Over 200 students from across the GEMS Education network of schools were recognised at the GEMS Innovation Awards held at GEMS Dubai American Academy on 1 May. Awards were handed out to top performers in four separate challenges – Global Innovation Challenge, GEMS Xcelerator Programme, GEMS ENBD Future of Digital Finance Challenge, and GEMS Innovative School of the Year.
The 2018-19 Global Innovation Challenge, in partnership with Silicon Valley-based Singularity University, was launched in October last year and has seen tens of thousands of GEMS Education students apply their skills and knowledge to produce high-impact solutions to a range of global problems and challenges. The most innovative projects were shortlisted and, over the last two months, some 100 students across 35 teams have benefitted from mentorship from industry professionals, seed funding and entrepreneurship workshops. Teams then pitched their ideas to a panel of judges from VISA, Emirates Airline, Microsoft, INJAZ UAE, DTEC and other organisations during a special ‘Demo Days’ event held on 28 and 29 April at GEMS World Academy – Dubai, after which the eventual winners were selected.
Dino Varkey, Chief Executive Officer, GEMS Education, said: “The GEMS Innovation Awards were launched specifically with the aim of developing and recognising a culture of innovation among our students. We want to encourage and enable them to build on compelling ideas that can transform our world by addressing and finding solutions to some of humanity’s most pressing challenges, while also helping them to take their products and inventions to the next stage of development and eventually to market. This underlines our commitment to the UAE leadership’s vision to nurture innovation skills among our young generation, and we are incredibly proud of the enterprise and genius shown by our talented students.”
GEMS Education students from around the world were invited to submit prototypes using future-focused technologies such as 3D printing, robotics and nanotechnology, addressing different areas including Disaster Resilience, Environment, Energy, Food, Health, Learning, Security, Prosperity, Governance, Space, Shelter and Water. Global Innovation Challenge winners were split into Junior and Senior categories, with the three winning teams in the latter due to present their projects at the Singularity University Global Summit in California, USA, taking place between 19 and 21 August 2019.
Winning solutions in the Junior category include: ‘Moov’ (Cambridge International School – Dubai), a mobile tele-surgery vehicle complete with robotic arms, cameras and equipment for virtual first-stage emergencies; ‘Foodie Mini Refrigerator’ (GEMS Millennium School – Sharjah), a solar-powered, self-regulating food refrigeration and storage unit intended to tackle food wastage and help construction workers; and ‘Project Meraki’ (GEMS Modern Academy – Dubai), a weather-proof, light-weight, modular and portable shelter unit designed to help those displaced by natural disasters.
Winning solutions in the Senior category include: ‘SHERO’ (GEMS New Millennium School – Al Khail), a wearable bracelet ring that acts as security for women courtesy of a built-in low-voltage taser and GPS tracker that sends SOS signals to guardians; ‘Smart Bandages’ (GEMS Millennium School – Sharjah), a sensor-loaded bio-compatible bandage for chronic wounds that displays moisture, PH and temperature levels, leading to smarter, cheaper and faster healing; ‘Alivean’ (Our Own English High School, Sharjah – Boys’ Branch), a visual aid for the visually impaired that uses real-time image and object classification to inform users what is in front of them via an ear piece.
The GEMS Xcelerator Programme was held in March and April this year and provided students with financial and non-financial support as well as mentoring to build customer- and growth-oriented business plans around their products. Students took part in workshops covering topics such as leadership and entrepreneurial skills, design thinking and customer research, marketing and business planning, IP protection and pitching to investors. The programme culminated in a special Demo Day, where each participating team pitched to the region’s leading technology venture capital firms, investors and corporate innovators.
The GEMS Xcelerator award was handed to ‘Conntext’ (GEMS Wellington Academy – Silicon Oasis), a web search engine delivered through SMS, empowering developing regions and areas without internet access at the cost of sending a text message.
The winner of the GEMS ENBD Future of Digital Finance Challenge was awarded a AED 5,000 cash prize, along with mentorship, internship and product incubation opportunities by Emirates NBD. The award went to ‘iSafe’ (The Cambridge High School – Abu Dhabi), a digital savings product for children aged 6-18 years, enabling parents to transfer money, track expenses and assign chores.
Finally, GEMS New Millennium School – Al Khail was crowned this year’s GEMS Innovative School of the Year.
