70 entrepreneurs working to further the UN Sustainable Development Goals have been selected for the 2022 Leaders in Innovation Fellowships (LIF) Global programme. They are set to receive entrepreneurship and commercialisation support from the Royal Academy of Engineering to accelerate the development of businesses and innovations that address a variety of challenges, from food security and disease prevention to plastic waste and electrifying transport.
LIF is a training and mentorship programme that provides equity-free support to entrepreneurs around the world. It supports individuals who are engineering local solutions to some of humanity’s greatest challenges and transforming social outcomes, as well as creating economic opportunities for their communities.
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Barbados and Romania join the programme this year as new partner countries, with innovators selected for the ingenuity of their projects, and their potential to contribute to development goals. Supported by the UK Government’s Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), the ten partner countries of LIF Global 2022 are: Barbados, Brazil, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Romania, and Thailand.
Romanian scientist Dr Costin-Ioan Popescu, founder of Prothanor Biotech, has been selected for his rapid diagnostic test for Hepatitis viruses B, C and D. Using just one patient sample, the affordable test will help to unlock new levels of detection and disease prevention in Low and Middle Income countries (LMICs), where hepatitis viruses are underdiagnosed. It is one of the first rapid tests in the world to screen for Hepatitis D, the most serious hepatitis variant. The World Health Organisation estimates that 4.5 million premature deaths could be prevented globally by 2030 through better detection and treatment of the virus.
Another participant is Kerri-Ann Bovell, founder of BioMaterials/EcoMyco in Barbados. Her innovation involves the creation of biomaterial packaging, utilising microorganisms, accessible natural materials, and agricultural waste in an effort to eliminate plastic waste and fight the plastic crisis in the Caribbean. Made of products such as Sargassum seaweed, coconut husks, sweet potato and cassava peels, and manufactured to be used in injection moulding machines and 3D printers, the biomaterial packaging also offers new economic potential to the agricultural community on the island, unlocking new sources of revenue for farmers.
Over the next six months, the full LIF Global cohort will receive intensive training, including online and in-person events both in-country and in the UK. The entrepreneurs will be able to connect with diverse local innovation networks and LIF peers and receive tailored entrepreneurship instruction and 1:1 expert mentoring, delivered through Shine, a consortium of partners made up of the University of Suffolk, ChangeSchool and Mowgli Mentoring. The programme concludes with exclusive access to LIF’s unique online alumni community with continued support for years to come.
Meredith Ettridge, Head of Sustainable Development at the Royal Academy of Engineering, said: “Entrepreneurship and engineering combined is a powerful force for good, as shown by the dizzying array of innovation in this cohort. Their skills and passion demonstrate the LIF community’s potential for building engineering and leadership capacity in their respective countries, and it is an honour to support them as they drive economic opportunity and long-lasting development.”
LIF has attracted international praise and strengthened partnerships between nations since its launch in 2015, with its companies catalysing more than 2,600 jobs around the world and securing more than $86 million in funding. All participants join an alumni community of 1,000+ engaged and passionate global entrepreneurs and can access the Academy’s suite of international programmes that provide tailored funding, training and support to researchers and entrepreneurs and links to the UK innovation ecosystem. The programme is currently seeking partners and funders to help reach thousands more.
