NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

The “empowering people. Award” was launched at an event in Munich with the online participation of a large international community. Inventors and developer teams are called on here to submit their low-tech innovations in one of eight categories that cover the main areas of basic supply in impoverished regions. The potential to be embedded in entrepreneurial models providing sustainable help to individuals and communities in developing regions is one of the pivotal criteria.

Effective, simple and innovative

The Award is on the lookout for solutions in the categories of Water & Waste Water, Energy, Food & Agriculture, Waste Management, Healthcare, Sheltering, Education and Information & Communication. According to Rolf Huber, Managing Director, Siemens Stiftung:

The goal of the contest is ultimately to empower people in developing regions to have access to basic services for their daily needs. We want to locate creative solutions and we are eager to work with innovative teams to bring their solutions to the lives of those who need them most. Since our first Award in 2012, we were able to support dozens of initiatives. In addition, our network partners of engineers from various fields and social business experts around the world help them maximize their impact.