19 March 2019

UNLEASH INNOVATION LAB 2019

Application for UPCH UNLEASH Nomination now open!

Unleash innovation lab logo

ThinkChina / University of Copenhagen is a knowledge partner of UNLEASH - a global innovation lab that brings together people from all over the world to transform 1,000 personal insights into hundreds of ideas, and build lasting global networks around the Sustainable Development Goals. UNLEASH is a non-profit started in 2017. Since 2017, UNLEASH has been held in Denmark and in Singapore. In 2019, UNLEASH will take place in Shenzhen in China.

University of Copenhagen UNLEASH Nomination

As a knowledge partner of UNLEASH, ThinkChina/UCPH can nominate 5 students from UCPH who can apply with a nomination code.nominated applicants will be exempted from the first round of screening.

Please note that nominated talents are not guaranteed participation in UNLEASH. All applicants will be subjected to a merit-based assessment process.

What do nominated talents commit to?

Once accepted to UNLEASH, talents commit to:

  • Attending the entire 8-day UNLEASH 2019 program, taking place from 6-13 November 2019 in Shenzhen, China.
  • Working in a team to co-create ideas and solutions within selected SDG-themes. This includes developing insights in collaboration with others, and pivoting, modifying, and changing ideas when necessary.
  • Striving to find ways to continue contributing their talents towards the SDGs after their participation in UNLEASH 2019 has ended, e.g. by contributing to solving social or sustainability-related issues in their local communities.
  • Paying a one-time participation fee of US$ 150 to attend UNLEASH. With this fee, UNLEASH covers talent travel to and from Shenzhen, accommodation, meals, and local transport during the program, and all other program-related costs. Please note that a limited number of scholarships will be provided based on financial need.

Please apply for the official University of Copenhagen UNLEASH nomination through this link. The deadline for nomination application is April 4th 2019!

More information about requirements below:

What is UNLEASH?

UNLEASH is a global non-profit initiative aiming to address the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by bringing together 1,000 young talents each year until 2030 to innovate and collaborate on new solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. UNLEASH 2019 will take place in Shenzhen, China, and is currently looking to source international and local talents who meet the below criteria.

What talents are we looking for?

UNLEASH accepts top talents aged 20-35, who demonstrate a high level of motivation and qualification according to the following criteria:

  1. Demonstrated passion and commitment to solving some of the world’s pressing challenges
  2. Possession of a creative and innovative mindset
  3.  Willingness to engage in co-creation with peers and experts
  4. High proficiency in English with the ability to engage in complex discussions

Furthermore, talents should match at least 1 of 4 distinct profiles:

  • Entrepreneurs: Recently launched/or considered launching start-ups, organizations, or campaigns at a very early stage (both non- and for-profit).
  • Intrapreneurs: Improved or changed entities, e.g. through R&D, business development, or organizational changes.
  • Academia: Acquired in-depth content knowledge, e.g. via a PhD position, post-doc position, research projects, or advanced master courses.
  • Technical experts: Possession of skills, tools and know-how (e.g. within engineering, design, technology, crafting and finance) enabling development of physical or software-based solutions.

What talents are we not looking for?

UNLEASH is not an accelerator program. As such, applicants will not qualify for UNLEASH if they have:

  • Launched the idea that they are applying with as a start-up that they are working on full-time in a paid capacity.
  • Have generated significant revenue (e.g. from customers, users) or raised a large amount in funding (e.g. from grants, investors) for their most recent idea.
  • Have multiple full-time paid employees working on their most recent idea.

For more information about UNLEASH, please visit the official website