This year the award competition received more than 200 entries from 10 different countries, for projects developed by scientists, researchers, university students, and business schools. Nine finalists were chosen to present their ideas to a jury consisting of professionals representing the business world and a variety of social organizations. The jury then selected the three winners based on criteria that included potential for social impact, technical and financial feasibility, and the skills and experience of the teams involved.
The award ceremony was held in Madrid and the winners were from Spain, Brazil and Mexico. These are the winners of the 5th Edition of the Fundación MAPFRE Social Innovation Awards, which is an initiative that has the objective of improving lives by recognizing projects and teams of entrepreneurs with high social value. The academic partner, IE University serves as an additional driving force behind these awards.
KUVU (Spain), a platform for shared housing that encourages cohabitation by young people and adults over 55 years of age; Lysa (Brazil), the first GPS robotic guide dog, designed to enhance independence, safety, and quality of life for persons with visual disabilities; and ANA-Paz Mental (Mexico), an online service that supports caregivers and family members of those suffering from chronic and degenerative diseases.
Each of the winners has received an individual prize of €40,000 to help them further develop their projects, along with free consultation from the EY Foundation as a way to expand their growth potential and increase efficiency. The winners will also become part of Red Innova network, which promotes exchanges of expert knowledge and contributes to the social innovation ecosystem.
Antonio Huertas, the Chairman and CEO of MAPFRE and President of Fundación MAPFRE, said “the road to innovation is always long, uncertain, and difficult, but with sufficient effort and talent, the right approaches, and a little help from institutions such as Fundación MAPFRE, finding success can become a little easier. The kind of innovation we need now more than ever, in the context of a long economic crisis, a global pandemic, and a war, is innovation that puts a focus on the needs of society.” He also congratulated all of the participants in this edition, who he described as “innovators who add social commitment to their work, and who want to make life easier for others”.
Fundación MAPFRE has announced that the next edition will expand the scope of these awards to include the United States as a fourth region, which is one with tremendous potential in terms of social innovation. The call for proposals for the 6th edition will be released in the month of October. The terms and conditions for entry will be made available at www.fundacionmapfre.org.
