Creative Strategies In The Age of Coronavirus
An initiative seeking to find and develop creative solutions to the many collateral issues and impact around COVID-19, has been launched.
Taking the form of an open call for the global academic community, Dubai-based Global Grad Show is seeking proposals that can help mitigate the impact of the pandemic.
The Global Grad Show, a year-round social impact innovation programme for graduates during Dubai Design Week, usually seeks applications for projects providing a variety of solutions for world problems, from climate change, to social inclusion, health, emergency relief, smart-cities and others.
This year it will focus its efforts solely on the pandemic. The general programme, including the exhibition and the conference, will cover the usual pillars.
A representative said: "We are now hoping to channel the creative powers of the world’s universities to tackle issues that fall beyond the medical implications of the virus and are inviting our network to engage and submit proposals."
"We traditionally feature works from students in the fields of design, technology and science - projects in the healthcare segment, medical science and wellbeing have been at the core of the exhibition - but we intend to mobilize academics from all disciplines to the open call."
Participants can propose solutions to any of the issues surrounding COVID-19 beyond the medical aspect. Solutions could look to:
- Enhance the efficiency of home-quarantine / working from home
- Keep families and communities connected and informed
- Provides emotional support to nurses
- Mitigate contagious behaviors at personal and public level
- Enhance the efficiency of home-quarantine
- Enable collaborative disease data collection and processing
- Look after children’s emotional health and safety
If a submission is selected, its creator will be awarded the equivalent of a year’s university tuition fees along with the opportunity to build, test and pilot the proposal, with the support of some of the region’s leading startup development experts. Global Grad Show will work with a panel of innovation, technology and health experts to assess submissions and award proposals.
The initiative is open to all undergraduates, graduates and professors from all disciplines, academic institutions and countries and the applications are open until April 2nd 2020. Any selected project will be announced by 16th April.
“COVID-19 is entangling the world in a healthcare challenge and creating a tailspin of circumstances that needs to be addressed to safeguard our communities, the global economy, and the way we live and interact with each other overall. With the full support of ICD and a consortium of institutions, the Global Grad Show will help enable its creative community to challenge the global threats the world faces today,” commented ICD Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, His Excellency Mohammed I. Al Shaibani.
The Global Grad Show, now in its sixth year, brings together a community of students and professors in over 200 universities across six continents. Last year it received 1,500 applications.
