Under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority “Dubai Culture” and a member of the Dubai Council, the activities of the “Innovations for Humanity” initiative will be launched on November 16-17 with a series of programs and activities that support achieving a positive social and environmental impact. With the participation of a large group of exceptional talents from university students in all disciplines of science, technology and design from around the world.
University students from different regions of the world participate in their innovations that have obtained intellectual property rights through 100 projects in one of the most diverse creative gatherings with the aim of mobilizing ideas, projects and pioneering technologies to address the most prominent challenges facing the world, while the initiative contributes to stimulating positive change by benefiting from the ability of media The academy and specialized partnerships will help transform innovative ideas into beneficial projects, as the event is in line with the entrepreneurial spirit that characterizes Dubai, and the UAE’s preparations to host the “COP-28” conference in 2023.
The “Innovations for Humanity” initiative is the upgraded version of the “Global Graduate Exhibition”, which focused through its successive sessions on design, to become a multidisciplinary platform concerned with the practical application of creative ideas, under the generous patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and in partnership with the Dubai Center The International Finance Corporation (DIFC), and with the support of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority “Dubai Culture” and the “ARM Holding” group.
The initiative’s activities include a celebration of academic excellence at the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC), which includes an exhibition of proposed solutions and a platform that brings together the actors within the Global Impact Program. The $100,000 Academic Excellence Awards are awarded to the best projects in the areas of environment, health, society, and corporate solutions as part of the Innovations for Humanity Awards programme.
partnerships
Building on the strength of multilateral partnerships including academia, the public and private sectors, and the participation of project-building experts to deliver solutions that have a positive impact on lives, the Innovations for Humanity initiative seeks to raise awareness of global challenges while celebrating solutions that address them.
The initiative aims to enhance access to knowledge and talents and benefit from them to intensify work and build partnerships. This year’s program includes holding roundtables, discussions and workshops to identify challenges, incentives and mechanisms to allow high-potential innovations to move from university laboratories to reality. The initiative will also involve the venture capital community, as well as private investors and relevant institutions, including the ARM Holdings Group, which established a $2.7 million fund in 2019 to support innovations with a positive social impact.
The partnership with the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC) with its growing position as a hub for the global financial sector is a strategic step in this direction, as the center hosts more than 60% of the total technology and innovation companies in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, which reflects its key role in sustainable development. Through financing, trading and programming strategies, in line with the objectives of the “Innovations for Humanity” initiative.
Empowering Talent
In this context, Arif Amiri, CEO of the DIFC Authority said: “The DIFC is committed to developing the new economy, and driving the future of the financial sector, including driving the momentum of initiatives that foster innovation and sustainability. It is the number one center for entrepreneurship in the region. DIFC’s partnership with Innovations for Humanity is an important step towards enabling global talent to develop impactful innovations from Dubai, and the DIFC affirms its true commitment to supporting innovation and growth in governance, social and environmental responsibility. The purposeful often occurs by finding common points of convergence between different sectors and through meaningful partnerships.This partnership confirms our commitment to make the efforts of the “Innovations for Humanity” initiative see the light on the ground, based on our belief in the potential of academic research to bring about the desired positive change.”
innovative projects
During the exhibition, which will be open to the public on November 16 and 17, 100 innovative projects will highlight key areas of interest for international students in various scientific and creative disciplines, including current topics such as energy issues and emergency relief, as well as ever-changing challenges such as Food production and health care provision.
The initiative received applications for participation from more than 450 universities in more than 100 countries, including leading universities, including: Stanford, Oxford, MIT, Cambridge, the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Tsinghua University and the National University of Singapore, in addition to universities in the global south. A record number of university applications in 25 African countries and countries with major emerging economies, such as India, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico and Turkey.
Challenges and solutions
For his part, Director of Innovations for Humanity, Tadeo Baldani Caravieri, said, “When we consider the great societal challenges that the world faces, such as pollution or illiteracy, we note the reasons that make them systemic problems, and when we consider the solutions proposed by researchers from around the world, We can imagine a model that addresses these challenges.It is clear that academics can find solutions to most of the technical and tangible aspects of many challenges, including pollution and illiteracy, but what we want to explore through the “Innovations for Humanity” program is how to mobilize a set of partnerships that can adopt these innovations and address these problems together on a global scale.
The projects presented this year reflect a shift in thinking about positive impact, from innovation to finding urgent, more realistic and feasible solutions. The projects also demonstrate the ability of academic research to provide innovative solutions to the world’s problems.
