2026 September

OpenInnovation –

  • OpenInnovation –

    Challenge 4

    Rethinking Plastic Waste in Egyptian Cities

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    Egypt is undergoing a critical green and digital transition, where addressing climate challenges and building sustainable economic systems requires new approaches driven by innovation, technology, and youth engagement. However, significant unmet needs remain at societal, institutional, and individual levels. 

    Challenge track winner: Team maʿ baʿḍ

    Student teams’ solutions to the challenge:

    The Cooperative maʿ baʿḍ

    Team maʿ baʿḍ

    Aleksandra Bobusic, Ali Abdelwahab, Arnau Costa, Luisa Hostlowsky and Waad Saber.

    Connecting the pieces of the Egyptian Plastic Economy

    Team MOSAIC

    Carl Rune Bernhard, Mark Giles, Khadija Marhadi, Fiona Duggan-Fuchs, Mawada Mahfouz and Meyar Muhammedd.

    The Cairo Green Hub

    Team The Cairo Green Hub

    Elena Silvestrin, Priyanka Emmanuel, Bercel Gerebenics, Andrea Szabó, Benedek Szücs and Tarnim Farag.

    Turning Today’s Youth Into Tomorrow’s Changemakers

    Team BOKRA | بكرا

    Tereza Kendrova, Jake Rasmussen, Kaj Ciechanowski-

    Jørgensen and Hala Fahd.

    CairoCycle

    Team Recyabie

    Elena Leow, Ahmed Hussien, Zofia Dziekonska and Carla Geraci.

    Garbitrage – Recycling for Rural Areas

    Team Garbitrage

    Ulrikke Veje, SergeyBondarik, SiddharthJain, Hannah ElSayed and Nicholas Reid.

    Striving for cleaner Cairo – a win-win for all

    Team Circular

    Morten Kryger Beck, Małgorzata

    Szostak, Julia Krol, Matías Lemus Núñez and Omar Ghynm.

  • OpenInnovation –

    Challenge 3

    Rethink Circular Materials in Retail

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    Help IKEA Denmark reach their goal of be 2030 goal of becoming fully circular and climate-positive. Today, zero-waste operations are held back by subjective grading of returned items, no real-time resale pricing, and labor-intensive manual sorting of complex, multi-material waste.

    The goal is to explore how AI, automation, and data can help IKEA make smarter circular decisions, from waste recognition to data-enabled routing and human-machine collaboration, keeping products and materials at their highest value for longer and minimizing the use of virgin materials.

    Challenge track winner: Team Blenders

    Student teams’ solutions to the challenge:

    IKEA Scan

    Team Blenders

    Simon Ramos, Emma Kristiansen, Summer Hsia, Jonas Kersting and Omar Montelongo.

    IKEA Circular Knowledge Hub

    Team 13 SepÖda

    Carsten Grønli, Yihhsin Hsiao, Thaís Matos, Chizhi Liu and Deakshat Harshan Arounkumar.

    Round 2

    Team Round 2

    Abdelrhman Hatem, Johanna Boywitt, Gloriano Sherifi, Flore Goupil, Anirudh Sonti and Nikhil Kaarthik

    IKEA Loop

    Team IKEA Loop

    Álvaro Martí, Nessma Fouad, Patricia Salas, Sara Khedr and Jacob Wierup

    IKEA CIRCA

    Team Sweet16

    Marine Gaebler, Hang Nguyen, Artur Małuszek, Rachel Hogg, Jaymin Panchasara and Nithiyashri Sathis.

    An Eye for Every Return

    Team EYEKEA

    Fatih, Rui, Yacob, Max, Moe and Paula.

    NextHome

    Team Full Circle Moment

    Mathis, Luca, Sadia and Magnus.

  • OpenInnovation –

    Challenge 2

    Reducing Floodings through River Waste Management in Sierra Leone

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    Sierra Leone is highly exposed to the impacts of climate change, particularly in rapidly growing urban areas such as Freetown. During the rainy season, blocked drainage systems and polluted waterways contribute to frequent flooding, damaging homes, disrupting access to essential services, and increasing the risk of disease outbreaks.

    The goal: Develop a solution that continuously engages local communities in running river-waste collection initiatives and strengthens resilience to flooding.

    Challenge track winner: Team YUZ BAK

    Student teams’ solutions to the challenge:

    Plastic Intervention Educational Program

    Team YUZ BAK

    Ana Ariyan Aydin, Gabriel Tovar, Gabriel Caraballo Ruiz and
    Nihal Elsayed.

    From Plastic to Flood Prevention

    Team From Plastic to Flood Prevention

    Kata Rácz, Elizabeth Aakesson, Monica Mercedes Figuera Rios, Nikolaos Avgerinos, Ebbe Schou and Tarrun Selvan.

    Plastic Freetown: Idea-validation project

    Team Plastic Freetown

    Jo, Mansingh, Gaia, Samuel and Sofia.

    “Sorting, Awareness & Bridging” Initiative (SABI)

    Team SABI

    Ambah Brøndum-Christensen, Ella Lloansi Gelabert, Esben Holdt Christensen, Mahault Genton and Zina A. Saha.

  • OpenInnovation –

    Challenge 1

    Circular Futures – Waste to Worth for Families in Kibera

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    100% for the Children is an international NGO working with local communities in Kenya to improve education, child protection, health and climate resilience. In Kibera, many families rely on irregular, low-paid work, making it difficult to build financial stability and provide secure futures for their children.

    The challenge explores how waste can be transformed into products, services and local businesses that create more stable incomes and greater financial independence for caregivers, while supporting a cleaner and more climate-resilient community.

    Challenge track winner: Team Phoenix

    Student teams’ solutions to the challenge:

    From Scraps to School Plates

    Team Phoenix

    Emma, Lanelle, Leo and Mai.

    The BLUE ZONE Project

    Team Wone

    Sára Júlia Eszik, Mia Blackwell Gonzalez, Anmol Agarwal and Letícia Nakada.

    Waste to Wealth

    Team Waste to Wealth

    Augustina, Sebastian, Julius, Mohd. Mahdiussaman, Johanna and Shetu.

    Connecting Kibera – One Bead at a Time

    Team Kibera ReBeads

    Nityapriya Hari Krishnan, Hanna Larios, Ashraf Mahmoud and Alicia Kelpert

    FoodNet

    Team Waste for Taste

    Jose Manuel Martinez Soriano, Maria Gaito, Mona Hein Larsen and Dumitru.

    Plastaka: Building modules

    Team Plastaka

    Pamela Roldan, Sama Lasheen, Natalia Rojas C., Sourav Dehury and Lourdes Salazar.

Link to home page.

OpenInnovation is Copenhagen’s flagship student innovation challenge, bringing over 120 students, researchers, and sustainable innovation enthusiasts together with innovation experts and key actors in the Danish ecosystems.

Contact

Sara Dømler
Project Manager
sardera@dtu.dk