Researchers, entrepreneurs, scientists and students from Latin America and Europe sent in proposals to improve the world in which we live
A total of 233 social innovation projects were submitted to the second edition of the Fundación MAPFRE Social Innovation Awards by researchers, entrepreneurs, scientists and students from universities and business schools in 26 countries. These innovative solutions, with huge potential to transform society and the world, have a common goal: to improve people’s lives.
Candidates from 13 European and 12 Latin American countries entered proposals to improve health, insurance, and sustainable mobility and road safety, three areas essential to social progress.
This initiative, carried out by Fundación MAPFRE in collaboration with IE University, seeks to promote creativity, entrepreneurship and leadership as tools to create a fairer world, and also encourages values such as sustainability and integration.
27 Semi-Finalists
The competition was launched in three major regions: Brazil, the rest of Latin America and Europe. From those areas, 27 semi-finalists will soon be chosen (three applicants from each of the three categories per region).
The panel will then choose the projects with the greatest potential for social impact and that are the most viable in terms of technical, economic and organizational factors. The panel will also assess the ability and experience of the applicants when developing the idea and when demonstrating—through pilot tests or prototypes—that the project can become a reality.
The semi-finals will be held on June 6 and 13 in Mexico and Brazil respectively, and on July 4 in Spain. Nine finalists (one candidate per category and region) will then go through to the Grand Final due to be held on October 10 in Madrid.
The semi-finalists will receive support, guidance and assistance on communicating and developing their proposals in the most effective way. They will also have the opportunity to take part in a public relations plan and will be highly visible to potential investors. The three winners will each receive 30,000 euros and will be invited to join the Innova Network, a private community of social innovators that was founded following the first edition.
FIRST EDITION
The three winners of the first edition included two Spanish projects: MJN-SERAS, the first medical device able to predict an epileptic seizure, and Scoobic, the sustainable last mile delivery vehicle that decontaminates the air and helps save lives. The third winner was Mexican platform Comunidad 4UNO, which is designed to improve the quality of life of domestic workers through financial inclusion.