Dal News

Discover life changing ideas — before they change your life

You’re invited to a pitch competition where the world is the winner

Andrew Riley - August 31, 2023

Tina Taskovic, one of two winners of Falling Walls Lab Atlantic Canada last year. (Credit: Falling Walls)

Some of Atlantic Canada’s brightest minds are set to pitch scientific and social innovations with the potential to transform the world — and you could have a front row seat.

At the Falling Walls Lab Atlantic Canada pitch competition on September 7 at 6:30 p.m. at the Halifax Central Library, 12 students and alumni will stand centre stage to make their case for why their research-based innovations are best suited to help humanity thrive. Drawn from a pool of applicants from across the region, those pitching will have just three minutes to impress a panel of distinguished judges with their impactful ideas.

The stakes are high. The winner receives an expense-paid trip to the global finals of the competition at the Falling Walls Science Summit in Berlin, Germany on November 7. There, they will share their breakthrough solutions with an audience including Nobel Laureates and thought leaders from around the globe.

Attendees of the free competition will be treated to lightning-fast presentations providing a glimpse into the freshest thinking on ending food inequality, revolutionizing battery science, creating biodegradable plastic alternatives, tackling waterborne disease, and much more.

“The world faces dire challenges that require urgent solutions. But this generation of university students and recent graduates provides promise for a better future. They just need to be empowered. That’s what the Falling Walls competition is all about – giving our young thought leaders the space to be heard and to provide hope for the future,” says Dr. Alice Aiken, Dalhousie’s vice president research and innovation, whose office sponsors and organizes the event.