In support of the UAE Innovation Week and as part of the Innovation Live! Summit, PepsiCo, the global food and beverage company, has launched a competition aimed at contributing to UAE’s innovation culture while engaging youth, and encouraging them to develop solutions for environmental and social challenges.

In alignment with the UAE vision to drive a culture of innovation, the ‘PepsiCo UAE Innovation Challenge’ will take place during UAE Innovation Week as part of Innovation Live! event on November 21, 2016 at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel in Dubai. It is open to UAE innovators aged between 15 and 30 with innovative ideas that will drive sustainable development and make a lasting impact when it comes to society and the environment.

The PepsiCo UAE Innovation Challenge will recognize most innovative ideas in 3 categories including environmental conservation, talent development and health and wellness. In the environment category, there is special emphasis on clean energy and water. In the talent development category, the focus is on education, talent development, skills building and the empowerment of women. And for the health and wellness categories, the focus is on leveraging technology to raise awareness and any other ideas that can improve quality of life. Applications are open until November 13, 2016.

Omar Farid, President, Middle East and North Africa region at PepsiCo, said: “The PepsiCo UAE Innovation challenge places innovation at the heart of efforts to improve the quality of life, and to help address societal and environmental issues in new ways while contributing to the economy and building the spirit of entrepreneurship and individual social responsibility amongst youth.”

Aysha Alawadhi, Vice Chair & Chief Executive, Launchpad: “As the first CSR (corporate social responsibility) licensed organization in the UAE, Launchpad is a broad platform that can work with many different stakeholders to create impact. We are very excited to partner with Pepsi, Skillpowerment and MEED on this important event, as we wholeheartedly believe in supporting all forms of innovation that lead to positive impact, both at an enterprise and social level.”