• Scientists, researchers, entrepreneurs and university and business school students from Europe and Latin America have submitted almost 500 social innovation projects.
• The 27 best entries, in addition to the chance to win 90,000 euros in prizes that will help make their projects a reality, will receive exposure, mentoring and business support so that they also reach potential investors.
• The candidates for these prizes come from Austria, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Italy, Mexico, Peru, the United Kingdom and Spain.
• The semi-finals will be held in Mexico City and Sao Paulo in July and in Madrid in September.
The Fundación MAPFRE Social Innovation Prize Jury has selected the 27 most innovative projects with the greatest capacity to make a contribution to society from the 462 originally submitted. The projects from Austria, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Italy, Mexico, Peru, the United Kingdom and Spain, once qualified and divided into categories will first compete in three semi-finals to be held in Mexico City and Sao Paulo in July and in Madrid in September in order to have a chance to win one of the prizes on offer at the final to be held in Madrid on October 17.
The objective of these three prizes, with 30,000 euros up for grabs in each category is to support and promote innovative solutions that improve the world in which we live in terms of three clear needs: health, mobility and security as an industry that provides risk protection.
For Mercedes Sanz, Director of the Awards, “this first edition has been a resounding success, not only as we received almost 500 projects, but because all of the 27 semi-finalists are innovative, effective solutions for resolving some of the social problems that affect different parts of the world”.
Concepción Galdón, Director of Social Innovation at IE, thinks that selecting people to go through to the semifinals was extremely difficult due to the exceptionally high number of candidatures received. “We are, however, very happy with the result. Everyone should have access to decent healthcare services, a human and sustainable urban environment, and social care that will afford protection in the future. We hope to form part of the success story of these 27 semi-finalists as they strive to make this happen.”
The jury, comprising experts from Fundación MAPFRE and IE Business School, a collaborating partner in these Awards, has selected the projects with the most potential for social impact and that are most feasible from a technical, economic and organizational perspective. The capacity and experience of applicants when developing an idea has also been assessed in addition to being able to provide proof of this in pilot tests run or with prototypes created that demonstrate their project can be materialized.
Since Fundación MAPFRE launched the scheme, at the start of the year, a total of 462 projects have been submitted, from Brazil, the rest of Latin America and Europe; for the large part, they are headed up by scientists, researchers, entrepreneurs and university and business school students.
9 projects to improve health and promote healthy lifestyle habits
There are nine projects in the category of e-Health: Sideal (Spain), a self-help system for alcoholics; MJN Neuroserveis (Spain), a device for predicting epileptic seizures; Mirrorable (Italy), an ecosystem that makes it possible to restored the mobility of disabled people; Novulis (Ecuador), that offers dental facilities at companies to offer healthcare assistance to families; Oliber (Chile) a cost-effective, easy-to-use magnetic glove for people with wrist atrophy; and Fabrilab (Colombia) a system that makes it possible to print implants in 3D at a low cost. Three projects have also qualified in Brazil: Beaba, a platform for helping children with cancer and their families to better understand their illness; Instituto Horas Da Vida, that brings together volunteer doctors to help disadvantaged populations; and Instituto Strabos, which offers surgery to correct strabismus in people with limited resources.
9 solutions to promote social protection and access to an insurance culture
In the category of Insurtech, 9 technological ideas have qualified: Aiudo (Spain) a platform for helping dependent adults to find a better care provider; ZOOM1T (Spain), an online solution for detecting, preventing and managing abuse in schools; Blitab (Austria), the first tablet in Braille to provide access to an insurance culture; Comunidad 4UNO (Mexico), a system for offering healthcare assistance and pension funds to domestic employees; Civilsig (Peru), a platform offering information on safe areas and collection points during natural disasters; and Millas para el retiro (Mexico), which promotes savings in the household via consumption.
In Brazil, the following initiatives have also qualified: Insurance for all, a mobile device that makes it possible to make an emergency call from vehicles with response times below the average; Pluvi.On, a platform that makes it possible to obtain a weather forecast using a network of low-cost sensors; and Kakau, an app that makes it possible for somebody who has never taken out insurance to obtain a policy.
9 projects to reduce accident rates and streamline traffic
In the category of mobility, 9 technological solutions have qualified: The Driving Doctor (United Kingdom), a system that makes it possible for drivers to get details on hazardous areas; Scoobic (Spain), a fast and lightweight vehicle that can deliver up to 750 kg of goods in a sustainable manner; Segurvital (Spain), a guardrail protection system designed with recycled tires that aims to reduce the impact of accidents on drivers and cyclists; Lazarillo (Chile), an app that creates assistance spaces for drivers with a positioning system using beacon technology; Dinapptive (Colombia), an app that imparts game-based highway training in the classroom; and Bikelite (Chile), an app that provides cyclists with details on safe areas and gloves equipped with LED lights. Three projects have qualified in Brazil: Wiimove, an app to share information on transport and parking among workers and to reduce costs incurred by users; Zumpy, a car sharing platform to reduce contamination and enhance mobility; and Viver De Bike, which seeks to entrepreneurism among youths and delivers workshops on how to repair bicycles.
Mentoring, coaching and visibility to investor
The 27 semi-finalists will be capable of using different channels to promote their projects, which will make them visible to others. To this end, they will receive support, advice and help to communicate and develop their proposals as effectively as possible, with mentoring for semi-finalists and coaching for finalists. They will also have access to a public relations plan to enhance the visibility of their projects to investors and financial backers.
Three semi-finals: Mexico City, Sao Paulo and Madrid.
The first semi-final, for Latin America, will be held on July 12 in Mexico City, followed by the semi-final in Brazil, to be held in Sao Paulo on July 26, and finally the European semi-final, to be held in Madrid on September 12. Just one candidate will qualify from each category, which will proceed to the grand final in Madrid. This event will be held in October 17, in which the 9 finalists will compete and the three winners will be announced during the closing ceremony that will close this year’s edition.
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