National Innovation Awards winners announced at Pakistan Innovation Forum 2015

The winners for the National Innovation Awards, being held for the first time by Pakistan Innovation Foundation, have been announced in an event at Serena Hotel, Islamabad.

Just last month, Pakistan Innovation Foundation(PIF) announced its plans to introduce National Innovation Awards in Pakistan as a part of its yearly conference event, the Pakistan Innovation Forum 2015. Today, the winners of the 12 categories of innovators, startups and universities have been announced.

Promoting a motto of “Make In Pakistan”, this event was geared at promoting innovation in Pakistan and giving birth to a culture of home-grown products and provide a platform to bring forward new innovators and startups.

Speaking at the event, the Chairman of Pakistan Innovation Foundation, Saad Amanullah Khan said:

“One of the three main streams of our work is about recognizing and rewarding Pakistani Innovators. We often feel there is no innovation in Pakistan and that is not correct. There are many exemplary things that happened in Pakistan from Orangi Pilot Project, to Easy Paisa, and the like and we must recognize those innovators so that the hands of others are strengthened. As Pakistan’s leading and only champion of Innovation, the National Innovation Awards is a way for PIF to do that.”

Here is the complete list of nominess and winners of the National Innovation Awards:

Most Innovative University (Program)

Nominees:

• University of Gujrat
• Habib University
• KITE
• Information Technology University
• LUMS, SSE

Winner:
The award for the most innovative university program went to Lahore University of Management Sciences, School of Science and Engineering.

Social Innovation

Nominees:

• Pink Rickshaw
• Thaali
• LettuceBee Kids
• Naya Jeevan
• Gaming Revolution for International Development

Winner:
The Social Innovation award went to Pink Rikshaw, a women-only rickshaw service launched by Zar Aslam, president of Pakistan’s non-profit Environment Protection Fund, for the women of Pakistan.

Corporate Innovation

Nominees:

• Engro Corporation for Relocation Project
• Qarshi Industries for Johar Joshanda
• Descon for University-Industry Partnership
• Khaadi for Daring to Create a Global Brand

Winner:
In Corporate Innovation, Qarshi Industries claimed the first award.

Also Read: Pakistan Innovation Foundation launches the first ever Innovation Pavilion and Makers Showcase

Most Innovative Tech Startup

Nominees:

• PakWheels
• SoloInsight
• Sofizar
• Zaheen Machines
• Taraz Technologies.

Winner:
The award for the most innovative tech startup was nabbed by SoloInsight, a company speciliazing in biometric devices and led by one of the best entrepreneurial minds in the country, Farhan Masood.

Fintech Innovation

Nominees:

• Telenor Pakistan/Tam`eer Bank for Easypaisa
• Taazi.com for Music Monetisation Platform
• TPS/1Link for Product Innovation
• Tameer Bank for Sehat O Sakoon
• PSE Investor’s Lounge

Winner:
The first position in the category of Fintech Innovation was achieved by Tameer Bank and Telenor for their service EasyPaisa while the runner up was also claimed by Tameer Bank’s “Sehat O Sakoon”.

Civic Innovation

Nominees:

• Peshawar 2.0
• The Second Floor (T2F)
• Code for Pakistan
• Tech Valley Abbottabad
• IAmKarachi Consortium

Winner:
The Civic Innovation Award went to The Second Floor(T2F), a community space to promote open dialogue and free-speech. The community was founded and led by Sabeen Mahmud, a human right activist and NGO worker who was gunned down in April this year. The runner up award went to the Khyber Pakthunkhwa based startup community, Peshawar 2.0.

Government Innovation

Nominees:

• Punjab Information Technology Board
• NADRA
• Jhang Model of Citizen Feedback
• Election Commission of Pakistan for Voter Verification
• PITB for School Monitoring System

Winner:
In Government Innovation, NADRA managed to scrape the winning position due to their incredible work in revolutionizing the country’s national Identity Card system and bringing it up to date with the latest technologies.

Health Innovation

Nominees:

• ProCheck for Counterfeit Medicine Detection
• Indus Hospital for Paperless Charity Hospital
• doctHERs
• IRD for Innovative Technology Development
• INFOGISTIC for CloudClinik
• Heartfile for Health Financing

Winner:
The winner of the award for Health Innovation was ProCheck, a pharmaceutical industry based portal and also the creator of an anti-counterfeiting application, Asli Goli. The runners up was claimed by doctHERS

Education Innovation

Nominees:

• TeleTaleem (Ilm on Wheels)
• Knowledge Platform (Learn Smart Pakistan)
• Reading Room Project for Low Cost Blended Learning
• 3i Logic and Jugnu TV
• School of Visuals and Practicals
• Innovative Technologies in Education NUST ITE

Winner:
The award for Education Innovation went to School ofVisuals and Practicals(SOVAP) by IBA Sukkur.

Agriculture and Rural Innovation

Nominees:

• E4 Technologies for Cowlar
• NiBGE for Indigenously Developed Insect Resistant Cotton
• Markhor Shoes
• Popinjay

Winner:
The award for agriculture and rural innovation went to National Institute for Biotechnology & Genetic Engineering – NIBGE, while E4 technologies made it to the runner up position.

Industrial Innovation

Nominees:

• Forward Sports – Pvt Limited
• SPEL Group
• Packages
• Millat Tractors
• Samad Rubber Works

Winner:
The National Innovation Award for Industrial Innovation went to Packages, a shopping centre that is under construction in Lahore. The runner up in this category was Forward Sports.

Art and Design Innovation

Nominees:

• Burka Avenger
• IamKarachi Consortium
• Moor
• TEAM MUHAFIZ
• Coke Studio

Winner:
The winner for the best Art and Design Innovation was Coke Studio, the Coke-sponsored music television show that has been winning hearts around Pakistan for their live studio-recorded music performances by various popular artists, while the runner up went to Burka Avenger.

Special Awards

• Young Innovative Talent: Habab Idrees, the first Pakistani to receive dual honor at Intel ISEF 2015.
• Peoples Choice Innovator of the Year Award: CricFlex, a wearable band to determine if a bowling action is legal or not.
• Life Time Achievement Award: Syed Babar Ali, a Pakistani businessman, philanthropist, former Finance Minister of Pakistan and the founder of Lahore University of Management Sciences(LUMS).