Videos pre-finalist 2023
The pre-finalists for the Innovation Award, the Amsterdam competition for innovative ideas that contribute to a better world.
Visit the showcase pages to see each pre-finalists showcase their idea through a personal video.
Ana Cassanti (VU): VU-UTtual Reality
Ana Cassanti (VU): VU-UTtual Reality for Responsible and Smart Education: the use of Virtual Reality to democratise environmental sciences teaching The VU-Utual Reality for Responsible and Smart Education aims to use virtual reality to democratize environmental sciences teaching. By making use of virtual reality games, students will get a better understanding of environmental scenarios and […]
Daphne Gnago and Riccardo Bonazza (HvA): MatSwap
Daphne Gnago and Riccardo Bonazza (HvA): MatSwap – use your mattress to the fullest Many students might experience sleeping difficulties as they don’t have the means to afford quality bedding. In the meanwhile, mattress waste is creating consequent environmental issues as most mattresses are disposed of or incinerated before reaching their intended lifespan. MatSwap is […]
Ewelina Weglarz-Tomczak (UvA): Lysosomal protease inhibitors for Alzheimer’s
Ewelina Weglarz-Tomczak (UvA): Novel lysosomal protease inhibitors for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease Highly specified proteases are the key regulators in the molecular mechanism of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease. AI-powered technology developed by NatInLab has led to the discovery of how those proteases are controlled in the human organism. Based on this knowledge, developing novel, […]
Georges Janssens (Amsterdam UMC): My Health Buddy
Georges Janssens (Amsterdam UMC): MyHeBu (My Health Buddy), a wearable device-based and AI-powered digital twin to track your health and aging. Many people are tracking all of their health data using wearable devices, but it’s not really giving them answers to simple questions like: ‘How often should I exercise?’, or ‘Is my high protein diet […]
Imran Avci (VU): COMB-O
Imran Avci (VU): Disposable, ultra-sensitive optical biosensors for early cancer diagnosis (COMB-O) In the last decade, cancer has become a silent pandemic as it is the second leading cause of death globally. Early diagnosis is critical for successful treatment, and therefore we urgently need sensitive, specific and affordable solutions. The development of optical biosensors that […]
Job Calis (Amsterdam UMC) and Mark Hoogendoorn (VU): IMPALA
Job Calis (Amsterdam UMC) and Mark Hoogendoorn (VU): IMPALA: Innovative Monitoring system for PAediatrics in Low-resource settings: an Aid to save lives. Each year, more than 3 million children die in poor countries. At least half of these deaths can be prevented by early recognition, before patients deteriorate. In Europe, patient monitors are used to […]
John van der Kamp and Boris Lancelot (VU): Lentala
John van der Kamp and Boris Lancelot (VU): Rom & Lupa designed by Lentala: school furniture for active sitting Today, children move too little and sit too much, especially a school classrooms. Prolonged passive sitting is a risk factor for poor physical health and low mental well-being. The human body has evolved to move and […]
Jonathan de Long (UvA): Mitigating drought effects on grassland productivity
Jonathan de Long (UvA): Mitigating drought effects on grassland productivity by understanding grass-fungi-drought soil legacy interactions Drought events are becoming more frequent and more intense. This results in decreases in grassland productivity and financial losses for farmers. Upon rewetting after drought, so-called drought soil legacy effects can lead to carbon and nitrogen losses from the soil. […]
Juan Cruz Tubio (VU): MycoFarming
Juan Cruz Tubio (VU): MycoFarming, domesticating fungi At the root of the Dutch farmer’s crisis, lie far too high emissions of nitrogen in the soil. Nitrogen is a critical element for a plant to grow, but in excess, it’s damaging to the underground and leads to biodiversity losses. By way of developing nitrogen sensors and […]
Katinka Quintelier (VU): CALS-app
Katinka Quintelier (VU): CALS app: an app to Create, Act, Learn & Scale for sustainability The CALS-app, turns individual actions for sustainability into collective actions that have real impact. By using the power of social media, individuals, but also governments and businesses can be motivated to collaborate all on an equal level. An example is […]