The Fundación Mapfre Awards for Social Innovation assessment committee has chosen the 27 most innovative projects from among the more than 200 projects submitted. These projects demonstrate the greatest capacity for social transformation and global impact, and share a common goal: improving health, insurance and sustainable mobility, three essential aspects for social progress.
The qualifying projects, which come from 11 countries, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Spain, Guatemala, Luxembourg, Mexico, Peru, Portugal and the United Kingdom, will soon be competing in three semi-finals which will be held in Mexico City and Sao Paulo in June, and in July in Madrid. The grand final will be held on October 10 in Madrid.
The committee has chosen the projects which offer the greatest potential for social impact and which are the most workable from a technical, economic and organisational perspective.
They also assessed the ability and experience of the teams in developing the idea and demonstrating with pilot tests or prototypes how their projects could become a reality.
The goal of these awards, which offer a cash prize of €30,000 for the winner in each category, is to also promote creativity, entrepreneurship and leadership as the tools for bringing about a fairer world, as well as promoting values such as sustainability, equality and inclusion.
There are a number of interesting projects to choose from. Some of the projects in the e-health category include a wristband to monitor and detect heart arrhythmia and to help prevent strokes, a portable device which is attached to a person with a neurodegenerative disease’s shoes in order to provide them with visual cues and a glove which enables a medical professional to rapidly assess the state of a person’s heart in a critical condition and significantly reduces their response time. Another project includes a keyboard which helps people with limited movement or impaired fine motor skills to use computers or mobile devices. One project helps blood banks and hospitals find blood donors for in demand blood types automatically.
In the category for sustainable mobility and road safety, some of the projects that have qualified include a system which enables people with visual impairments to orient themselves in any location by means of signal with the help of their cell phone and a device which is installed on the roads that is able to automatically reduce a vehicle’s speed. One project, is a mobile app that can detect speeds of over 20km/h in order to block telephone and prevent distractions while driving. Another platform informs users if a public bus is full and which offers online ticket payment.
In the insurtech category, a number of interesting projects were submitted. One project involves constant monitoring service for elderly people which activates an assistant in the event that they have an accident or fall ill. Another project involves an app which enables drivers to take out automobile insurance based on their vehicle’s use, while another seeks to improve the quality of life and well-being of low-income families through access to savings and insurance. One submission involves a project which offers the possibility of having consultations with a psychologist by videoconference, wherever you are in the world.
The 27 semi-finalists will enjoy various promotional channels for their projects, which will help them to publicise their work. They will receive support, guidance and assistance in effectively communicating and developing their proposals with the help of online mentoring for semi-finalists and coaching for finalists.