Ever heard of Red Bull Basement University? Probably not and if you have, kudos to you. This is a pilot global workshop that was launched in 2018. With over 300 universities participating, the programme is a travelling university that has made its way into over 30 countries including India, the USA, Brazil, Turkey, Switzerland and Japan. From December 12-15, a global workshop will take place in Toronto, Canada. The initiative is a global collaborative activation for student innovators with the ‘technology for good’ mindset to co-create innovative projects that improve student life by driving positive change on campus and beyond through technology.
They invite students from around the globe to challenge the status quo and come up with innovative solutions to create a better student life. The programme is based on a rough voting and judging process and the university selects the best student innovators and brings their ideas to life. Winners from each country are invited to the Red Bull Basement University Global Workshop, a four-day event comprised of lectures, workshops and mentorship sessions, all leading up to a final pitching competition.
On October 28, the initiative had its second session in Kochi. The venue was set at Kerala Startup Mission with local partners Fab Lab, Kerala Startup Mission, Headstart and TinkerHub. A student marketeer for the programme, Atul TK, says, “Red Bull Basement University is a global platform for students to innovate and create positive change.
We annually invite the next generation of innovators from around the world to co-create innovative projects and hack for a better and brighter student life. The best and brightest tech ideas are helped to achieve maximum impact through an integrated network of development, workshops, mentorship and funding. The best ideas will also get a chance to join our global workshop in Toronto, Canada.”
To apply for the programme, students must submit a 60 second video to ‘drive positive change’. Over the next six days, the video will be available online to gather votes from others. The most talented students from each country is chosen through this process. The selected winners will enter a six-week development programme to develop their idea further with the support of an international team of mentors.
