Ready, Set, INNOVATE
Already passionate about global health innovation and social entrepreneurship? Why not become an innovator yourself?
Join us for drop in and community building hours!
When: Every Friday 3:00-5:00pm
Where: Social Science Research Institute; Gross Hall 2nd floor
Have an idea for an innovative approach to address a critical social problem? Want to meet other Duke change-makers with an ambition to make a difference in the world? Need help launching or scaling the impact of your social venture?
Join the Duke I&E staff and other students for free coffee, cookies, and conversation. Bring a friend!
For more information, contact Duke Social I&E Program Coordinator .
Where: Social Science Research Institute; Gross Hall 2nd floor
Have an idea for an innovative approach to address a critical social problem? Want to meet other Duke change-makers with an ambition to make a difference in the world? Need help launching or scaling the impact of your social venture?
Join the Duke I&E staff and other students for free coffee, cookies, and conversation. Bring a friend!
For more information, contact Duke Social I&E Program Coordinator .
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Certificate for Undergraduates
The undergraduate certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship (I&E) is designed to provide students with a pathway to pursue a rigorous cross-disciplinary study of innovation and entrepreneurship that will be complementary to any major and will enable students to be innovative and entrepreneurial in their of pursuit of knowledge in service to society. The certificate requires an in-depth course of study examining the theories of innovation and entrepreneurship, coupled with hands-on practice in both areas. Innovation and entrepreneurship are, by their very nature, areas of cross-disciplinary inquiry, so the certificate will draw on theory, contexts, and methods from across the disciplines.
To earn the certificate, students must successfully complete the following requirements:
Learn more
To earn the certificate, students must successfully complete the following requirements:
- One course in each of these four areas (specific courses eligible for the certificate are outlined in the Courses section):
- Gateway—Innovation, Ideation, and Design
- Keystone—Strategies for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- Elective —Further Exploration in Innovation and/or Entrepreneurship
- Capstone—Ideas into Action
- Two thematically-related experiential learning activities. One of the experiences must exceed 300 hours, with the other exceeding 150 hours
- Creation of a public facing e-portfolio
Learn more
Robert Malkin's Engineering World Healthcare Technology Laboratory at Duke (DHT-Lab)
Robert Malkin's Developing World Healthcare Technology Laboratory (The DHT-Lab) is dedicated to understanding, creating and disseminating healthcare technology to the world's neediest. They have classes, trips, design challenges and many more opportunities for you to make a difference right now!
Interested in the Engineering World Health Summer Institute? The Engineering World Health Summer Institute is the DHT-Lab's most popular program.
Robert Malkin's Developing World Healthcare Technology Laboratory (The DHT-Lab) is dedicated to understanding, creating and disseminating healthcare technology to the world's neediest. They have classes, trips, design challenges and many more opportunities for you to make a difference right now!
Interested in the Engineering World Health Summer Institute? The Engineering World Health Summer Institute is the DHT-Lab's most popular program.
Student Grant Opportunities
"Mobiles for Reading" | All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development (ACR GCD)
The challenge for this category is to develop novel mobile technology-based innovations to enhance reading scores for early grade children in developing countries. Alternatively, proposals may use existing mobile-based technologies to improve early grade reading scores by adapting or applying those technologies in new and innovative ways.
For the scope of this competition, mobiles devices include cell phones, e-readers, tablet computers, audio/visual devices, and any other mobile (i.e. portable) technologies that can educate young readers, rapidly produce materials, log data, and engage marginalized students to learn to read.
All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development (ACR GCD) has launched its second round of competition to unearth and champion solutions to improve child literacy. Through both a grant competition and a software-themed prize competition, ACR GCD aims to catalyze the creation and expansion of innovations and programs that leverage the transformative power of technology to leapfrog existing challenges and empower children to read. In Round 2, the All Children Reading Partners seek strategies that employ technology in three focus areas: mother tongue instruction and reading materials, family and community engagement, and children with disabilities. Approximately three awards per focus area will be made, with a total of $900,000 available under each focus area, and with the flexibility to make more or less awards.
