Innovation: A change for Myanmar

FNF Myanmar has been holding the Falling Walls Country Lab Myanmar every year since 2016 in order to address the lack of incentives for innovation.

The Falling Walls Lab provides a space for creative minds meet and to share their ideas, as well as to receive recognition for out-of-the-box-thinking and research. The Falling Walls competition is an international platform to showcase the quality, diversity and passion of the next generation.

The applicants of the lab receive a training under the guidance of an expert team prior to the Falling Walls event day. On the competition day, the candidates need to pitch the essence of their idea in only 3 minutes, using only 3 power point slides.

Khin Sandar Win, the winner of Falling Walls Lab 2017 says: "This Falling Walls Lab is a good competition indeed because it cheers on and promotes outstanding innovators, researchers andacademics in our country. That’s why I hope that more technicians and innovators from Myanmar will be promoted through Falling Walls in the future".

The country lacks incentives for innovation and as a result, Myanmar’s economy is developing at a slow pace. FNF Myanmar believes that an atmosphere where every innovator can share their ideas and think out of the box should be created to promote new solutions and businesses to strengthen the economy.

“With this falling walls lab, we are looking for innovative ideas, change makers from Myanmar and we may be produce something, an idea and that will make the next wall fall. You might know this is the very German thing and last fall of the Berlin wall, that change not only Germany changed the world. And now looking for the innovative young people, innovative young talents from Myanmar. We want to show the world that there are some very creative people here in Myanmar,” Katrin Bannach, Head of Programmes, FNF Myanmar and Thailand, said in her opening speech of this year’s event.

“I’m very glad to receive this award because I would like to go and see the development of the teaching software in Berlin or any other countries. I presented about breaking the wall of Myanmar education barrier and we have some teaching, learning material that should be used in the classroom to improve the teacher’s capacities and available materials and the students can broaden their way of thinking. It represents directive teaching and directive software for the development of teaching technology,” Dr. Thant Htoo Aung, the winner of FWL Myanmar 2018, said to the present Myanmar International TV reporter (quote has been adjusted for readability).

Also this year the participants came from various backgrounds – from a medical university, a bank, and a youth empowerment organization, amongst others, participated in this year’s Falling Walls Lab Myanmar.

The winner qualifies directly for the Lab Finale in Berlin on 8 November 2018 as one of 100 international and interdisciplinary participants (travel costs and accommodation are covered).

And the winner is awarded a ticket for the international Falling Walls Conference on 9 November 2018 where some of the world’s most prominent scientists from around the world present their current breakthrough research in 15 minutes each.

FNF will support all the relating expenses for the implementation of the Falling Walls Competition and the travel costs of the winner to travel to Berlin for Falling Walls Finale.