Social innovation and social entrepreneurship are key to finding local, sustainable solutions to large global problems. Social innovators have and continue to use tech-based solutions to grand challenges faced by our planet, societies, and economy. Undoubtedly, technology and social impact are symbiotically linked.
World over, academic institutions are pivotal in nurturing students who can impact social change at scale. When educational institutions provide an ecosystem where they nurture the intrinsic motivation of researchers to provide creative solutions to world problems, social innovation thrives.
Plaksha University is an example of a higher education institution - backed by a global community of entrepreneurs, business leaders and academics - who value social innovation. The university provides a platform for researchers’ and students’ desire for cross-disciplinary collaboration to find novel technology-driven solutions for challenges in healthcare, agriculture, water scarcity, data security and more.
As a part of the coursework at Plaksha, the Innovation Lab & Grand Challenge Studio coursework and the Grand Challenge Lecture Series introduces undergraduate and postgraduate students respectively to the Grand Challenges at the interface of societal needs and technological capabilities. It offers the opportunity for students to develop an interdisciplinary appreciation for engineering from a technical perspective as well as from a global and historical perspective.
Not only does Plaksha empower its graduates with a deep understanding of science and technology but also nurtures them to become critical thinkers, effective communicators, and empathetic and creative leaders who will address grand challenges facing our planet.