Along with the grant competition, ACR GCD is hosting Enabling Writers, a $100,000 prize competition aimed at finding technological solutions to improve reading skills for children in developing countries. Enabling Writers seeks to spur the development of software that easily allows authors to write and publish materials to help primary school children in developing countries learn to read in mother tongue languages. In the first round of the prize, three finalists will be awarded $12,000 each and offered feedback to improve their submissions for field testing. The technological solution that best enables local writers to quickly and easily create appropriate and interesting texts that follow tested reading instruction methodologies, and provide the optimum reading and learning experience for early primary school children, will win the $100,000 grand prize.
To learn more about the Challenge and to apply, visit Big Ideas@Berkeley or AllChildrenReading.org or follow them at @ReadingGCD on Twitter.
Deadline: Thursday, November 13, 2014, 12:00 noon (PST)
For the scope of this competition, mobiles devices include cell phones, e-readers, tablet computers, audio/visual devices, and any other mobile (i.e. portable) technologies that can educate young readers, rapidly produce materials, log data, and engage marginalized students to learn to read.
All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development (ACR GCD) has launched its second round of competition to unearth and champion solutions to improve child literacy. Through both a grant competition and a software-themed prize competition, ACR GCD aims to catalyze the creation and expansion of innovations and programs that leverage the transformative power of technology to leapfrog existing challenges and empower children to read. In Round 2, the All Children Reading Partners seek strategies that employ technology in three focus areas: mother tongue instruction and reading materials, family and community engagement, and children with disabilities. Approximately three awards per focus area will be made, with a total of $900,000 available under each focus area, and with the flexibility to make more or less awards.
Along with the grant competition, ACR GCD is hosting Enabling Writers, a $100,000 prize competition aimed at finding technological solutions to improve reading skills for children in developing countries. Enabling Writers seeks to spur the development of software that easily allows authors to write and publish materials to help primary school children in developing countries learn to read in mother tongue languages. In the first round of the prize, three finalists will be awarded $12,000 each and offered feedback to improve their submissions for field testing. The technological solution that best enables local writers to quickly and easily create appropriate and interesting texts that follow tested reading instruction methodologies, and provide the optimum reading and learning experience for early primary school children, will win the $100,000 grand prize.
To learn more about the Challenge and to apply, visit Big Ideas@Berkeley or AllChildrenReading.org or follow them at @ReadingGCD on Twitter.
Deadline: Thursday, November 13, 2014, 12:00 noon (PST)
Student Media Grants Program - Conflict and Development at Texas A&M (open to all students)
The Student Media Grants Program is an annual photojournalism grant awarded to students interested in using innovative methods to research and chronicle issues facing fragile and conflict-affected nations. Interested students should submit a proposal by May 14, 2014, that outlines their intended use of grant funds, with details about locations to be visited, issues to be studied, how the funds will be used and any special needs. They should choose an international development area that reflects issues of food insecurity, health, education, land tenure, poverty, and other issues faced by people in fragile and conflict-affected nations. Students can earn up to $5000.
During their experience, students will be required to accomplish the following:
- Show three-month engagement (minimum) with international development issues through Extension activities, internships, student research, etc.
- Write a series of blog postings for the ConDev Blog during their experience, and document their chosen subjects through photo and/or video journalism that draws attention to conflict and development issues.
- Publish or exhibit the results of their work in a form of refereed media with the possibility of publishing with Texas A&M University Press.
To learn more and apply, visit: http://condevcenter.org/
Deadline: Information to come
During their experience, students will be required to accomplish the following:
- Show three-month engagement (minimum) with international development issues through Extension activities, internships, student research, etc.
- Write a series of blog postings for the ConDev Blog during their experience, and document their chosen subjects through photo and/or video journalism that draws attention to conflict and development issues.
- Publish or exhibit the results of their work in a form of refereed media with the possibility of publishing with Texas A&M University Press.
To learn more and apply, visit: http://condevcenter.org/
Deadline: Information to come
Innovation in the Global Food System - Global Center for Food Systems Innovation (GCFSI) at Michigan State University (open to all students)
Michigan State University's Global Center for Food Systems Innovation intends to issue a Request for Application (RFA) in January 2015. The goal of this RFA will be to create innovation in the global food system by finding, incubating and evaluating new and potentially disruptive knowledge and technology based solutions to development challenges, with an emphasis on problems deriving from population growth, climate change and urbanization. GCFSI will provide funding of up to $2,050,000 through three levels of grants in one RFA.
