Europe earns lion’s share of innovation competition finalists
26 May 2011
In the current, rather pessimistic climate of discussions about Europe’s difficulty to innovate, I was very pleased to see that 48 (nearly 40%) out of 124 student teams selected to attend the Imagine Cup finals are from the European continent (see
full list)! Imagine Cup is the world's premier student technology competition run by Microsoft. European countries like Denmark and France, also took the first place in two other side challenges. To me it’s just another sign of Europe’s potential to innovate.
The teams will make their way to New York City for the Imagine Cup 2011 Worldwide Finals on July 8-13. As the winners of regional, national and online Imagine Cup competitions, these high school and university students represent the best of the best from around the globe!
In its 9 years of existence the Imagine Cup has grown from 1,000 student registrants from 25 countries to more than 350,000 from 183 countries. After being hosted in Poland last year, the United States will host this year the competition for the first time!
More than ever before, the Imagine Cup finalists have proven themselves to be responsible global citizens, as they identify ways to create a better future by using technology to solve the world’s toughest problems. As per the theme of the competition Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems, this year’s projects provide avenues for individuals with disabilities to use technology, software to help streamline healthcare in rural communities, solutions to help boost education globally and a whole lot more.
Stay tuned for the launch of the Worldwide People’s Choice Award in coming weeks, where you will be able to learn more about each finalist project and vote for your favourite at http://www.imaginecup.com/.
And congratulations to all of this year’s finalists!
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