MENA Grad Show is a platform that brings together academic innovators from the Middle East and North Africa who are working on solutions for social and environmental challenges. Launched in 2020 as an integral component of Global Grad Show, it gives an international stage to the plurality of young talent from the region and opens avenues for discovery and knowledge exchange internationally. The initiative is founded under the principles of equality, innovation and creativity as catalysts for a better world. The inaugural edition saw submissions from 36 universities, from which 50 of the best-in-class projects were selected to be part of a physical showcase during Dubai Design Week, and also here, digitally.
Cmd+EH is a creative movement to put graphic design at the service of social and environamental challenges.
American University of Sharjah
Misconceptions about food preparation and storage, often rooted in tradition, lead to waste and unhealthy habits.
Lack of awareness on the issue of Alzheimer’s can lead to inadequate patient care and isolation.
The Alzheimer’s Personal Companion is a personal monitoring system for caregivers looking after at-home Alzheimer’s patients.
Water consumption in agriculture accounts for 75% of our total fresh water use, greatly contributing to the issue if water scarcity.
The American University in Cairo
The project explores the way in which Egyptians communicate, focusing specifically on the written language the crossovers between language variations.
American University of Sharjah
"Benev’lnt” is an innovative solution to problems of waste in the clothing and textile industry arising from fast fashion.
The American University in Cairo
Human genome editing is one of today's most debated technologies.
Notre Dame University – Louaize
The building Burj El Murr stands in Beirut as a monumental reminder of the 1975 Lebanese civil war.
Camp-cycle is a camp experience for the 7-14 age group, encouraging participants to engage in up-cycling activities related to the pollution of the Nile River.
Middle East Technical University
The incidence of asthma has increased in recent years and children are particularly more affected.
Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University
Compass is an open sourced navigation system for the visually impaired to move around independently.
Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI)
A new system to process date farming byproducts into a range of upcycled materials
A game created to help children with limited access to education to learn the basics of Arabic language.
Using Palm leaves fibres and ash to reduce cement content in concrete
The American University in Cairo
An educational game to enhance social awareness and engagement.
Middle East Technical University
A discreet, wearable device to support nursing mother in preventing breast engorgement
Middle East Technical University
A cochlear implant is a surgically implanted neuroprosthetic device that provides a sense of sound to a person with moderate to profound nonneural hearing loss.
Flight Bud is a new method for easier navigation inside airports in the context of pandemics.
Greenwave is a recycling initiative created to provoke action and raise awareness about the importance of recycling plastic in Egypt.
Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT)
"Hear me out" is an educational book designed to aid children with autism spectrum disorder express their feelings and needs.
Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI)
HUGO is an empathic symbiotic creature that interacts with humans, responding to their emotional state.
The American University in Cairo
People with disabilities are confronted with countless struggles in public and private places.
Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI)
Inner voice is a healing device that detects human emotion at work and cues music to help cope with stress.
New York University Abu Dhabi (NYU)
Jagged is a tech-enabled solution for students in the process of selecting their university, using machine learning features to support the screening and assessment of options.
Looking at the housing environment of laborers inside crowded communities, the project proposes a more human-centered living space, creating space-efficient individual module pods.
Megajoule is a board game that explores the importance of sustainability.
32% of Egyptians live within rural areas with limited acces to public lighting and electricity.
Tools for the visually impaired
Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI)
Nexus is a device designed to bring the experience of interacting with a painting to the visually impaired.
American University of Sharjah
Children suffering from post-traumatic stress disorders face challenges expressing their emotions.
Iran University of Science and Technology
To co-exist with other species, we need to understand their behavior. Sometimes birds ingest cigarette butts, mistaking them for food.
An interactive educational toy to help children understand and deal with trauma and negative emotions.