To learn more, visit:http://www.crdfglobal.org/grants-and-grantees/current-funding-opportunities/2014/03/06/advance-notice-for-rfa--msu-gcfsi-food-systems-innovation-grants
Deadline: March 2015
To learn more, visit:http://www.crdfglobal.org/grants-and-grantees/current-funding-opportunities/2014/03/06/advance-notice-for-rfa--msu-gcfsi-food-systems-innovation-grants
Deadline: March 2015
The Desal Prize- Securing Water for Food Grand Challenge for Development
What technological innovations are required to make brackish water desalination more efficient and less expensive in rural and remote settings? What are the key barriers to small-scale innovation in this space? How do you ensure innovations meet the needs of smallholder farmers? We’re challenging private industry, entrepreneurs, academics, other donors, NGOs, and you to weigh in and improve the design for the next call for the Securing Water for Food Grand Challenge for Development: The Desal Prize.
The Desal Prize, the second "call" under the Securing Water for Food, aims to develop cost-effective, energy efficient, and environmentally sustainable small-scale desalination technology that provides potable water for humans, as well as water appropriate for livestock and crops in developing countries. Up to $500,000 in prize money and $75,000 in seed money will be awarded to individuals or organizations through the Desal Prize.
Currently, exciting discussions about the prize criteria regarding the size of the prize purse, the competition design, the technology performance and specifications, and what to do with brine waste discharge are taking place on our website. Join us and your feedback will help us create a prize seeking innovative, accessible desalination technologies in developing and emerging countries.
Application opens later this year. Learn more at www.thedesalprize.org and by following @securingwater on Twitter.
The Desal Prize, the second "call" under the Securing Water for Food, aims to develop cost-effective, energy efficient, and environmentally sustainable small-scale desalination technology that provides potable water for humans, as well as water appropriate for livestock and crops in developing countries. Up to $500,000 in prize money and $75,000 in seed money will be awarded to individuals or organizations through the Desal Prize.
Currently, exciting discussions about the prize criteria regarding the size of the prize purse, the competition design, the technology performance and specifications, and what to do with brine waste discharge are taking place on our website. Join us and your feedback will help us create a prize seeking innovative, accessible desalination technologies in developing and emerging countries.
Application opens later this year. Learn more at www.thedesalprize.org and by following @securingwater on Twitter.
Duke or Duke-sponsored Innovation Competitions
Big Ideas@Berkeley
Do you have an idea for how to have an impact on a critical social or environmental problem?
The “Big Ideas Contest” is a great first step towards moving from idea to action!
The Big Ideas Contest is a multi-campus innovation competition that provides funding, support and inspiration to interdisciplinary teams of undergraduate and graduate students who have creative solutions to address pressing social challenges. Its mission is to support students’ ingenious first attempts at social change and mentor students as their ideas take flight. By seeking out and supporting innovative proposals, Big Ideas has helped contest winners make an impact all over the world. Last year 37 teams won awards averaging between $5,000 - $15,000. This is a low hanging fruit for students interested in a first try at social entrepreneurship as the program provides advice and mentorship to students with creative BIG IDEAS!
Through a collaboration supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), this year student teams from Duke University are eligible to compete in the Big Ideas Contest, managed by the University of California at Berkeley. This year’s contest features three categories that are open to Duke students:
Global Poverty Alleviation: This contest category seeks proposals that describe an action oriented, interdisciplinary, project that would help alleviate poverty.
Promoting Human Rights: This contest category seeks proposals that will combat the causes or consequences of corruption. Alternatively, proposals might focus on the preservation or promotion of individuals’ essential human rights.
Open Data: This category challenges students to develop a plan that leverages publicly available datasets (crowd sourcing, social media innovations, and empowerment websites) to innovate solutions and address important social challenges
PLEASE ACT FAST! Pre-proposal submissions are due by November 13th, 2014. Pre-proposal entrants will be notified the mid-December 2013 if they have been selected as a finalist—see timeline at http://bigideas.berkeley.edu/about .
