UAE Water company gets prestigious prize from MIT, New York

Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court has announced Faircap Clean Water as the recipient of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s ‘Solve Innovating Together for Healthy Cities Prize’, selected at the Solve Challenge Finals live pitch event in New York recently, WAM reported,

Solve, an initiative of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) advancing solutions from tech entrepreneurs to address the world’s most pressing problems, announced its 32 new ‘Solver’ teams at the event, which is the premier social impact pitch.

The event was held during the UN General Assembly week in New York, where innovators from all over the world pitched their ideas to a panel of judges.

Solve received nearly 1,400 solutions from over 100 countries to its four 2019 Global Challenges – more than US$1.5 million funding was available for the selected Solver teams with the most promising human-centred innovations.

One of the challenges set this year was Healthy Cities. As part of a personal commitment to eliminating preventable diseases that affect the world’s poorest and most vulnerable communities, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, supported this challenge through the Innovating Together for Healthy Cities Prize.

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Commenting on the announcement, Alex Amouyel, Executive Director of MIT Solve, said: “We are inspired by the teams selected at Solve Challenge Finals as they tackle some of the biggest challenges facing the world today.”

“Building and sustaining healthy urban environments is a major issue globally, and this year’s Innovating Together for Healthy Cities Prize has helped source a raft of incredibly promising solutions. We welcome the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court’s support in awarding innovation to drive change.”

Solutions that focused on preventing or managing infectious disease or vector-borne illness in cities or slums were eligible for the Innovating Together for Healthy Cities Prize. After being selected as a Solver during Solve Challenge Finals, Faircap Clean Water, led by Mauricio Cordova, was awarded this prize.

In turn, Mauricio Cordova, Founder of Faircap, stated, “We are incredibly grateful for this prize and hugely appreciate His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed’s commitment to and support of collaborative innovation. Winning will help us facilitate the expansion of our product range as we strive to bring Faircap to millions of people.”

Faircap Clean Water has designed a set of water purification devices that address the fact that although health authorities recommend drinking a daily amount of more than 2 liters of water per day, half of the world’s population either lack access to improved water sources or can’t drink water straight from the tap.

In response to this, bottled water consumption has skyrocketed. The Faircap Clean Water solution does not require additional energy or chemicals to make clean drinking water and they can be reused hundreds of times.

They are also affordable (less than $0.01 per liter) and practical to use. Ultimately, Faircap Clean Water’s tagline and ambition is to roll-out their devices and ensure ‘clean drinking water for all’.

By 2050, 68 percent of the world’s population are projected to live in cities, many of which are yet to be built. Living in urban areas exposes residents to serious health risks due to overcrowding, lack of access to safe water and sanitation.

Urbanisation

The World Health Organisation views urbanisation as one of the key public health challenges for the 21st century. Nine out of ten of the top causes of death globally – including diarrheal diseases, chronic respiratory disease, and traffic incidents – are affected by the way cities are planned, built and lived in.

“Faircap Clean Water, the recipient of the Innovating for Healthy Cities Prize embodies the creativity needed to secure safe and healthy urban environments and make a significant social impact. This Prize aligns with a broader commitment to global health and poverty alleviation. Everyone has a right to live a healthy and dignified life,” said Nassar Abdul Raouf Al Mubarak, Director of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court.

To catalyse real change, innovative and fresh thinking is required, the biennial Reaching the Last Mile Forum will convene global health leaders in Abu Dhabi this November to share insights and best practices on how to accelerate the pace and reach the last mile of disease elimination faster. “

Abu Dhabi’s dedication to disease elimination builds on the foundations laid by the UAE’s Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

Since 2011, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, has personally committed $250 million to global efforts to eliminate deadly and debilitating diseases, the report added.