Global Grad Show: 150 Ideas to Change the World

Global Grad Show unveils 150 game-changing ideas to change the world with 23 entries from the UK.

150 Game-Changing Ideas

Today sees the unveiling of the shortlisted 150 ideas that could change the way we live forever, selected from 2,600 entries, a 50% increase in the number of applications received in 2020.

This year’s Global Grad Show is the largest and most diverse edition to date in reach, depth and university network, with a 70% rise in the number of universities submitting entries since 2020. There was a total of  3,000 graduates in 464 universities across 70 countries submitted entries, with 150 key projects unveiled today, making the 7th edition of Global Grad Show the biggest and best.

Today, 150 promising projects are unveiled, by 212 students from 114 universities, representing 53 countries.

A Showcase of Innovation

This year’s Global Grad Show is a veritable buffet of innovation. From urgent CO2-capturing solutions to forward-looking tax methods, entries look to break down some of today’s biggest global problems.

Ideas echo collective concerns with mental and physical health, food supply, city living, ethics and community welfare – highlighting academia’s critical role in solving them.

Several themes have emerged in this year’s edition, pointing to the shared concerns of graduates, with this being the first Global Grad Show to take place since the world starts to emerge from the pandemic. These include projects in healthcare and wellbeing (44 entries) and safety and emergency (25 entries), while future-readiness becomes a key common denominator among production and consumption (41 entries), community and inclusion (30 entries) and education and awareness (21 entries).

Focus on Health and Wellbeing

With health and wellbeing becoming an increasingly important sector, there are many ideas to support this and combat the barriers of traditional healthcare systems Ideas include a digital malnutrition monitor, an exoskeleton for stroke rehabilitation and mobile-enabled skin scanner. Within ‘new materials’, projects are looking into an integrative approach between sustainability and progress, including industrial sealants and flame retardants made out of natural components and self-healing textiles and construction materials.

A Sustainable Future

With a greener future at the forefront of many’s minds, there is also an anti-greenwashing browser, robots that regenerate land and sea ecosystems, biodegradable cling film made from gin, biodegradable baby mattresses made from banana fibres, smog-filtering cars, and a robot that repairs coral reefs.

Positive Impact on the World

 

Tadeu Baldani Caravieri, Director of Global Grad Show, said: “In the wide spectrum of what innovation means and does, Global Grad Show projects sit at a very distinct position: their primary objective is to create positive net results to the world, either by solving existing problems or preventing new ones. When we look at the volume and quality of these projects across the world, it’s possible to believe in a scenario where their impact outpaces complex global challenges. That alone is a very strong reason to support young entrepreneurial minds working inside universities. There’s probably no group better equipped to build positive change from the ground up.

We are very thankful to the thousands of students and professors who shared their vision with us since 2015 and for the opportunities to grow the programme with our partners, leveraging Dubai’s infrastructure and forward-looking vision. We are extremely excited to be opening our most far-reaching edition ever today.