All media invited to join “PitchDay” of the National Biomimicry Design Challenge on 1 June

Kyiv, 31 May 2021 – Engineers, designers, inventors, innovators and students from across Ukraine have responded to a call for new inventions to combat the growing challenge of landfills, dirty air and environmental pollution.  Their ideas and proposals will be presented tomorrow on Tuesday, 1 June at “PitchDay” of the National Biomimicry Design Challenge.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine, the Institute of Biomimicry (USA) and local partners announced the Challenge launched the challenge in March this year to explore ideas inspired by natural systems and organisms to solve the waste problem in Ukraine.  The campaign, which ran under the hashtag #DesignOutWaste! (#ДизайнБезВідходів!) called for new ideas, based on old principles of nature, to make our production and consumption cycles more sustainable.

Manal Fouani, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Ukraine, said the competition is rooted in biomimicry – on inspiration from nature. “After all,” she said, “nature produces no waste. It is in harmony with itself. With the National Biomimicry Design Challenge, we are planting the seeds of nature- inspired innovations in Ukraine. Let’s learn from our nature to continue living in a better planet.”

Three winning teams will receive mentorship and support from UNDP Ukraine’s Accelerator Lab and its partners in preparing the project and submitting it to the International Biomimicry Global Challenge. The winning teams also will participate in the Ukrainian Future Business Incubator and will be able to meet with international partners to further development their ideas.

WHAT: The national challenge is a national selection round for the international Biomimicry Global Design Challenge.  Biomimicry describes the process of learning from and mimicking strategies found in nature to solve human design challenges. In essence, nature has already found a solution to all the challenges we face (find out more in this free online course).

WHO: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine and the Biomimicry Institute in the United States in partnership with the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, Ukrainian Future Business Incubator of the National Centre of “Junior Academy of Science of Ukraine'', the Biodiversity Foundation, NGO Plato, NGO Tarilka, Synchro Space, Change Agency Responsible Future, as well as businesses, local authorities and universities.

WHEN: The unveiling will take place online from 16:00 to 18:00 on Tuesday, 1 June 2021.

WHERE: Online. Free registration: https://bit.ly/3fi76Ol

LANGUAGES: Ukrainian, with interpretation into sign language and English.

MORE INFORMATION: Yuliia Samus, Communications Officer, yuliia.samus@undp.org         

All registered participants will have a chance to win a hoodie from the Symbioz project, representing the ideas of equality between people and nature.