Now in its 22nd year, the MIT Priscilla King Gray (PKG) Center for Public Service’s IDEAS Social Innovation Challenge has prepared more than 200 student-led teams to leverage innovation for social good. In addition to providing more than $1.1 million in funding, the PKG Center has engaged a diverse range of partners to guide teams in honing and implementing ideas. More than half of his past IDEAS teams are still active today, and many alumni continue to contribute to the program as judges, mentors, and judges. This continued engagement demonstrates IDEAS’ success in fostering a strong community of mission-driven innovators over the past two decades.
To celebrate this spirit of social innovation at MIT, IDEAS held a virtual awards ceremony on April 23. The awards ceremony brought together this year’s 18 finalist teams and the many community members who make his IDEAS possible.
Keynote speaker Kevin Kung SM ’13, PhD ’17 highlighted how IDEAS empowers students to create positive change in a sustainable way. Mr. Kuhn received his PhD at MIT in 2017, focusing on biofuels and energy. Kun’s company, Takachar, converts waste biomass into globally marketable products. Takachar got his start at MIT in 2012 through his PKG Fellowship funding and his $5,000 grant from the IDEAS Social Innovation Challenge. In 2021, the Royal Foundation awarded Takachar its prestigious Earthshot Award, recognizing its continued commitment to reducing smoke emissions and improving life expectancy. India.
In his talk, Kun shared his experience honing multiple initiatives to reduce smoke emissions, including developing prototypes and working closely with local Kenyan farmers to make a difference. He urged finalists to “become one with the communities they serve” while also being mindful of the right time to “relinquish control of the project’s narrative so it can blossom beyond imagination.” did.
Attendees also had the opportunity to hear from Birth by Us, a 2022 IDEAS grantee. Birth by Us is a mobile application designed to partner with health care providers and Black communities to reduce persistent maternal mortality rates for Black women in the United States. Last year, Birth by Us received her $15,000 grant from IDEAS to advance her work supporting pregnant women who face systemic oppression in healthcare. Marcy Olidapo, an MIT senior and co-founder of Birth by Us, said Birth by Us has grown its waiting list to more than 150 parents since receiving support from his IDEAS and partnered with nonprofits to pilot He said he was able to expand his team and gather feedback. From mothers, doulas, and other maternal health experts. “Support from the PKG Center and his other MIT institutions has been invaluable to this success,” Olidapo said.
For the past five years, the PKG Center has worked to put community partnerships for social change at the forefront of IDEAS. As Lauren Tiger, PKG Center Associate Dean for Social Innovation, emphasized in her opening remarks, IDEAS has moved from a business competition to a powerful experiential learning program that approaches innovation through a social impact and community-based lens. did. A collaborative, community-centered challenge, IDEAS aligns with the PKG Center’s mission to provide academically aligned programs focused on technology for social good and students to solve the world’s greatest challenges. Both align with MIT’s mission to train students.
The 2023 IDEAS Challenge grantees were announced at the end of the ceremony. Five teams received vetted grants to implement their projects. These teams were selected by a diverse group of industry experts who volunteered as judges for IDEAS. The winning team includes:
- $20,000 Grant: LifeSaveHer is an anatomical attachment for existing CPR manikins to reduce demographic disparities in cardiopulmonary resuscitation outcomes for people with breasts. People with breasts are 27% less likely to receive CPR by bystanders if they go into cardiac arrest in public. In addition to increasing the participation of people with breasts in CPR training, the team also found that learning CPR using the LifeSaveHer attachment impacted paramedics’ comfort in performing CPR on people with breasts. We also aim to develop tools to measure whether this can help improve outcomes and ultimately save more lives.
- $15,000 grant: Medikana is a platform that automates and simplifies the commercialization of medical devices to improve public health in Latin America. Extensive barriers to entry for medical manufacturers in Latin America prevent millions of patients from accessing the medical devices they need to survive. The project will provide rural patients with access to life-saving medical technologies related to neonatal preterm birth, tuberculosis and diabetes, while also helping to strengthen the local economy.
- $10,000 grant: SOS (Sustainable Ocean Solutions) is a device for harvesting Sargassum seaweed, an invasive seaweed that washes up on Caribbean beaches and creates dead zones in local ecosystems and communities. The research team aims to use the harvested Sargassum seaweed as a biostimulant to improve the production and quality of plant products. In doing so, SOS also promotes the health and social and economic development of local communities in the Caribbean.
- $7,500 Grant: Ishara is an app for managing plastic waste and recycling in Ghana by connecting all stakeholders in the value chain to a low-touch and transparent collection system. By reducing plastic pollution, Ishara hopes to improve access to safe food and water in Ghana, where waste pollution is high.
- $5,000 Grant: The New Majority Capital Foundation improves economic outcomes for Black, Indigenous, and people of color who identify as women by helping them acquire the skills they need to succeed as small business owners. We are committed to creating the future.
Now in its fourth year, IDEAS has partnered with MIT Solve to award Crowd Favorite Awards to three more teams. These teams each received $2,500 in funding after he collected over 2,500 votes at the 2023 IDEAS Virtual Showcase.
- La Firme makes architectural and engineering services available to low-income families in Latin America, who often build homes without technical assistance or professional guidance. La Firme’s goal is to make homes safer and reduce construction overspending in the region by expediting the design process and connecting families and experts.
- Tanki is a digital solution that provides safe access to affordable and hygienic sanitation for marginalized groups in India. Tanki aims to use data for advocacy, including by monitoring India’s sanitation situation and updating existing services.
- Nurtur is an AI-powered postpartum depression prediction tool that uses telemedicine to support parents through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Nurtur wants to help new mothers stay connected to a supportive community during pregnancy and postpartum, a time she says 10-20% of mothers struggle with depression.
In line with IDEAS’ commitment to fostering an educational and collaborative environment, each of the 18 finalist teams received $1,000 in seed grants through their participation in the program and received extensive feedback on their proposals. Learn more about our amazing finalists here.
The group of IDEAS finalists also participated in an eight-week seminar series aimed at engaging teams in a rigorous social innovation framework rooted in ethics. Many of the IDEAS programs were held at iHQ, MIT’s hub for innovators and entrepreneurs. iHQ is the ideal place to bring together interdisciplinary innovators, alumni, faculty, and guest speakers around the common goal of improving social well-being.
According to participants, the educational foundation will allow IDEAS to fill a gap in MIT’s extraordinary innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. Abigail Schipper, team leader at LifeSaveHer, said, “This series of seminars helps us conceptualize how our projects impact the different people who can directly or indirectly interact with our products. It was an invaluable resource for us.” Medicana team leader Corina Negron commented that “all teams benefited” from the educational program built into the challenge. SOS team leader Andres Bisono Leon said IDEAS is “complementary” to other innovation-focused programs on campus because of its focus on social impact.
IDEAS also intentionally fosters communities of learning and practice. Akolfa Dagadu, team leader at Ishara, said the challenge was a challenge because participants were “surrounded by like-minded people and a community that understands how tough it is to navigate the field of social impact.” He emphasized that it is a “great place for emerging social entrepreneurs.” I can do it. Schipper also believes that by building a community with IDEAS alumni and current team members, “I am inspired to think deeply about solving problems and have the courage to sacrifice myself for the good of society while at MIT.” I feel lucky to be surrounded by people who have.” Try implementing their ideas. ”
Throughout the 16-month implementation period, the PKG Center will continue to foster this sense of community so that all grantees receive personalized support from industry experts. As PKG Center Associate Dean and Director Jill Bassett said at the ceremony, the PKG Center looks forward to 22 more years of developing student social innovators and entrepreneurs through IDEAS.