R7-million rand prize money. Winners announced in October.
Johannesburg. 20 September 2016. The SAB Foundation has selected the finalists in its annual Social Innovation Awards 2016 competition, and newly launched Disability Empowerment Awards. The winners for both will be announced at an official awards ceremony on Thursday, 27 October 2016. A total of 19 Social Innovations and four Disability Empowerment Awards finalists have been selected. The 19 Social Innovation finalist innovations encompass the Health, Education, Energy, Water and Sanitation and Livelihoods and Sustainable Agriculture sectors, all of which are best suited to helping improve the lives of the SAB Foundation’s primary beneficiaries, women, youth, people living with disabilities and people living in rural areas, all of whom are from low-income backgrounds. In addition to servicing the SAB Foundation’s beneficiaries, innovations need to demonstrate their ability to be commercialisable and scalable. This growth is supported by the SAB Foundation which provides the best innovations with a combination of financial investment and business support and mentorship.
The overall Social Innovation winner receives R1.2-million, while 2nd and 3rd place winners receive R600 000 and R400 000 respectively. Several developmental awards of between R150 000 and R300 000 are presented to deserving innovations. In recognition of the increase in the number of innovations providing solutions for people with disabilities and as a means of recognising the critical work carried out in this under-served sector, the SAB Foundation has established the Disability Empowerment Awards, which carries an additional total prize money of R1.5-million. In judging this award, the innovation’s business potential, innovation, life change potential and scalability was reviewed. “For six years, the SAB Foundation has focused on igniting a culture of social innovation in South Africa.
This focus is underpinned by the belief that innovation is required to shift South Africa’s many social challenges and that only way to scale this innovation is through committed entrepreneurs and viable business models, ” says SAB Foundation Manager, Bridgit Evans. More than 600 entries for the Social Innovation Awards were received this year compared to little over 128 and less received in previous years. This, Evans notes, is an indication that the programme has made a significant contribution to encouraging innovation across South Africa over the past six years. The SAB Foundation has invested a total of R30-million in local social innovations since 2011.
SOCIAL INNOVATION FINALISTS:
KWAZULU NATAL Breast Cancer Therapeutics: next generation therapeutics to treat metastatic breast cancer and works by inhibiting the aromatisation reactions in order to form estrogens that when overexpressed are associated with breast cancer.
FREE STATE DCP Cable Theft Prevention: an overhead and underground system which prevents the digging, cutting and pulling of electricity cables, successfully piloted by the Moqhaka Local Municipality in Kroonstad.
WESTERN CAPE Double Tubed Wheelchair Frame: a departure from conventional mono-tube frames making it stronger and more receptive to application changes. Generic component makes the wheelchair less expensive.
Paper Video: an educational online and offline platform that provides learners with access to experience teachers who offer tutoring on basic concepts, techniques and exam revision.
The Feel Good Project: a self-sustainable social enterprise that provides youth with income generation opportunities and training in retail, garment repair and warehousing, enabled through upcycling discarded product from major fashion retailers and selling it at competitive prices.
GAUTENG
GET-2-WORK: Transport solution for workers with disabilities and those with related impairments to commune to and from their places of work.
Insecticidal/Repellent polyolefin fabrics: a long lasting slow release mosquito repellent or insecticidal fabric for use in mitigating insect borne diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, Chikungunya virus and Zika virus.
LCERT (Low Cost Educational Robotics Toys): a low cost educational robotics toy kit designed and developed to provide learners and educators with affordable access to educational resources in in their STEM (Science, Technology, Education and Mathematics) classrooms.
Lower limb prosthetic device: high quality locally made cost-effective prosthetic socket and blade for lower limb amputees. It also creates job opportunities in the manufacturing process.
MediCube - Smart lockers for chronic medication: collection of chronic medication from a pick up point or local health facility in a quick, secure and convenient manner while helping the healthcare facility monitor medication collections, manage inventory and reduce costs.
mHealth for access primary healthcare: a digital medical device for Community Health workers equipped with a glucometer, NIBP machine, electronic scale, thermometer, pulse oximeter and spyrometer. Collects patient clinical data for medical doctors to access and provide advice.
Mobile Water sterilisation for communities: the combined steriliser and filter unit helps to destroy bacteria, viruses and hydro toxins without the use of chemicals.
Point-of-care TB diagnostic: a portable hand-held diagnostic device equipped with disposable cartridges for use in rural areas for the diagnosis of TB.
The Low Flush/Pour Flush Toilet: full flush toilets combined with the logistical advantage of on-site pit toilets which do not need sewers or copious amounts of water for operation.
The StarLab: cost effect compact self-contained school mobile science laboratory suitable for rural and township under-resourced primary and secondary schools.
LIMPOPO
NH1-MSsp Water Security System: a water security system that pumps water to rural and farming communities using alternative energy sources.
Omniharvester: a fruit picking device that allows users to pick, prune and place fruit from tall trees all in one go.
EASTERN CAPE Qbell: an in-hospital call-button designed for patients with reduced motor function.
Tuse: video and voice calls in areas with little to no signal made possible using wireless mesh networking technology.
DISABILITY EMPOWERMENT AWARDS FINALISTS:
Positioner for people with disabilities: manages a physically disabled person’s sitting, standing and lying posture throughout the 24 hour period. This helps them maintain a the range of motion of the joints, encouraging normal healthy positions and patterns of movement, interfering with tone, ensuring comfort, prevention of pressure sores and other secondary complications. The lying positioner is a positioning device for both children and adults living with physical disabilities.
CookABLE: multi-functional, modular product design which allows users with disabilities, particularly those with use of only one hand, to be able to effectively prepare food. It consists of a main base-unit which uses suctions pads to adhere to a flat surface.
I love coffee: an entirely Deaf-run coffee shop where baristas are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. The shop is therefore designed to make communications as easy as possible through bilingual menus, including South African Sign Language and writing surfaces for counters. Staff are able to teach customers how to order in Sign Language should they wish to.
Oasis Association Recycling Project: recycles and process waste saving landfill and reducing carbon footprint, employing the youth and adults with disabilities.
