Diagnostic equipment for early detection of cancer, the academic program for the integration of people with disabilities, cheap multipurpose agricultural improvement machines and innovative incubators for newborns, are just some of the projects of students and young entrepreneurs from India and Israel.

The international multidisciplinary project “Social Innovation for Local Indian and Isreali Communities and graduate Entrepreneurs (SILICE)“ which is conducted in a partnership with VERN' University had an academic and scientific project pitch which was held at the end of May at VERN's premises on the island of Vis, where young participants presented their social entrepreneurship projects that they’ve developed over the past few months.

During a four-day stay on Vis (May 26th-30th), the participants polished their projects through lectures and exercises with VERN's and international experts and mentors: Surekha Routray, Hilly Hirt, Sarah Cooper, VERN’s lecturer Gordana Ćorić and VERN’s Vice Dean for Strategic Development Iva Biondić. During their stay students have learned about identifying and mapping stakeholders, managing startups and available funds, planning and measuring performance, managing international projects, elevator pitches and bargaining skills.

At interactive workshops they’ve learned how to manage team development and projects and finally presented their projects in front of a jury: Iva Biondić, Hilly Hirt (Head, i4F India-Israel Industrial R & D and Technological Innovation Fund Israel Innovation Authority) and Ivo Radica, mayor of the city Vis.

CancRAid from India was named as the most innovative project, while Shoval from Israel was proclaimed the project with the most powerful social component. Brief descriptions of all the projects presented in the newly established laboratories for social innovations at foreign partner institutions (the so-called SinnoLabs), point to the width of the areas of science and innovation that are being developed and discussed in VERN's academic ecosystem, but also on ours international contributions to development of social entrepreneurship. In the last year and a half our experts have prepared (education and mentoring) the leaders and mentors of these laboratories precisely for mentoring social innovative projects, of which eight were selected as the best projects at their home institutions and presented on Vis.

Presented projects and teams (brief description)

1. Sapir Academic College – 2Better (Izrael) - Social app that connects individuals based on their shared interests. Connecting like-minded people for one-on-one face to face interaction and activities and it is solving temporary solitude.

2. Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences (DMIMS) – Prudent Radiant Warmer (Indija) - The idea 1 is to reduce the cost of radiant warmer by using safe replacements in the context of material used, change in the design of the stand, frame and holder to make it cheaper to manufacture. The existing principle can be retained that is tungsten coil is heated and made to radiant heat towards the baby which is thermostat controlled depending upon the range set. The idea 2 includes the same design as idea 1 but with a new principle in which copper tubes circulating heated water on the roof panel of the warmer attached to a fan will radiate heat to the baby. The aim of the project is to: (1) prevent hypothermia in newborn and hence decrease the associated morbidity and mortality, (2) to make radiant warmer more affordable to rural health centres, tribal health centres and small clinics and (3) to reduce the water loss in babies due to normal radiant warmers.

3. IDC Herzliya – Shoval (Izrael) - The "Shoval" program (The acronym stands for “equality in studies” in Hebrew) is an academic study program for the integration of people with intellectual disabilities in academic institutions, that aims to impart a sense of competence and promote social inclusion and equality. Another goal is to develop social skills, promote inclusion and the integration of people with disabilities on University campuses and in Israeli society.

4. KIIT – CancRAid (Indija) - Diagnostic kit for early detection of a cancer.

5. Oranim Academic College of Education – A teacher for the road (Izrael) - Prepares teachers to gain tools that will enable them to deal with students and do the successful knowledge transfer on the field trips, by two-day seminars in nature. The aim is to present this form of seminars to the ministry of education and bring it to as many schools in Israel as possible.

6. LTJSS – AMAN (Agricultural machines) (Indija) - Design and fabrication of advance multipurpose agriculture machine. The aim of project is to reduce the effort required for spraying and sowing and cutting of crop, but also to reduce labour and machinery work.

7. College of Sakhnin – Sahil2you (Izrael) - It is a charity website called “Greenpay”, an agricultural application, which will help both farmers and consumers. How? By protecting small farmers and cultivating their lands, encouraging consumption of organic farming, behaviour of healthy living and upgrading the economic viability of small farmers.

8. Tel-Hai Academic College – TO DO (Izrael) - A smart bracelet with the ability to read body parameters, which monitors results to a direct environment with instructions to help people in stressful situations.

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