IdeasLab

The world is changing faster than ever before. Population growth, resource limits, environmental challenges, economic volatility: the world of the 21st century is rife with risk and opportunity. Amid the tidal wave of change, there is one certainty: progress will be achieved through the power of ideas, shared widely and acted upon by those who have the drive to make change. The IdeasLabs series presents the best ideas from the world’s leading minds.

Novel Vaccines for Child Health "If child health outcomes are to be improved in remote areas, new technologies for the delivery and distribution of vaccines are needed." Susan Lea 00
Augmented Reality “We want to put Augmented Reality into the hands of the millions of people who know how to create content, as a step towards realizing the potential.” Blair MacIntyre 01
Public Policy "To meet the challenges of the "new reality", the educational system must help prepare a new breed of exceptional public leaders." David T Ellwood 02
Organisms as Chemical Factories "Using non-food biomass to produce fuels and chemicals in highly efficient microbial chemical factories may ease dependence on fossil fuels." Kristala Prather 03
Preventing and Treating Chronic Disease "Prioritizing crucial chronic disease research projects for maximum health and social benefit for the greatest proportion of the population." Francis Collins 04
Gaining Understanding from Data Visualization "Data visualization combines data and design to give insight and understanding to complex issues." Adam Bly 05
Digital Inclusion "True connectivity will occur when the entire global population can exist and operate in the online world." Calvin Chin 06
Mobile Financial Services for All "Distributing affordable banking services to remote areas via the ubiquitous mobile handset." Carol L Realini 07
The Car of the Future "Alternative transport technologies offer only partial substitutes to the traditional combustion engine." Alfred Rufer 08
Tackling Climate Change "Although climate change challenges are clear, public policy is moving slowly. Its progress must be unblocked." Lord Stern 09
Social Media for Social Good "ForGood.co.za is social networking platform for social good. How can it achieve its potential?" Garth Japhet 10
Microinsurance to Protect Poorest Haitians "Microinsurance and other risk mitigation tools help protect business assets in countries prone to natural disasters," Anne Hastings 11
Biocatalysis "Truly effective final-stage drug testing needs an environment that mimics the actual conditions of the human body." Jonathan Dordick 12
Curing Unhappiness "Understanding how brains produce emotions and behaviours will provide clues to the biological basis of common disorders such as depression and anxiety." Jonathan Flint 13
Innovating with Risk and Uncertainty "It’s the business leader’s role to prepare for the future, but the future is not always predictable. Uncertainty is constant." Anil Gaba 14
Next Generation Chemicals and Materials "Reducing reliance on fossil fuels by producing chemicals, fuels and materials from non-food renewable biomass employing engineered high performance cells." Sang Yup Lee 15
Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science "Bringing Western and indigenous knowledge together for innovative ways to tackle shared issues." Ocean Mercier 16
Social Enterprise for Children on the Margins "Combining best business practice with that from the non-governmental sector to improve outcomes for marginalized children, youth and their families." Sebastien Marot 17
Innovation Lags "Shrinking the time lag between innovation and adoption improves productivity." Henrich Greve 18
Bio-inspired Therapeutics "Tackling antibiotic resistant superbugs with bio-inspired therapies." Ravindra Kane 19
Agricultural Sciences "Biotechnology and agricultural science offer an opportunity to tackle global food issues, and improve both the quantity and quality of food produced." Paul Nampala 20
Electric Vehicles "Electric vehicles that pick up energy only as needed wirelessly from cables laid beneath the road." Nam-Pyo Suh 21
Breakthroughs in Nanomedicine "Nanoparticles that may kill drug resistant bacteria could control their spread in environments where risk of infection is high." Sonia Trigueros 22
Safe Water for All "All communities need sustainable and self-determined access to safe water and sanitation." Gemma Bulos 23
Robotics in Medical Care "I want to create tools that will allow medical personnel, both surgeons and non-surgeons, to perform procedures that in the past were restricted only to surgeons." - Howie Choset Howie Choset 24
Unlocking Education “Solving education is not just solving education. It’s solving everything... Whatever you care about, you care about education. It is the ultimate gateway problem.” - Jose Ferreira Jose Ferreira 25
Smart Phones, Smart Farming ‘We can combining satellite technology with local knowledge and give people information fundamental to improve their world.’ - Wim Bastiaanssen Wim Bastiaanssen 26
Managing Catastrophic Risks ‘There’s enough scientific knowledge to reduce suffering, but it’s not being adequately applied.’ - Satoru Nishikawa Satoru Nishikawa 27
New Frontiers: Optogenetics ‘I hope to peak your curiosity with a vision of how we might enhance brain function as we know it, and possibly change our sense of self.’ - I-han Chou I-han Chou 28
Persuasive Gaming ‘We have yet to tap the full persuasive power of gaming.’ - Ian Bogost Ian Bogost 29

IdeasLabs are a unique format presented at World Economic Forum meetings around the world. In each IdeasLab, leading thinkers from the world’s top academic institutions present their current thinking, and the audience and their colleagues interact on their ideas.

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