Global Innovation Gathering (GIG)

Whether we like it or not, black African hair is political. Mugethi Gitau, a Kenyan woman who is obsessed with natural hair discusses various aspects of navigating the politics of black African hair.

Wer sind eigentlich diese Maker, was unterscheidet sie von Hackern und was treibt sie an? Seit rund zehn Jahren wächst die Szene, inspiriert von der Hackerkultur und vorangetrieben durch wegweisende DIY-Projekte wie 3D-Drucker und Arduino-Boards. Wir haben uns angeschaut, was Maker ausmacht und wie die Szene nicht nur weltweit, sondern insbesondere im deutschsprachigen Raum aussieht.

What are use cases for the blockchain beyond digital currencies? Land rights ledgers, anti-corruption tools, smart contracts...There are many possibilities, and as GIG we want to explore a few of them from all over the globe. We want to discuss critical questions, but also the potential that the blockchain has for collective yet distributed actions, like co-creation and co-manufacturing.

Digitally speaking tackles the issue of security for women in India and across the globe.
We have designed a product that is equipped with technologies like camera, SOS and GPS signals, which does video recording, and sends out the exact location of anyone under distress. Our work addresses the current social challenges with the fusion of technology and fashion. It is not just a fashion statement but with the integration of technology it is used as a mode of communication and virtual connectivity, or virtual companion with optimum usage.

Connecting the Startups graduating from Incubators & Accelerators (regionally and globally) is the purpose of this Startups Exchange Programme. Startups matchmaking have to be supported by the managers of Incubators & Accelerators. In this meetup, we will be discussing how we could take it further and start the implementation of this Exchange Programme among the Network. Imagine facilitating the fusion between two innovative minds/expertise and allowing exposure in different markets beyond local ones.

Nowadays, the empowerment of subjects from poor classes necessarily involves access, diffusion and production of information. The narratives built by the hegemonic media and, on the other hand, by the new channels of communication that appear in the global peripheries are proof that the data are in dispute in the world. To whom do data belong? For whom are they more or less available? How to make the data visible to guarantee new narratives that allow the development of communities of rights?

In times of global political turmoil, global development needs strong advocates. It’s time for us, citizens and advocates, to ask our governments to take on responsibility for global challenges. But how? The first step towards asking your government to engage is to understand how it works. This workshop gives you the opportunity to get familiar with the Donor Tracker: a digital toolbox that brings together data-driven insights and qualitative analysis on international development funding. Let’s get started.

Eventually, we want the entire experience of pregnancy and birth to become a matter of joy and fulfilment – not pain and death. It is this common vision that we share across our network in Kenya, Germany, Tanzania and Cameroon and that forms the core of our innovations. mHealth solutions are often developed in “silos” in single island fashion, and while being successful, they don’t have the “collective and multiplicative” power to make significant and transformative change to our health systems or create synergies for joy and well-being of the citizens. We believe that only through pooling our collective intelligence, resources of all stakeholders, including policy makers, ICT specialist, medical staff, community health workers, private and public sector coming together, we can make a true positive and significant impact.

While the world is still looking at Silicon Valley, the real innovation happens in developing countries. Coworking Spaces, Innovation Labs, Maker Spaces, Incubators are popping up in many of those buzzing cities full of chaos - and innovation. The sheer amount of problems to be solved in these cities and countries leave unlimited opportunities for entrepreneurs.

The challenge to beat, to establish a dynamic and successful ecosystem, is the lack of knowledge and experience in the country. Most of the players, from government over investors to entrepreneurs, don’t have the necessary access to the best practices from other places. That’s where “homecomers” play a significant role: often educated and packed with experiences from developed markets, they make either startups themselves or build incubators to invest their capital and share their knowledge with the talented future entrepreneurs. Three women will share their experiences and learnings from setting up a community innovation space.

A two weeks journey of upcycling took place in Palestine and offered a shared experience to six students - An intercultural, interdisciplinary team from Germany, France, and Palestine, created an exhibition about upcycling products and against throwaway culture.

Large parts of the earth remain cut off from the Internet. In the Amazon region, together with a farmers association in the Brazilian Amazon and grad students, we have implemented a model of internet access, and developed internet governance, that puts communities at the center.

Since the start of the so called 'War on Drugs' waged by the Philippine government when President Duterte took office in June 30, 2016, the number of alleged extra judicial killings has reached over 7,000 as of January 22, 2017. The government, citizenry, media, and human rights advocates have disputing claims about the nature, legitimacy, perpetrators, and root causes of these killings. By establishing a continuous mapping project that will include geolocation and accompanying bio and meta data, it may be possible to glean deeper insight on the data which could help reinforce or debunk either parties' claims.