NEED HELP OR MORE INFO? For further information on category description, rules, eligibility, guidelines, timeline, resources and frequently asked questions, please visit the Big Ideas website: http://bigideas.berkeley.edu . You may also contact Xander Kent at for advising or additional information.
We look forward to hearing your Big Ideas!
Pre-proposal application deadline: November 13, 2014
Do you have an idea for how to have an impact on a critical social or environmental problem?
The “Big Ideas Contest” is a great first step towards moving from idea to action!
The Big Ideas Contest is a multi-campus innovation competition that provides funding, support and inspiration to interdisciplinary teams of undergraduate and graduate students who have creative solutions to address pressing social challenges. Its mission is to support students’ ingenious first attempts at social change and mentor students as their ideas take flight. By seeking out and supporting innovative proposals, Big Ideas has helped contest winners make an impact all over the world. Last year 37 teams won awards averaging between $5,000 - $15,000. This is a low hanging fruit for students interested in a first try at social entrepreneurship as the program provides advice and mentorship to students with creative BIG IDEAS!
Through a collaboration supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), this year student teams from Duke University are eligible to compete in the Big Ideas Contest, managed by the University of California at Berkeley. This year’s contest features three categories that are open to Duke students:
Global Poverty Alleviation: This contest category seeks proposals that describe an action oriented, interdisciplinary, project that would help alleviate poverty.
Promoting Human Rights: This contest category seeks proposals that will combat the causes or consequences of corruption. Alternatively, proposals might focus on the preservation or promotion of individuals’ essential human rights.
Open Data: This category challenges students to develop a plan that leverages publicly available datasets (crowd sourcing, social media innovations, and empowerment websites) to innovate solutions and address important social challenges
PLEASE ACT FAST! Pre-proposal submissions are due by November 13th, 2014. Pre-proposal entrants will be notified the mid-December 2013 if they have been selected as a finalist—see timeline at http://bigideas.berkeley.edu/about .
NEED HELP OR MORE INFO? For further information on category description, rules, eligibility, guidelines, timeline, resources and frequently asked questions, please visit the Big Ideas website: http://bigideas.berkeley.edu . You may also contact Xander Kent at for advising or additional information.
We look forward to hearing your Big Ideas!
Pre-proposal application deadline: November 13, 2014
SEAD - Sponsored Global Health Prize for Duke Start-Up Challenge
The Duke Start-Up Challenge is designed to help Duke's entrepreneurship community flourish, with a year-long entrepreneurship competition followed by an accelerator program.
SEAD will be sponsoring a Global Health Prize in this year’s Start-Up Challenge!
Entry eligibility: Open to all Duke Students (graduate, undergraduate, professional students and postdocs and medical residents) as well as alumni, faculty, and staff
For more information visit: http://www.dukestartupchallenge.org/
Final deadline: October 30, 2014
The Duke Start-Up Challenge is designed to help Duke's entrepreneurship community flourish, with a year-long entrepreneurship competition followed by an accelerator program.
SEAD will be sponsoring a Global Health Prize in this year’s Start-Up Challenge!
Entry eligibility: Open to all Duke Students (graduate, undergraduate, professional students and postdocs and medical residents) as well as alumni, faculty, and staff
For more information visit: http://www.dukestartupchallenge.org/
Final deadline: October 30, 2014
SEAD - Sponsored Global Health Prize for Changeworks Competition
ChangeWorks, Duke’s first social innovation competition, is looking for the best undergraduate ideas that address a social issue of any kind. The Duke community selects the winners.SEAD will be sponsoring a Global Health Prize for the 2014 Duke Changeworks Competition. Check out this blog post by Duke Undergrad Craig Moxley to discover more about his work that was funded by SEAD through Changeworks!
Entry eligibility: The individual or team must be composed of all Duke undergraduate level students currently attending the university.
Deadline details: Rolling submission of proposals typically begins in early February and closes mid-March
ChangeWorks, Duke’s first social innovation competition, is looking for the best undergraduate ideas that address a social issue of any kind. The Duke community selects the winners.SEAD will be sponsoring a Global Health Prize for the 2014 Duke Changeworks Competition. Check out this blog post by Duke Undergrad Craig Moxley to discover more about his work that was funded by SEAD through Changeworks!
Entry eligibility: The individual or team must be composed of all Duke undergraduate level students currently attending the university.
