• UNLEASH – 22 Global Innovation Lab concludes
• Human race belongs to nature and not the other way around, says Chief Minister

Mysore/Mysuru: The week-long innovation lab UNLEASH – 22 that began on Dec. 3 on the premises of Infosys at Hebbal concluded last evening.

The event brought together over 1,000 young innovators from around the world who showcased solutions to the most pressing issues aligned with UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

 The teams derived their solutions through a design thinking process and presented them before a jury after an intensive, mentor-led series of deliberations. HCL Group partnered with UNLEASH to support talent and innovation.

 The participants who took part in this edition of the global innovation lab designed solutions along 7 key SDGs — non-communicable diseases, mental health, education and information and communications technology, clean water and sanitation, clean and affordable energy for poverty alleviation, climate action, aquatic ecosystem conservation from source (mountains) to sink (oceans).

CM’s word of caution

Participating in the closing ceremony, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai called upon young innovators gathered to protect ecology from degradation that is rampant in the world now. “Our creativity, knowledge, science and technology will not be able to help us if we do not make our world a better place to live in. Sadly, the rate of ecological degradation is so high that what happened in the last 2,000 years is now happening in 20 years,” he said.

“We have inherited this world from our elders and we must hand it over in a proper shape to the future generations. We must always remember that the human race belongs to nature and not the other way around,” Bommai said.

In his talk laced with humour, the CM said, “Innovators must be ‘hungry’ to grow and achieve. If your belly of thoughts is full, there are no hopes for growth. Only if you are hungry will you create tomorrow’s world. The day you are satisfied, your identity will stop growing,” he said.

Infosys Chairman Nandan Nilekani and celebrities like actress Kalki Koechlin and paralympic athlete and medallist Deepa Malik were also present at the closing ceremony.

In his address, Nilekani said that all the 1,000 participants are winners. “They came to Infosys’ Mysuru campus with one purpose, to play a part in helping create a sustainable future. At Infosys, we see the planet’s biggest challenges as opportunities to set new, bolder goals, rethink what we can do for  the community, and set the highest standards in compliance and governance by being more transparent and credible,” he said.

Flemming Besenbacher, Chairman of UNLEASH, and Lauren Behr, Senior Advisor for Innovation and Investment at Chemonics International were present.

THE WINNERS

MOST INNOVATIVE SOLUTION: (Infosys) People for Poop Management – Bringing dignity into the poop business – a real problem to solve – a tangible, viable solution – creates a positive impact for the people in the poop business through partnerships and leveraging existing technologies in new ways.

MOST PATHBREAKING SOLUTION: (HCL) Blue Carbon – Seagrass is the hidden carbon catcher – restoring seagrass is a massive contributor to saving our planet – a clever way to harvest seed and plant seagrass – massively influences the planet’s ability in absorbing carbon.