We asked for your big ideas to change the world. This is what you shared

UpLink and TikTok have partnered to source innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing issues under the #MyBigidea campaign.

Launched on 25 January 2021, alongside the first ever virtual Davos Agenda event, the campaign received 30,000 video submissions, garnering over 500 million views - and counting.

These were the best of the bunch, according to view count, likes and expert review.

The inventors:

Wonderfil is developing and deploying refill stations for liquid and cream products that normally come in plastic bottles, and boosting the circular economy as a result. Their innovative refill stations can be integrated into existing supermarkets and college campuses and their people-first design makes it easy for customers to see how much money they are saving.

TeknTrash is trying to fill the missing link in product lifecycles and consumption data by tracking “Point of Disposal”. Their first POD tool, Stipra provides consumption data based on pictures of products taken by users when they are disposing of their household products in exchange for virtual points and rewards.

The Convertible IV Pole is a patent pending health invention that improves the mobility of a person undergoing IV therapy. Most IV’s today are attached to fixed poles with rollable wheels, but navigating hospitals with these poles can be awkward and dangerous.

The Convertible IV Pole can be adapted for carrying on the shoulder of a user when it is detached from the height adjusting post. The height adjusting post can then be further adapted as a walking stick when it is detached from the wheel supporting base.

Thinking big:

ITU and Unicef have teamed up in a bid to equip the 3.6 billion schoolkids worldwide who currently lack access to the Internet, with the digital tools and connectivity they need. Their Giga Connect initiative aims to fast track young people’s access to educational resources and opportunities.

Wanjuhi Ngoroge is a social entrepreneur and World Economic Forum Global Shaper whose goal is to connect rural parts of Africa via her start-up Nelig Group Ltd and the Forum’s Internet For All initiative. Her big idea is to turn local primary schools into ICT centres and sources of WIFI for surrounding communities.

Voted as the Best Water Crisis Management Solution at the 2019 Southern Africa Startup Awards, LiGE’s air-to-water system uses clean wind or solar energy to produce a minimum of 500 litres of clean water per day, out of thin air. And it barely costs a thing.

UpLink innovators:

CitiesRise is pushing the frontiers of science and community experience to make our cities more 'mental health friendly' following the pandemic. Experience from hubs around the world is helping inform the policies and programmes being used to lay the foundation for a Mental Health Friendly Cities (MHFC) framework.

JustDiggit empowers millions of farmers through media and communication and to regreen degraded land via low-cost, scalable landscape restoration techniques. Their solution of digging trenches which collect rainfall has already resulted in billions of litres of water and helped regreen 60,000 hectares across two countries.

Pinovo’s innovative circular sandblasting technique is tackling the biggest source of ocean microplastics you didn’t know about - paint.

Using a special vacuum system, Pinovo avoids paint scraps being blown into the environment by recapturing the paint particles. They then recycle these scraps, further reducing pollution and CO2 emissions.

Get involved:

While the TikTok campaign is no longer trending, it’s not too late to participate. UpLink has a variety of topics and challenges that need your big ideas. To find out more, sign up to UpLink.