Deadline details: Rolling submission of proposals typically begins in early February and closes mid-March
Records for Life Contest- Sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is seeking help to redesign the look and feel of child health records and will offer awards up to $50,000 to the next big idea.
Entry eligibility: Open to anyone
Deadline: The deadline for the competition has passed. Stay tuned for future information.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is seeking help to redesign the look and feel of child health records and will offer awards up to $50,000 to the next big idea.
Entry eligibility: Open to anyone
Deadline: The deadline for the competition has passed. Stay tuned for future information.
Dell Social Innovation Challenge
The Dell Social Innovation Challenge identifies and supports promising young social innovators who dedicate themselves to solving the world's most pressing problems with their transformative ideas.
They provide university students with world-class teaching and training, as well as with start-up capital and access to a network of mentors and advisors.
Entry eligibility: Undergraduate students, graduate students, and Ph.D. students in any field of study are eligible to enter.
Deadline details forthcoming
The Dell Social Innovation Challenge identifies and supports promising young social innovators who dedicate themselves to solving the world's most pressing problems with their transformative ideas.
They provide university students with world-class teaching and training, as well as with start-up capital and access to a network of mentors and advisors.
Entry eligibility: Undergraduate students, graduate students, and Ph.D. students in any field of study are eligible to enter.
Deadline details forthcoming
Global Social Venture Competition (GCVC)
The Global Social Venture Competition (GSVC) provides aspiring entrepreneurs with mentoring, exposure, and $50,000 in prizes to transform their ideas into businesses that will have positive real world impact.
Team eligibility: Team must include a graduate student (current or within two years of graduation as of December 31, 2012) from any masters-level or post-graduate higher education program in any area of study in the world; the student must be actively involved in the venture (i.e., actively participating in development of the business plan or actively working on the business).
Global entry deadline: Friday, December 5, 2014
The Global Social Venture Competition (GSVC) provides aspiring entrepreneurs with mentoring, exposure, and $50,000 in prizes to transform their ideas into businesses that will have positive real world impact.
Team eligibility: Team must include a graduate student (current or within two years of graduation as of December 31, 2012) from any masters-level or post-graduate higher education program in any area of study in the world; the student must be actively involved in the venture (i.e., actively participating in development of the business plan or actively working on the business).
Global entry deadline: Friday, December 5, 2014
National Collegiate Inventor's and Innovator's Alliance
Since 1995, our E-Team grants have been funding collegiate student and student/faculty teams to move ideas out of the lab and classroom and into the marketplace. The program enhances this opportunity by providing expert entrepreneurial and venture coaching, experiential workshops, and a potential investment opportunity to help realize the commercial success of the technology inventions and innovations that come through our organization.
Selected E-Team Program participants may also be invited to exhibit their technologies at Open Minds, the annual showcase of breakthrough technologies from NCIIA's top student teams. The 2014 Open Minds exhibition will be held in San Jose, CA, March 21-22 during NCIIA's annual conference, OPEN.
Team eligibility: There must be at least 2 active students on the team (enrolled in a credit-bearing undergraduate, graduate, and/or post-doc program) for the duration of the proposed grant period. All teams require a faculty adviser (or center or administrative director) to act as Principal Investigator.
E-Team Stage One deadline: February 6, 2015
Since 1995, our E-Team grants have been funding collegiate student and student/faculty teams to move ideas out of the lab and classroom and into the marketplace. The program enhances this opportunity by providing expert entrepreneurial and venture coaching, experiential workshops, and a potential investment opportunity to help realize the commercial success of the technology inventions and innovations that come through our organization.
Selected E-Team Program participants may also be invited to exhibit their technologies at Open Minds, the annual showcase of breakthrough technologies from NCIIA's top student teams. The 2014 Open Minds exhibition will be held in San Jose, CA, March 21-22 during NCIIA's annual conference, OPEN.
Team eligibility: There must be at least 2 active students on the team (enrolled in a credit-bearing undergraduate, graduate, and/or post-doc program) for the duration of the proposed grant period. All teams require a faculty adviser (or center or administrative director) to act as Principal Investigator.
