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.

Universities
HvA UvA VU Amsterdam UMC ACTA

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 […]

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 […]

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. […]

Lukas Helmbrecht (AMOLF and UvA): LumetalliX

Lukas Helmbrecht (AMOLF and UvA): LumetalliX – spray and make Lead light up! Lead is a highly toxic substance that causes permanent brain damage, affecting one in three children globally as stated by UNICEF. The toxic lead is all around us. For example in paint, household items and even children’s toys. Unfortunately, detecting lead is […]

Marjon van Rijn (HvA): Journey to the end of life

Marjon van Rijn (HvA): Journey to the end of life Research indicates that healthcare professionals often struggle to initiate conversations about the wishes and preferences for care and treatment at the end of life with older people. A partial solution lies in providing training for these discussions within a safe learning environment by way of […]

Olivier Lugier (UvA): Nano Hybrids

Olivier Lugier (UvA): Green synthesis of hybrid core-shell nanoparticles (Nano Hybrids) Nanomaterials are extremely small materials with unique properties due to their size. They are said to revolutionize many technological fields with high societal impact, like sustainable energy, catalysis and biomedicine. The problem is that their synthesis methods are often complex and polluting, which limits […]

Paul Merkus (Amsterdam UMC): BoneMRI of the head

Paul Merkus (Amsterdam UMC): BoneMRI of the head There are many young patients that face deafness and need surgery to be able to hear. Before the surgery, the ENT-surgeon currently needs two scans: an MRI to visualize the soft tissues like nerves, and a CT scan to show the bony structures. However, the CT scanning […]

Ramon de Iongh and Romaike Slikker (HvA): WasteBase

Ramon de Iongh and Romaike Slikker (HvA): WasteBase – A new purpose for residual streams The production of the products around us generates waste in the form of residual materials. WasteBase aims to increase the findability of these valuable materials. Manufacturers can offer their residual streams on the platform, allowing designers, artists and other creatives to […]