The UNLEASH Global Innovation Lab brings together youth to create disruptive solutions that fast-track SDG progress By CIOTechOutlook Team

The UNLEASH Global Innovation Lab brings together youth to create disruptive solutions that fast-track SDG progress

CIOTechOutlook Team | Friday, 02 December 2022, 12:37 IST

The UNLEASH Global Innovation Lab, which will be hosted at Infosys, Mysuru, will bring together over 1,000 young people from around the world to create disruptive solutions that will help achieve the SDGs. The eight-day event will give participants the opportunity to immerse themselves in design thinking to identify pressing issues affecting vulnerable communities, frame problem statements and prototype solutions.

Flemming Besenbacher, Chairperson of UNLEASH, said “Three years has passed since our last physical Global Innovation Lab back in 2019, in Shenzhen (China). Therefore I am extremely thrilled to launch the 4th UNLEASH Lab in Mysore to generate innovative solutions to move the needle on the SDGs. We are grateful to our outstanding creative talents and all our partners who have come together with a shared vision to co-create a more sustainable future”.

Solutions derived at previous editions of the UNLEASH Labs have gone on to positively impact millions of lives, including creative workshops that boosted the confidence of 4 million Indian children and more than 100,000 rural Ugandans receiving access to quality primary healthcare.

Additionally, the Innovation Lab will include the final phase of the UNLEASH Plus program, a 6 month incubator co-hosted by Chemonics International that supports early stage, social impact ventures. The top 25 teams in the program will participate in an intensive bootcamp at the Lab, and compete for awards and funding from key partners. “We know how powerful

and widespread change can be when local innovators are empowered to design and scale their own solutions to community-level problems,” said Chemonics President and CEO Jamey Butcher. “I believe that with the right resources we can enable eager and creative young minds to change the world and secure the sustainable future we all want. As the Lead Scale Partner for UNLEASH, our goal is to help their ideas thrive and ultimately tackle the most pressing challenges of our time.”

The event will see celebrities and dignitaries such as Honorable Chief Minister of Karnataka, Shri Basvaraj S. Bommai; Honorable Minister for Electronics, IT & Bt, Science and Technology, Higher Education, Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood, Dr. Ashwath Narayan C.N.; CEO of NITI Aayog, Mr. Parameswaran Iyer; Nobel Laureate, Mr. Kailash Satyarthi; Chairman of Infosys, Nandan Nilekani.

Roshni Nadar Malhotra, Chairperson at HCLTech said, “Terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems are deteriorating at an alarming rate and at HCL we want to ensure that we do our bit to conserve them. Recognizing this, HCL Group with its large presence in business and social development organizations has been tackling real on-ground issues related to the SDGs. Our partnership with UNLEASH was a natural extension of HCL’s core values which centre around youth-led innovation and entrepreneurship.”

The innovation Lab will take place at Infosys, Mysuru, one of the world’s largest corporate universities, and a true melting pot of innovation and creativity. “Infosys, since inception, has been steered by its purpose to amplify human potential and create opportunities for people, business, and communities. We are delighted to collaborate with UNLEASH and host the Global Innovation Lab 2022, a platform that mobilizes youth to co-create a sustainable future. Together, Infosys and UNLEASH will facilitate the exploration of digital solutions to address UN’s SDGs and create digital solutions to improve education reforms globally,” said, Nandan Nilekani, Chairman, Infosys.

The UNLEASH Global Innovation Lab is possible thanks to the support of our partners, including Chemonics International, the Government of Karnataka, HCL, Infosys, Good Energies, Hempel Foundation, Implement, Lundbeck Foundation, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Novo Nordisk in India, Porticus, Rambøll, Tuborg Foundation and World Diabetes Foundation.