The 27 semifinalist projects of our Fundación MAPFRE Social Innovation Awards have already been selected. Stemming from Europe and Latin America, these are all passionate, viable, thrilling projects whose ultimate objective is to improve people’s quality of life.

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There is currently no company in the Social Innovation sector that fails to follow closely each edition of the Fundación MAPFRE Social Innovation Awards. This is because, in just three years — it was in March 2018 that Antonio Huertas, the Foundation’s president, first announced them — these awards have become highly important, not just because of the significant financial prize — €30,000 for each winner — but also for their enormous impact and tremendous prestige. Now in their fourth edition, our Awards are already a reference in the Social Innovation ecosystem, with the proposals put forward proving true exponents of commitment and talent at the service of society.

The whole awards mechanism is in top gear, with the 27 projects already selected to participate in the semifinals, held throughout March via online events for each of the three regions: Brazil, rest of Latin America, and Europe. They are all innovative projects capable of making a positive impact.

Health Improvement and Digital Technology (e-Health)

In the year of the pandemic, we have learned that health is a common good from which we all benefit and that innovation can contribute a great deal. These nine projects from Europe, Brazil and the rest of Latin America are fine examples:

  • Medicsen (Spain). The first wearable, needle-free, drug delivery device was born from the experience of its CEO, Eduardo Jorgensen, when he saw a girl with diabetes reject insulin treatment in the doctor’s office. This is a painless, wearable, automatic solution.
  • Dianox (Dinamarca) facilitates the rapid detection of deadly infectious diseases by means of diagnostic self-tests. This is an innovative, noninvasive, anonymous, affordable approach.
  • Sycai Technologies SL (Spain). The objective of this artificial intelligence-based software is to assist radiologists efficiently detect pancreatic cystic lesions and enable early prediction of their potential malignancy.
  • Savia (Guatemala) is a telematic platform that leverages mobile technology to overcome the barriers that can lead to the exclusion of the population in rural areas of Latin America with scant primary healthcare services.
  • Tele-Ecografía para todos (Peru). This project enables pathologies to be diagnosed using ultrasound scans, but without needing a specialist physically present in the health center. It offers an accessible technology that is adaptable to remote areas with little bandwidth, so as to provide a better health service.
  • Orgasorb (Colombia). This project offers 100 percent plant-based biofilters for water decontamination. They manage to eliminate heavy metals, enabling filtered water to be reused.
  • Clic Health ID (Brazil) offers predictive medicine through the use of certified medical algorithms and artificial intelligence. The aim is to generate predictions of the risk of developing diseases or of existing ones worsening.
  • Fleximedical (Brazil). This startup offers solutions to democratize access to health care by constructing both fixed and mobile health equipment (the latter including vans, containers, buses and trucks converted into consultation and surgery facilities).
  • Predikta (Brazil). This uses artificial intelligence to obtain predictive diagnoses, but also helps with the triage of patients by providing diagnostic support.

Now in their fourth edition, our Awards are already a reference in the Social Innovation ecosystem, with the proposals put forward proving true exponents of commitment and talent at the service of society

Economics of ageing: Ageingnomics

In this edition, the Insurance Innovation category has been replaced by the Economics of Ageing: Ageingnomics. Fundación MAPFRE thus aims to promote initiatives that offer solutions from the so-called Economics of Aging perspective for the age group between 55 and 75 years old: health, leisure, mobility, education, finance, insurance, technology and the silver economy. These are the projects which qualified/were chosen:

  • Rosita Longevity (Spain) is a free app targeting the over- 60s, which seeks to establish and maintain healthy habits in a personalized manner, taking into account the pathologies and characteristics of each user. In short, a “longevity coach”, as its founder, Clara Fernández, likes to say.
  • The Freebird Club (Ireland). Peter Mangan created this social travel and homestay club for a peer-to-peer community of over 50s. Its members can travel and stay with hosts, as well as share experiences with them.
  • Jubilatucasa.com (Spain) uses machine learning techniques and artificial intelligence to offer personalized advice and guidance to the over-65s interested in monetizing their home without having to leave it, thus making this a highly useful, handy solution for those wishing to peacefully live out the rest of their lives.
  • 101Ideas (Colombia). In Colombia, less than 20 percent of the population has a pension; and many retirees feel they are not very productive. 101Ideas brings job opportunities closer to productive adults.
  • Seniorpal (Colombia) offers a multitude of plans for elderly people wishing to remain active, productive and connected through technology. They seek to empower seniors to live life intensely, with physical training sessions, technology workshops and a club for meeting people.
  • Vavidsilver (Colombia). Senior citizens are in the sights of cybernetic fraudsters. This technology platform offers the possibility of learning about and preventing different kinds of cybernetic fraud in plain, inclusive language.
  • Yolex (Brazil). Any age is good for learning, even more so if the goal is professional development. This project offers access to classes, tutorials and round tables organized for those aged over 55.
  • Nextt49+ (Brazil). Many of those in the over-50 population group are interested in starting a business. This center supports this entrepreneurial spirit by offering consultancy, training, skill sets, etc.
  • Labora (Brazil). The role of this platform is to connect companies that need personnel with workers who, given their age, are generally ‘invisible’ to the job market. At the same time, this leads to the removal of barriers and accelerating generational diversity.
27 proyectos de innovación social

Accident Prevention and Safe, Sustainable Mobility

Technology applied to increasing safety measures when transporting vulnerable groups, environmental sustainability linked to smart cities, connectivity between vehicles to increase road safety, etc. These are just some of the topics Fundación MAPFRE wishes to promote within this category of its Social Innovation Awards.

  • Mobility Mojo (Ireland). This initiative helps hotels offer an inclusive, welcoming experience for guests with special needs, thanks to technology designed to verify the accessibility standards of the establishment in question.
  • Offways (France). At a time when sustainability matters to consumers, this online booking platform offers users a calculation of the carbon footprint their travel generates, as well as low-emission mobility alternatives, while planting trees on their behalf for free.
  • Park4dis (Spain). An interurban platform for seeking and managing reservations of parking spaces, with all the information on the characteristics of the different municipal regulations readily summarized and accessible in one place.
  • A-Driver (Colombia). Its goal is to reduce accidents caused by driver distraction by using Head-Up Display (HUD) technology, which can be controlled via a wearable device, mainly using hand gestures, but without taking hands off the steering wheel.
  • Wheel The World (Chile). People with disabilities do not always find it easy to travel. To alleviate this problem, this platform helps them find and book travel experiences that are 100 percent accessible, empowering them to explore the world without limits.
  • Ualabee (Argentina). This is a platform that provides data for monitoring the city in real time and strategically planning transit services and urban mobility.
  • Eu Vô (Brazil). This offers affordable, safe transit services, with the option of being accompanied, to increase the autonomy of people with reduced mobility and those over 60 years of age.
  • Meiopasso (Brazil). Founded in November 2019, this startup helps people with reduced mobility tackle steps, slopes and uneven ground, using a product called a ‘half-step’.
  • ArejaBus (Brazil). This small company has created a ventilation system for buses that uses the movement of the vehicle itself to enhance the thermal sensation and air quality on board, moreover without emitting CO2.