UNLEASH Innovation Lab is open for applications

HONG KONG, CHINA – Media OutReach – April 2, 2019 – Shenzhen in China will be hosting UNLEASH Innovation
Lab in 2019, November 6-13. Being a headquarter for many high-tech companies,
an attractive place for startups, and a city dedicated to sustainable
development, there is no doubt that Shenzhen will take UNLEASH to the next
level. Applications are open from March 18-April 18.

UNLEASH gathers
1,000 young people between 20-35 years old in a new location each year to come
up with solutions to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This
year Shenzhen will be hosting these talents, when they go through a week of
innovation. �

“We are very
excited to be hosting the next UNLEASH Innovation Lab. Shenzhen is a city built
on innovation and start-ups, which makes a great environment for young talents
to come up with solutions to the Sustainable Development Goals”, says Mayor of
Shenzhen, Chen Rugui, who is a great supporter of getting UNLEASH to China.

UNLEASH
gathers talents from all over the world to find solutions to the Sustainable
Development Goals.

UNLEASH started
as an idea by the Chairman of the Carlsberg Foundation and Carlsberg Group,
Flemming Besenbacher.

“I had a vision
of creating the leading innovation lab for the UN Sustainable Development
Goals. Since the very successful event in Denmark, we have held another successful
event in Singapore, and I’m very excited that the next event will take place in
Shenzhen — a city known for its commitment to sustainability, innovation, and
technology”, says Professor Flemming Besenbacher, who is also chairman of
UNLEASH, and foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Anders Dons,
Nordic CEO at Deloitte — a core partner since the very beginning of UNLEASH –
is also looking forward to taking UNLEASH to the next level:

“Deloitte will
once again lead the innovation workshop with our team of facilitators from
across the world. They will guide the talents and help them accelerate and
transform their ideas into sustainable solutions to the world’s biggest
challenges – in just five days. The local culture has a great impact on the
innovation journey the talents experience, and Shenzhen is the perfect start-up
culture for new ideas to flourish,”
he says. 

In just nine
months, two rounds of the UNLEASH Innovation Lab have taken place. UNLEASH has
gathered almost 2,000 top talents from 143 countries all over the world to come
up with solutions to the world’s most pressing problems resulting in 370
solutions to the Sustainable Development Goals.

“The core DNA of
UNLEASH stays the same no matter where UNLEASH goes, but we are excited to see
how our talents can be inspired and influenced by Chinese culture. It will be
interesting to see how it will affect the type of solutions developed at
UNLEASH” says Executive Director of UNLEASH and Chairman of Dalberg Group,
Henrik Skovby.

In Shenzhen,
UNLEASH will again gather 1,000 people from all over the world, as well as
involve civil society and private public sector in the innovation process.

 

What
will happen at UNLEASH 2019?

The talents will
be working in teams which are decided based on the SDG-theme they are
interested in. They will then go through the UNLEASH innovation process, before
pitching and attending the Closing Ceremony.

November 6: Kick-off and welcome to Shenzhen:

Talents are
introduced to the city of Shenzhen, the Sustainable Development Goals, and each
other.

November 7-11: SDG Innovation Lab

Talents convene
around core SDG themes to co-create and generate tangible solutions to global
challenges.

November 12-13: Culmination and UNLEASH Closing
Ceremony

UNLEASH
culminates with massive collaboration activities and closing ceremony. The best
solutions will be given awards and some of the most influential people in the
world will speak about the importance of the 2030 Agenda.

Who
should apply?

UNLEASH accepts
top talents typically aged 20-35. Successful applicants will excel across 5
general criteria.

• Demonstrated passion and commitment to solving one of
  the world’s pressing challenges.
• Possession of a creative and innovative mindset.
• Willingness to engage in co-creation with peers and
  experts.
• High proficiency in English with the ability to engage
  in complex discussions.
• Bonus: working in
  the field in a global context

 

The
profiles UNLEASH is looking for are:

• Entrepreneur: Recently launched/or considered
  launching start-ups, organizations or campaigns at a very early stage (both
  non- and for-profit).
• Intrapreneur: Improved or changed entities, e.g.
  through R&D, business development or organizational changes. 
• Academic: Top class academic with in-depth content
  knowledge, e.g. via courses, research projects or a PhD. 
• Technical expert: Posses skills, tools and know-how
  (e.g. with engineering, design or finance) enabling development of physical or
  software-based solutions.