	-	1,250	-
Kristian Rönn	-	19,227	-	19,227	-
Bank compensation	264	-	-	264	-
Wong	50	-	-	50	-
	-	-	-	-	-
Swante Scholz	-	-	-		4,343
	-	-	-	-	-
*Sub total*(Gross income for AR)	18,347	36,070	-	54,416	4,343

A2 Asset and investment sales, (see
table).
	-	-	-	-	-
	-	-	-	-	-
*Sub total*	-	-	-	-	-

**Total receipts **	18,347	36,070	-	54,416	4,343

A3 Payments Staff wages 15,687 Expenses, materials, etc 2,312 -	A3 Payments Staff wages 15,687 Expenses, materials, etc 2,312 -	8,612 - -	- - -	24,299 2,312 -
Staff wages	15,687	8,612	-	24,299	-
Expenses, materials, etc	2,312	-	-	2,312	-
	-	-	-	-	-

01/27/2026

	-	-	-	-	-
	-	-	-	-	-
	-	-	-	-	-
	-	-	-	-	-
	-	-	-	-	-
	-	-	-	-	-
*Sub total*	17,999	8,612	-	26,611	-

A4 Asset and investment purchases,
(see table)
	-		-		-	-	-
	-		-		-	-	-
**Sub total **	-		-		-	-	-

**Total payments **	17,999	8,612			-	26,611	-

**Net of receipts/(payments) **	348	27,458		-		27,806	4,343
A5 Transfers between funds	-	-		-		-	-
A6 Cash funds last year end	4,343			-		4,343	-
**Cash funds this year end **	4,691	27,458		-		32,148	4,343

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period

Categories B1 Cash funds	Details Lloyds Wise *Total cash funds* (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s))	to nearest £ 4,691 - - 4,691 OK Unrestricted funds	to nearest £ 8,230 19,227 - 27,457 Agreement Error Restricted funds	to nearest £ Endowment funds
				-
				-
				-
				-
				OK

01/27/2026

B2 Other monetary assets

to nearest £ - - - - - - Unrestricted funds	to nearest £ - - - - - - Restricted funds	to nearest £ Endowment funds
-	-	-
-	-	-
-	-	-
-	-	-
-	-	-
-	-	-

B3 Investment assets

Details	Fund to which asset belongs	Cost (optional) - - - - -	Current value (optional)
		-	-
		-	-
		-	-
		-	-
		-	-

Details	Fund to which asset belongs	Cost (optional) - - - - - - - -	Current value (optional)
		-	-
		-	-
		-	-
		-	-
		-	-
		-	-
		-	-
		-	-

B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use

01/27/2026

B5 Liabilities

		-	-
	Fund to which	Amount due	When due
Details	liability relates	(optional)	(optional)
		-	0
		-	0
		-	0
		-	0
		-	0

Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees

Signature	Print Name Giuseppe Dal Prá Paul Ingram	Date of approval
	Giuseppe Dal Prá	09/12/2025
	Paul Ingram	27/01/2026

01/27/2026

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the truste members of Odyssean Institute 31° March 2025 On accounts for the year , endod . accounts for the year ended Set out on paga8 Onetot I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the al)ove charity Ilhe Trust.) for the year ended 3110312025. Responsibllltles and As Ihe chafthi twstees of the Trust, you are resFrtMsible for the preparation basis of roport of the accounts in accordance wrth the requirements of th8 Chanties Act 2011 fthe Acr). I rewrt in respect of my examination of the Trusl's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 14515){bl of the Act. I have completed my examinatb)n. I confim that no material matters have come to my attention (other than that disclosed behjw ") in nnectiOn wrth the examination which gNes me cause to beIve that in, any material Independent examlnevs statement accounting records were not k8pl in accordance with 88Ction 130 of the Act or the accounts do rKI 0rd with the accx)unting records I have no concems and have ccKne 088 no other matters in connection with the examination to whh attenlion should be drawn in order to en8ble proper understsnding of the accounts to be reached. Signed: 8igned: 2010112026 Name: Alan A Cleffents Rev'd Relevant professional l Fekw Ass(Kaakn of Charity Independent EXnerS qualification(s) or body (rf any): Address: 15 Carleton Road, Great KnthY*, Chorley, PR6 8TQ IER October 2018