Innovate for Impact: Siemens Design Challenge 2020

Deadline: 4 May 2020

Join a global movement to prepare, adapt and respond to the most pressing challenges in food and water. Nurture breakthrough ideas, apply human-centered design to engineer innovative hardware solutions that help achieve the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

E4C is challenging innovators around the world – from Siemens, from academia to private industry, as well as at NGOs and public organizations – to use technology to address the challenges of meeting the planet’s need for adequate food and clean water.

Engineering for Change (E4C) is a knowledge organization dedicated to preparing, educating and activating the international engineering workforce to improve the quality of life of underserved communities worldwide.

Challenge Phases

• Plan & Learn
• Design
• Realize & Sustain

Tracks

• Zero Hunger Track
  • Design a postharvest off-grid preservation technology
    • Problem definition: A way to reduce the farm-to-table food loss in lower resource settings that lack electricity
    • Background: Roughly one third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year — approximately 1.3 billion tons — is lost or wasted at a cost of roughly US $680 billion in industrialized countries and US $310 billion in developing countries. In developing countries, 40% of losses occur during the post-harvest and processing phases of food production. Food waste contributes up to 70 gigatons of greenhouse gases, or 11 percent of total emissions, therefore directly contributing to Climate Change.
    • Example of Applications
      • Storage
      • Refrigeration
    • Prize: One winner/winning team will be selected for the track. The winner will receive $10,000 USD and the opportunity to meet Siemens USA CEO in person. The winner will be promoted across Siemens USA and Engineering for Change platforms and receive exclusive invitations to industry events.
• Clean Water Track
  • Design a very low-cost, energy-efficient, scalable technology for desalinating brackish water
    • Problem definition: A way to remove salt contamination from water that is low-cost and energy-efficient.
    • Background: 97.5% of water on the Earth contains a high-concentration of salt, making it unsuitable for drinking or farming. By 2030, nearly 35% of the world’s human population will be living in water-stressed countries. Most water that is used for drinking and farming comes from low-salt or salt-free underground sources or surface water. However, due to increasing droughts and saltwater intrusion by rising sea levels brought on by climate change, these water sources are becoming more and more unreliable. Worldwide, engineers and scientists race to develop innovative methods to remove salt from water, but current solutions are extremely energy-intensive and high-cost.
    • Example of Applications:
      • Drinking water
      • Irrigation for farming
    • Prize: One winner/winning team will be selected for the track. The winner will receive $10,000 USD and the opportunity to meet Siemens USA CEO in person. The winner will be promoted across Siemens USA and Engineering for Change platforms and receive exclusive invitations to industry events.

Eligibility Criteria

E4C encourages anyone with an innovative solution to apply. Although it’s beneficial to have either an engineering or design background, it is not required. Every idea can make a difference.

Criteria

Throughout the challenge, you will be asked to:

• Submit a text based application, explaining the problem area you are addressing and your proposed solution
• Submit a short (60 seconds maximum) video introducing your team and product concept
• Research and explore the needs of your end user
• Design your concept in 3D CAD
• Iterate your design based on the research you have conducted and provide justification for your decisions
• Simulate how your product works
• Submit a video pitch of your proposed solution

For more information, visit https://www.engineeringforchange.org/siemenschallenge/