On September 18, the final of Social Impact Award (SIA), an international competition for social projects, was held in Astana. This year, 15 teams of school and university students from across Kazakhstan took part in the program. Following their pitches to an expert jury, four winning teams shared a prize fund of KZT 3,000,000 and earned the opportunity to present their projects at the SIA Global Summit in Montenegro.
Social Impact Award (SIA) is an international program supporting young people developing projects to address social challenges. The program operates in 30 countries worldwide. Its mission is to help turn social ideas into sustainable projects with real impact on society. In Kazakhstan, the program is implemented by NU Impact Foundation and NU Alumni as part of the NU community.
In the three months leading up to the final, participants did more than refine their ideas. They developed and tested hypotheses, identified who actually needed their products, built sustainable business models, and prepared to present and defend their projects publicly. The program brought together the NU community: participants came from across Kazakhstan, while NU alumni served as mentors and experts.
“As NU alumni, we decided to go beyond our own community and support talented young people from across Kazakhstan. We wanted to give them access to the knowledge, experience, and support that can help turn their ideas into real projects. It is inspiring to see alumni come together for this purpose and invest their time and energy in the next generation,” said Aigerim Dzhanalinova, SIA Kazakhstan organizer.
Competition Results
Following the project presentations, a nine-member expert jury representing the entrepreneurial, technology, and social sectors selected four winning projects:
Banana Patch – an affordable solution for quickly stopping bleeding, made using banana peels.
EndoSim – a simulator for future endoscopists.
OnAITynys – a device and digital platform for monitoring breathing, pulse, and oxygen saturation in people with asthma.
SnP – an affordable sip-and-puff assistive device that enables people with quadriplegia to control a computer hands-free using their breath.
The teams shared a prize fund of KZT 3,000,000 and earned the opportunity to present their projects at the SIA Global Summit in Montenegro.