First Challenge (Jun 2021)
The innovation challenge is a 10-day immersive student workshop that was held on June 9 - 20, 2021.
Innovation Hub
A Home for Innovation Connecting the Middle East and Africa
Cultivate New Ideas — Co-Create with Industry Trendsetters — Innovate Authentic Solutions
AUC Innovation Hub is a platform for corporations, start-ups, AUC faculty and students, and the supporting ecosystem to work in the same space and collaborate to research and co-create innovative solutions for Egypt’s and the region’s toughest challenges.
Through AUC iHub, AUC will create a number of long-term partnerships to productize innovations with the aim of creating sustainable impact in Egypt and the world. By offering our partners the location at AUC New Cairo and by empowering their efforts with a rich set of services, we offer our innovation partners world-class secure facilities, with access to tools, technology, labs, equipment, and support, along with the opportunity to learn, design and build through formal and informal programming. Their presence on campus allows them to work on strategic and cutting-edge projects syncing with existing AUC programs and facilities.
A Powerhouse for Innovation
A dynamic ecosystem that connects industry and academia to drive innovation, the AUC iHub is a springboard for industry partnerships, multidisciplinary research and experiential learning. It leverages AUC’s wealth of research expertise, bright young minds and state-of-the-art campus facilities to provide a platform for the research, development and commercialization of technologies that offer creative solutions to today’s most pressing challenges.
Connecting Creative Partners in Innovation
The AUC iHub serves two constituencies – industry and higher education – through its mutually reinforcing, dual mission: to bring AUC’s most innovative faculty, students and their labs and learning spaces together with corporate research and innovative startups.
The AUC iHub will serve as a satellite research center for innovative companies, organizations and individuals seeking synergies with AUC’s leading faculty, students and alumni on multidisciplinary research and its practical applications; create a co-working space for startups; support social innovation and policy research; provide business and advisory services for the innovation ecosystem; and build a vibrant entrepreneurial community.
Wining on all Fronts
The AUC iHub brings corporations, startups, faculty and students together to collaborate in an architecturally inspirational physical space to research and co-create innovative solutions that benefit Egypt, the region and the world at large.
Industry Partners
Enterprises, big and small, share prime space in a strategic location on AUC’s state-of-the-art New Cairo campus with world-class facilities and a multitude of services. The iHub provides a gateway for industry partners to access the fresh perspectives of AUC’s star faculty and brightest young minds. They will have the opportunity both to shape and to exploit academic research to create and validate products and services in a collaborative environment.
Students
Through internships and class projects, AUC’s most creative and entrepreneurial students interact with industry trendsetters and gain exposure to the real-world challenges businesses face on a daily basis. They engage in mind-expanding work that equips them with transferable skills in problem-solving and critical thinking. By practically applying their theoretical knowledge and brainstorming solutions, students learn by doing in a creative environment. As rising young consumers themselves, they can serve reciprocally to shape industry translation of research into commercial applications.
Faculty
AUC faculty members work closely with industry partners on cutting-edge corporate research projects and co-create solutions to regional and global challenges. Through university-industry partnerships, faculty members translate research findings into marketable products and new technologies aimed at improving the lives and meeting the tastes and needs of the rising generation of global consumers.
Alumni
AUC alumni looking to advance their creative ventures have priority as iHub members, gaining access to diverse global corporations, startups, expert AUC faculty members, and a rich pool of creative and intellectual student talent. By joining the iHub’s supportive environment, alumni have a unique edge to grow their new enterprise and take it to the next level.
Striking up Partnerships
Industry Satellite Research
Industrial research programs in partnership with AUC faculty, corporate innovation labs seeking collaboration with AUC, and international university research centers.
Innovative Startups
Startups by AUC students, alumni and faculty or graduates of the AUC Venture Lab — Egypt’s rst University-based startup incubator and accelerator. Social enterprises and high-potential startups that sprouted from student graduation projects are also included. AUC is careful about fair space allocation and maintaining a diverse industry mix among tenants.
Social Innovation and Policy Research
Nonprofits, policy research centers and organizations working on social innovation and entrepreneurship.
Ecosystem Support
Startup accelerators and incubators, design thinking labs, fab labs, design firms, law firms, digital marketing firms and research organizations focused on serving entrepreneurship and innovation.
A Design-Conscious Space
The layout of the space is designed to allow innovators from all disciplines to connect, collaborate and create — providing flexible workspaces and spacious social areas. The iHub’s main features include private as well as open, collaborative office spaces; fixed-size startup spots, fully equipped conference rooms, lounge seating areas and a cafeteria. An adjacent outdoor area encourages open engagement, networking and exchange of ideas.
Futures Lab Initiative
Futures Lab is a joint effort between AUC Innovation Hub and New Silk Roads, to encourage collaboration between business leaders, architects, researchers and policymakers.
AUC-Mountain View Design Thinking Challenge
AUC Innovation Hub launched its first design thinking innovation challenge in partnership with Mountain View and the Center for Learning and Teaching.
Innovation Sprints
The Innovation Sprint is a challenge for entrepreneurs organized by the AUC Innovation Hub, powered by OXFAM and DAPP and in partnership with Wuzzuf, Egypt's biggest online recruitment job site, and Klickit, a payment management and digital collections platform.
Wuzzuf Challenge
The Wuzzuf Challenge “How might we grow Wuzzuf value proposition from an "employment portal" to a "career destination" by adding a "learning" component?” Teams crafted diverse solutions to covering the gap between the employee and the employer by crafting innovation guides for the employee throughout their growth journey. Solutions ranged from gamifying the educational process, to a modern and interactive screening process.
Klickit Challenge
The Klickit Challenge “With a current customer base of over 25 million students in public and private schools, what are the value-added services that can be availed on the Klickit platform to drive further growth?” The teams identified very different opportunities and pain points as starting points to extend Klickit’s offerings. They then designed user-centered solutions for them that ranged from a payment card for students, to platform of services for schools and even a loyalty schema for parents.
Ideas come easily, ideas are not important. What is important is the beautiful skill of listening. The ability to apply it in a personal and professional context changes everything. I really appreciate that you could see something and build on it. It's very tempting to come up with something completely new, but glory doesn't go to everything shiny, glory goes to being grounded.
The final presentations and ideas were very insighful. It was an eye-opening experience; how the teams perceived the problems we're facing and tackled them in our business model using our own words, without us realizing that they already exist. It was a great experience and hopefully, we come back in the future with another challenge.
I decided to join this design sprint as I wanted to learn how the design thinking approach can be used to develop and improve my own startup - a B2B marketplace that provides raw materials for F&Bs.
More About AUC Innovation Hub
A dynamic ecosystem that connects industry and academia to drive innovation, the AUC iHub is a springboard for industry partnerships, multidisciplinary research and experiential learning.