SingularityU MENA Global Impact Challenge

Application Deadline: June 7, 2019

Global Impact Challenges (GICs) are annual competitions organized by geography and theme. These challenges are an open call to entrepreneurs, leaders, scientists, and engineers with the most innovative ideas for moonshot innovations and startups that can positively impact a billion people in 10 years.

The purpose of the SingularityU MENA GIC is to foster innovations and startups that positively impact the lives of people living in the Middle East and North Africa with an ability to scale and impact a billion people worldwide in 10 years.

The challenge is open to residents and citizens in the MENA region: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Syria, Tunisia, Palestine, Yemen, Sudan, KSA, UAE, Kuwait, Iraq.

What innovation would you develop to solve a global grand challenge within by using exponential technology within the Health, Education, Energy, Agriculture, Transportation, or Fintech industries

In this year’s SingularityU MENA GIC, we are focusing on Health, Energy, Education, Agriculture, and Transportation (HEEAT) and Fintech. Here are some key statistics and reasons why these are the most demanding industries to tackle for the development of the MENA region:

Health: MENA region countries spend on average only 8% of their budgets on healthcare.
Energy: As technology develops, electrical power demand grows while natural resources are decreasing.
Education: Currently the MENA has almost 22 million children out of school, leaving a big of unequal reach out of quality education.
Agriculture: By 2050 an estimated $35 billion USD will be spent in financial damages due to climate-related disasters.
Transportation: Investing in transportation will facilitate the relocation and import/export businesses, which is key to tackling major issues like poverty.
Fintech: Even though Egypt has the highest population number of MENA (95 million people), only 14% out of 52% of the total number of adults in the country, has a bank account.

Do you have a moonshot idea that tackles one of the areas mentioned above? Can you impact the lives of millions?

The Shortlisting Process

The top 20 shortlisted finalists of this Global Impact Challenge will be invited to attend a bootcamp held in El Gouna, Egypt from July 19-24, 2019, before the final pitch event.

Timeline:

Applications Close: June 7, 2019
Finalists Announced: TBD
Bootcamp: July 19-24, 2019
Live Pitch Event & Winners Announced: July 26, 2019

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the SingularityU MENA Global Impact Challenge 2019

Application Deadline: April 24, 2017

What is your moonshot innovation to a global grand challenge that leverages exponential technology and has a potential to impact a billion people in 10 years?

The purpose of the SingularityU MENA Global Impact Challenge is to foster moonshot innovations and startups that positively impact the lives of people living in the MENA region, with an ability to scale and impact a billion people worldwide in 10 years.

This year, we are ideally looking for applicants who have the skills and passion to develop and launch a startup company around a moonshot idea that addresses climate change, although we will also accept outstanding applicants who have other areas of expertise or choose to innovate in other fields.

SingularityU selected the climate change theme because it has consequences for every industry, geographic region, and way of life. Even if you don’t consider yourself a climate change authority or innovator, your skill set can probably help mitigate the effects of climate change. If you’re already passionate about impact or working in the impact space, you can create a moonshot innovation to address this urgent global problem.

SingularityU will not require participants to innovate in the climate change space, and welcome people from all disciplines to apply, but this theme will inform the program curriculum.

Requirements:

SingularityU are looking for applicants from ANY technology or science discipline because we know a challenge as huge as climate change can only be solved within the convergence of multiple disciplines and exponential technologies.
What moonshot innovation would you develop to solve a global grand challenge (environment, energy, water, food, health, disaster resilience, governance, learning, space, security, prosperity, and shelter) using exponential technology that would impact the lives of a billion people in the next 10 years?

The prize

The winner of this challenge will secure a full sponsorship to attend the transformational Global Solutions Program at Singularity University.
The program runs from June 17 to August 17, 2017, on the SU campus at NASA Research Park.

Dates and timeline

Applications close: April 24, 2017
Finalists announced: April 30, 2017
Winners announced: May 7, 2017

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the SingularityU MENA Global Impact Challenge 2017