Impact Lab Innovation Challenge 2024 on Friday
THE Nust High-Tech Transfer Plaza Select (HTTPS) will be buzzing with activity this Friday when the second edition of the Impact Lab Innovation Challenge takes place.
It is the day when budding engineers, computer scientists and young innovators pitch technological solutions around how to improve socioeconomic challenges facing their communities.
It is also a platform for students to showcase their talent, and potentially kickstart their careers in the technology industry.
The Challenge is presented by Schoemans – Namibia’s leading and oldest ICT service provider – and its partners the Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust) and Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC).
The Impact Lab Challenge is not just a competition; it’s an opportunity for students to apply their academic knowledge to practical scenarios, and gain invaluable experience.
The first innovation challenge was held on 31 March 2023 at the same state-of-the-art campus.
The challenge engaged the third and second-year Nust students from the Faculty of Computing and Informatics to leverage their skills and creativity to develop prototypes that could potentially have a positive impact on their communities. The challenges presented were the following socioeconomic issues: youth unemployment, drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, and lack of financial literacy, corruption and mental health. The students were divided into five groups consisting of three members, and given three days to develop a prototype to showcase to a panel of seven judges.
The winning team developed a prototype of an application called Skill Lync, which helps unemployed people post their services online. One of the application’s most significant features is the provision of tutoring services to high school students, which could potentially address the root cause of youth unemployment. Besides prizes, the winning team had internship opportunities with the company, and can further develop their projects in collaboration with the company and its partners, potentially leading to realworld implementation.
The Challenge aims to bring together leading innovators and industry experts to showcase groundbreaking technologies and solutions that address socio-economic challenges in Namibia. This event will be an excellent opportunity to network with key stakeholders, exchange ideas, and explore potential collaborations.