Innova Challenge: students create product for smart cities

Marinos Papageorgiou’s November 16th article “Environmental education: A necessary tool” is spot-on. If we do not engage and educate the next generation about environmental challenges and give them tools for addressing them, how can we expect them to solve the climate and environmental challenges they will face?

Here at the Research and Innovation Foundation (Idek) we are about to formally announce the call for this year’s Innova Challenge, which does that. The year’s challenge is focused creating an innovation product or service for climate-neutral, smart cities.

The Innova Challenge is a game in which teams of gymnasium, lyceum, or technical education students compete to create an innovation product or service. This year that innovation should do one of the following: reduce CO2 emissions through more widespread use of green energy; expand use or increase options for smart, clean transportation systems; improve recycling and reduce waste; or bring better waste management into an industrial process.

Students will receive training and support on how to come up with innovative ideas and to assess their utility. They will receive training and support for their new product development. They also receive training and support on how to pitch their innovations to the competition’s judges, which is the last step in the game.

All teams making it to the Pitch Competition Step will receive a prize of €400 and go on to compete for the grand prize in the gymnasium or lyceum categories.

The grand prize winners for each category will receive a technology voucher worth €200 per member for all members of their team.

For more information or to sign up, please go to INNOVA CHALLENGE – RIF Competition (research.org.cy) for the announcement that this year’s Challenge is open for entries.