Share your idea to solve a problem during this pandemic or that which is influenced by a global crisis, and join changemakers to ideate on solutions, build prototypes, and more on the ideas you submit!
Get active and become part of the solution! Join us for the Global Citizenship Virtual Ideathon and work together with changemakers around the world to create action-oriented solutions around a global crisis.
A 2-day event where participants will team up with other activists and changemakers for a period of 48 hours online to develop ideas into low/medium-fidelity prototypes. Low/medium-fidelity prototypes don’t need sophisticated materials, high-end programming skills, or detailed planning. Participants will be using materials easily accessible to them, to come up with innovative solutions to a problem statement of their choosing. Throughout the 48 hours, participants will be aided with mentoring sessions, inputs, and constant support from a group of expert mentors.
Participants are welcome to develop anything from digital to physical products, services, movements, art projects, therapeutic products, anything that creates value to communities that are affected by the pandemic. The solutions at the end of 48 hours should be at least a low or medium-fidelity prototype. This means that participants have tangible constructions of the idea they were working on.
Note: All grant applications are subject to approval. Participation in the ideathon does not guarantee funding/monetary support.
Curious to see the results of the Ideathon? Here are videos our teams put together as a pitch for their ideas!
Send in your ideas for use during the coronavirus pandemic or driven by this challenge.
Please choose one of the following categories:
- social + cultural
- political + economy
- day to day solutions
- solutions for vulnerable and risk groups
- open/ other solutions
Please register to participate in the ideathon during this window. Registration ends on May 27, 2020.
We will launch the official ideathon communication channels, host an 'Ask me Anything' session before the ideathon starts and provide details of the ideathon, technical support, and suggestions!
Short webinar re-introducing the objective and timeline for the Ideathon, introduction to all tools that will be used during the 48 hour period, team formation, and more. Time to get those ideas going!
Teams continue their work, with guided input sessions, mentoring and support on need-basis.
All teams are also expected to prepare a 1-min pitch video of their problem statement and solution, and submit the same before the final presentations commence.
In the final presentation round, all teams have 3 minutes to pitch their project + 2 minutes for questions + feedback, while top teams will be announced. This will be followed by Ideathon closure and results declaration!
Throughout the Ideathon, participants and mentors will be using various online tools for communication, ideation, and presentations. Once you sign up, please familiarize yourself with the below tools. They're simple and easy-to-use and accessible everywhere in the world!
Meet Pooja Channaveerappa
Organizer and Mentor
Read Bio
Meet Alex Seltmann
Organizer and Mentor
Read BioOrganizer and Mentor
I am Pooja, a design engineer developing products in the early stages of innovation. Every day is spent valuing and grooming new ideas into worthwhile concepts. While this global pandemic was slowing fueling my anxiety, I was equally inspired by the overwhelming response of people trying to take action and soften the blow dealt during this period. One such action was the project Alex pursued in a Covid-19 hackathon co-organized by the German government. All the discussions, the shared experiences of Melton fellows strongly hinted at a similar drive to ‘do something’. So here we are, trying to support that drive and build valuable solutions as a community.
Organizer and Mentor
I am Alex, one of the organizers of the MF Ideathon 2020. Studying medicine in Jena since 2013, I became a Melton Fellow in 2015. Currently, I am working on a doctoral thesis combining machine learning and microscopy. When Pooja told me about her plan to start an ideathon to tackle COVID-19-related problems, I was immediately intrigued. In March 2020, I participated in my own first hackathon, which was a phenomenal experience for me. It was an intense and dynamic 48h sprint and a lot of fun. My main goal for all participants is not to save the world, but to share this experience.
The world needs more problem solvers who can work on common solutions across borders. Join hands with us and together, we can make the world a better place, one step at a time.
