Global Grad Show, held during Dubai Design Week in partnership with Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD), and supported by A.R.M. Holding and Dubai Culture, is extending its efforts beyond its yearly programme to announce an open call to its global academic network looking for solutions to Covid-19 collateral issues.

As a social impact innovation platform for graduate students across the world, the event is encouraging graduates, undergraduates and professors of all academic backgrounds and universities to submit their proposals by 2nd April 2020, with selected projects to 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,” says ICD Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, His Excellency Mohammed I. Al Shaibani. “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.”

Proposals must address collateral issues related to Covid-19, such as improving the efficiency of self-quarantine, increasing treatment capacity and screening methods, mitigating contagious behaviours individually and within groups, and enabling collaborative efforts amongst private and public sectors.

A team of health professionals and innovation specialists will then support the selection and development of chosen projects. Any selected proposal will be funded through prototyping and testing, with creators also awarded the tuition fee of their current studies, or equivalent scholarship for the department of selected professor(s).

Brendan McGetrick, Global Grad Show’s Head of Curation and Creative Director of The Museum of the Future, adds: “The challenges we face in the 21st century are inherently global. Like climate change, pandemics such as Covid-19 know no borders and threaten us all. In announcing this initiative, we hope to channel the immense creativity of the world’s universities toward the challenge of Covid-19 and its various medical, economic and social dimensions. In doing so, we hope to show the world that even our gravest threats present opportunities for innovation and community.”