E-Team Stage One deadline: February 6, 2015
OpenIDEO Innovation Challenges
OpenIDEO is an open innovation platform for social good. After a challenge is posted at OpenIDEO.com, the three development phases – inspiration, concepting, and evaluation – are put into motion. Community members can contribute in a variety of different ways, from inspirational observations and photos, sketches of ideas, to business models and snippets of code.
People participating in OpenIDEO can provide feedback every step of the way. Between each development phase, IDEO helps shape the journey through framing the challenge, prototyping, and encouraging the conversation. Eventually a selection of concepts is chosen as winners.
Entry eligibility: OpenIDEO welcomes all creative thinkers.
OpenIDEO constantly opens up new challenges for collaboration on their website
OpenIDEO is an open innovation platform for social good. After a challenge is posted at OpenIDEO.com, the three development phases – inspiration, concepting, and evaluation – are put into motion. Community members can contribute in a variety of different ways, from inspirational observations and photos, sketches of ideas, to business models and snippets of code.
People participating in OpenIDEO can provide feedback every step of the way. Between each development phase, IDEO helps shape the journey through framing the challenge, prototyping, and encouraging the conversation. Eventually a selection of concepts is chosen as winners.
Entry eligibility: OpenIDEO welcomes all creative thinkers.
OpenIDEO constantly opens up new challenges for collaboration on their website
For a list of other social innovation and entrepreneurship competitions, visit the William James Foundation website.
A list of their socially-focused business case competitions is available here.
2014 SEAD Case Competition
Interested in an opportunity to provide timely and critical input to a leading global health innovator?
Join the 2014 SEAD Case Competition from March 28-31!
The SEAD Case Competition offers a unique opportunity for graduate and undergraduate students from diverse schools and disciplines to work together in teams of four to five to tackle real-time challenges facing an innovative health care initiative in the developing world.
Student teams will work through a real-life case scenario and develop concise, strategic recommendations for a client organization; the case will require an interdisciplinary approach that may involve issues related to policy, marketing, behavior change, and business. Teams have approximately three days to work on the case study and compete against other teams by submitting their recommendations to a panel of judges. Finalists will have the opportunity to present and discuss their proposed solutions with the client as well as a number of the judges.
Students can register to participate as a self-selected team, as a partial team (requesting additional team members), or as individuals (to be placed on a team). In addition to the obvious educational benefits and networking opportunities, students will also compete for a cash prize.
Schedule
Friday, March 28th: SEAD Case Competition Launch, teams receive materials
Sunday March 30th: Students have opportunity to get support from selected mentors
Monday, March 31st at midnight: Slide decks due
Friday, April 4th: Finalists meet with client and judges ahead of the SEAD Symposium
Register your complete team, partial team, or as an individual by March 26 at: http://tinyurl.com/ogzmap9.
Join the 2014 SEAD Case Competition from March 28-31!
The SEAD Case Competition offers a unique opportunity for graduate and undergraduate students from diverse schools and disciplines to work together in teams of four to five to tackle real-time challenges facing an innovative health care initiative in the developing world.
Student teams will work through a real-life case scenario and develop concise, strategic recommendations for a client organization; the case will require an interdisciplinary approach that may involve issues related to policy, marketing, behavior change, and business. Teams have approximately three days to work on the case study and compete against other teams by submitting their recommendations to a panel of judges. Finalists will have the opportunity to present and discuss their proposed solutions with the client as well as a number of the judges.
Students can register to participate as a self-selected team, as a partial team (requesting additional team members), or as individuals (to be placed on a team). In addition to the obvious educational benefits and networking opportunities, students will also compete for a cash prize.
Schedule
Friday, March 28th: SEAD Case Competition Launch, teams receive materials
Sunday March 30th: Students have opportunity to get support from selected mentors
Monday, March 31st at midnight: Slide decks due
Friday, April 4th: Finalists meet with client and judges ahead of the SEAD Symposium
Register your complete team, partial team, or as an individual by March 26 at: http://tinyurl.com/ogzmap9.
Join us for a Social Entrepreneurship 101 Workshop!
Join us for an interactive workshop exploring the meaning of social entrepreneurship. Learn the basics of designing your own social venture focused on social or environmental issues you care about, and discover programs and resources at Duke that can help!
Saturday, March 1st, 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Gross Hall, Classroom 107
