Fundación MAPFRE today announced that three projects from the U.S. will advance to its Social Innovation Awards grand finale in May. The awards, in its sixth year and launched in partnership with IE University, recognize innovative projects with the potential for strong social impact in three categories: e‑Health, sustainable mobility and the silver economy.
More than 365 projects were submitted to the competition from around the world, with 12 finalists advancing to the finale to be held at the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid, Spain. In addition to the three projects from the U.S., other finalists competing for the Social Innovation Awards are from Spain, Germany, Brazil, Chile and Guatemala.
One winner from each of the three categories will receive a cash prize of €40,000 to help fund their project. Winners will also receive consultancy services provided by Fundación EY. MAPFRE is pleased to partner with EY’s foundation in this sixth edition of the awards.
In addition, all finalists will have access to MAFPRE’s innovation network, a community of finalists from previous Social Innovations Awards contests and experts offering coaching, events and opportunities to share knowledge and collaborate on transformational projects.
From the U.S., the three finalists are:
- e-Health category finalist: Dr. Jennifer Arnold with Boston Children’s Hospital – Ready.Sim.Go. The project includes a prototype for a mannequin that can be used to train parents and caregivers of children with complex medical conditions as part of the patient discharge education process.
- Silver economy category finalist: Dr. Shea Gregg with FallCall Solutions – FallCall Detect. FallCall Detectis an app built on Apple Watch intended for seniors and caregivers that deploys patented fall detection to determine severity of falls.
- Sustainable mobility category finalist: Ryan Frankel with This App Saves Lives (TASL). TASL is a mobile app-based solution addressing dangerous distracted driving behavior.
“These projects are exciting as innovative solutions to address urgent social needs,” said Jaime Tamayo, Chief Representative of Fundación MAPFRE in the United States and Chief Executive Officer of MAPFRE USA. “The groundbreaking work being done by these groups in the U.S. is being driven by a passion for bettering people’s lives. We are excited for them to compete on a global stage for the Social Innovation Awards.”
About Fundacion MAPFRE
Fundación MAPFRE is a nonprofit organization created by MAPFRE in 1975 to promote the well-being of society and citizens across the company’s footprint. Active in 30 countries, Fundación MAPFRE focuses on five areas: Road Safety and Accident Prevention, including fires, mishaps at home and drownings; Insurance and Social Protection; Culture; Social Action; and Health Promotion. Please visit https://www.fundacionmapfre.org/en/ for more information about Fundación MAPFRE.