YouthTech Competition Applications Now Open

ADEK and startAD Open Applications for Inaugural YouthTech Competition for young innovators between the ages of 18-29

Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) has joined forces with startAD, the Abu Dhabi-based global accelerator anchored at NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) and powered by its partner Tamkeen to launch the inaugural edition of the YouthTech Competition.

Developed in response to COVID-19, the YouthTech Competition, which will be held virtually, is aimed at young innovators in the UAE who are passionate about developing tech-enabled solutions for some of the greatest global challenges across the themes of education, the economy, infrastructure, and society. UAE innovators can register until August 8 at youthtech.ae, with the competition scheduled to commence on August 17.

The competition is part of Abu Dhabi Inspires, a programme that promotes agile thinking and supports bright minds to invent, develop and launch tangible ideas that will have a positive impact on people now and into the future.

Over a period of four weeks, accepted participants will receive training that will equip them with the skills to transform their concepts into entrepreneurial projects. The competition encourages youth to work on solutions that envision remote education tools, enable economic activity virtually, design infrastructure projects to benefit communities, and foster social collaboration online.

The competition does not require prior background in entrepreneurship, but successful applicants should be able to show interest and curiosity in entrepreneurship and innovation. A total cash prize of AED 25,000 will be distributed among the winning participants to assist in realising their startup concepts. Top teams will also have the opportunity to further advance their innovations through startAD programs.

Interested participants can apply on youthtech.ae. Applications should be 500 words in length, containing a problem and solution statement for a tech-enabled startup that focuses on providing digital solutions for the challenge themes impacted by COVID-19.

To learn more about NYU Abu Dhabi, visit nyuad.nyu.edu

About NYU Abu Dhabi

NYU Abu Dhabi is the first comprehensive liberal arts and science campus in the Middle East to be operated abroad by a major American research university. NYU Abu Dhabi has integrated a highly-selective liberal arts, engineering and science curriculum with a world center for advanced research and scholarship enabling its students to succeed in an increasingly interdependent world and advance cooperation and progress on humanity’s shared challenges. NYU Abu Dhabi’s high-achieving students have come from 115 nations and speak over 115 languages. Together, NYU’s campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai form the backbone of a unique global university, giving faculty and students opportunities to experience varied learning environments and immersion in other cultures at one or more of the numerous study-abroad sites NYU maintains on six continents.