February 27th, 2017: Students from Canadian University Dubai (CUD) are working alongside counterparts from Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada, in a bid to develop social impact innovations applicable to the Arab World.
CUD students are acting as consultants for the Ryerson Global Innovation Challenge (RGIC) teams, leading up to a final ‘pitch day’ event on 1 March where the teams will present their ideas to local business leaders and entrepreneurs, and receive constructive feedback on how to bring their ideas to market. The winning team will have the opportunity to incubate the idea both in Canada and the UAE.
The transnational collaboration is part of the RGIC, an initiative established by Ryerson University to encourage young innovators to think of, and potentially commercialize, ideas that have a social impact at an international level.
RGIC 2017 focuses on the Arab world and has an enhanced emphasis on youth, innovation, and social responsibility, with opportunities for collaboration between Canadian and Arab youth in the diverse efforts of social change.
Nineteen students representing the top four teams from Ryerson have traveled to Dubai to collaborate with Arab youth at CUD. Students from CUD are providing strategic insights and practical support to help fine-tune the innovations so that they better reflect the context and the market they aim to impact. The aim of this collaboration is to pitch their social innovation ideas to local business leaders and entrepreneurs and receive constructive feedback on how to bring their ideas to market.
“This competition brings students together from different disciplines to develop a strong business idea that has the potential to make a societal impact on a global scale. CUD is an extremely important part of this year's Ryerson Global Innovation Challenge. The faculty and staff have given our student teams the support needed to further their ideas. Dr. Anas Najdawi has been instrumental in giving our teams a digital innovation perspective that aligns with the vision of Dubai and the UAE. This has helped the teams make the necessary enhancements to make their idea more sustainable and have the impact needed in the region," said Osman Hamid, Director of Student Engagement and Alumni Development at Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University.
The Ryerson teams second this view. Revant Kumar’s project ‘Stack Farm’ addresses the issues of growing food in arid climates and he said, “The competition offers me an opportunity to collaborate with peers from various academic disciplines and with students and local entrepreneurs in the UAE. This experience will be invaluable in helping our team to develop a better product that we hope will help local residents gain access to fresh, affordable produce.”
Ayesha Chaudry, part of team Akhdar with a mandate to alleviate dependence on non-renewable energy sources and provide entrepreneurial opportunities to at-risk youth said, "The Ryerson Global Innovation Challenge has given us the opportunity to start our own social enterprise that goes beyond the Canadian borders. This challenge has given me hands-on experiential learning that has helped me connect the concepts we learn in school to the real world. Working with CUD students has enabled us to gain primary information about business in the UAE. Everyone at CUD has been open and welcoming, and have made this experience one that I will never forget."
Dr. Anas Najdawi, Chair of E-Business Program is managing the project from CUD. “The aim of this project is to help students from Ryerson participate in solving real problems in the Arab world through social entrepreneurial business ideas. In order to do this successfully, they have to collaborate with CUD students who have expertise and knowledge about the local context. CUD students are assisting their Ryerson counterparts by organizing field visits and introducing them to useful local contacts to help develop the prototype of the product or service.”
Heba Ayman Ibrahim El Desouki Ali, a CUD student added, "I'm supporting the students from Ryerson to assess the market and make connections locally in the UAE. This initiative is a great opportunity to extend my networks, not only with my teammates from Canada but also with organizations in Dubai. It’s my first experience of working in an international group and it has been great to collaborate with people who are so flexible and open to new ideas."
Naomi Ambakederimo also a CUD student said, "I am helping the team to look specifically at how we can support women in the UAE to find employment. It’s exciting to be working with collaborators with so much energy and imagination and I’m proud to be part of developing something new."
The four projects now under development include a business plan to reduce the region’s dependence on non-renewable energy sources and to provide entrepreneurial opportunities to at-risk youth; an online platform designed to connect students and recent graduates in the Arab region to forge strong professional networks; an online management tool that provides young entrepreneurs in the UAE’s neighbor, Saudi Arabia, access to the resources, funds and mentorship; and an affordable hydroponic system for city dwellers to grow fresh produce that requires less soil and water, reducing their dependence on food imports.
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