Hello Science is an SDG-focused innovation platform that aims to address many of the challenges outlined in the 2030 Agenda.

It started in 2017/2018 by Novozymes and is currently in a second phase of development and growth.

Our offering is focused on sharing technology, innovation, and business mentorship to our audience. We also offer microgrants and, in some cases, co-development and partnership agreements.

Hello Science is founded in SDG #17 (Partnerships) and has focused on addressing SDG#6 (Water), but plans to extend into other SDGs, including SDG#3 (Health and Well-Being).

Hello Science aims to enhance new innovation and partnerships/collaborations using the SDGs as the basis from which to assess and address global challenges impacting social, environmental and economic development, and to create a systemic approach to creating complementary partnerships.

Our offering is focused on sharing technology, innovation, and business mentorship to our audience. We also offer microgrants and, in some cases, co-development and partnership agreements.

The primary goals are to make a real difference for at least 20 start-ups/entrepreneurs, as well as create a series of new and supporting partnerships around Hello Science.

From the outset Hello Science has anchored itself in the SDGs recognizing that; “The UN SDGs are unlikely to be met by 2030 without rapid technological progress and open collaboration” (Kenny, C., Patel, D. (2017)) and that the SDGs themselves provide an ideal problem/solution framework to address global challenges.

Hello Science also recognized that broader collaboration with partners across the public and private sectors, academia and civil society would be essential to its success. This includes exploring and developing new ways or working, education, capacity building, mentoring, technology provision and business development support.

Whilst we have big ambitions for Hello Science and believe it can help in identifying and delivering impactful solutions to some of the SDGs, we also recognize and that we can only deliver on this ambition if our ecosystem partners recognize the value we aim to generate.

We aim to engage a wide range of high-level, local, and global stakeholders through our digital platform and online activities. Participation is open to everyone and we have connected with startups, entrepreneurs, and academia from around the world (Australia, Chile, Brazil, India, Japan, Netherlands, USA, Denmark, South Africa, Hungary).

From its initial start and focus on SDG#6 (Water), Hello Science was joined by Grundfos (water infrastructure). Other partners and collaborators have since joined including EIT-Climate KIC Nordic and Entrepreneurship Hub Jaaga (India). We also receive advice and support from a number of stakeholder organizations including Unleash, Business Fights Poverty, USCIB/Businessfor2030.org and UN Foundation.

While our primary focus is digital, we also interact with and build relationships with local communities through events and outreach (e.g. Bangalore Science Lab; OI-X Week @ DTU Copenhagen; UN Science, Technology and Innovation Forum, (New York).

Through the course of last year, Hello Science has supported a number of innovators, including e.g. SolarSack (portable water purification).

A SolarSack can be filled with 4 liters of water, which when left in the sun for 4 hours is then pasteurized, and ready to drink. Each Sack can be used up to 60 times, has low production costs per unit, has 1/20th of the CO2 emissions footprint of boiling water using charcoal and can be sold at a profit, whilst still being affordable to the user.

The team behind SolarSack have been able to access Hello Science’s network of engineers and technologists, and engage with sources of potential funding to scale up, such as EIT Climate-KIC. Solar Sack’s initial prototyping in East Africa, is being supported by tests with product users in country.

We have also partnered with NXFiltration and Grundfos to develop a new, innovative wastewater management system. The intended outcome of the collaboration between NXFiltration, Grundfos, and Novozymes, is a new wastewater management system which will radically improve current practices of filtering pollutants from wastewater.

As at time of writing and due to project lead time and R&D cycles, Hello Science is still in the early phases of producing original technological innovation aimed at supporting the SDGs, and and will require further time to be able to assess longer term results.

However, several active projects are in the pipeline (see SolarSack and NX Filtration, above).

Hello Science has also provided a platform to discuss SDG-related innovation and technology on a global stage, with Hello Science actively contributing to an increased awareness amongst the startup community about the importance of the SDGs as an innovation framework

Hello Science is still in the earlier stages of its activities and has set out to be a force for good.

We plan to mitigate any negative impacts through pursuing an open and honest partnership strategy, and will communicate via regular updates on our website and using Social Media.

It is also intended that this approach will be documented on an annual basis via external reporting and transparency mechanisms including the UN Global Compact CoP (Communication on Progress).

Key enabling conditions for Hello Science have included the support of resources in terms of financing, scientists, business developers, and program coordinators from Novozymes as well as similar support from partners of such as Grundfos and Climate KIC Nordic, notably in terms of aligning interests at value system (i.e. direct support for the 2030 Agenda) as well as complementary skill sets and competences.

By prioritizing Hello Science within our own organizations, and gaining credibility with the public on our intentions of working collaboratively to bring sustainable solutions has been key to our success to date.

Beyond the mindset change in happening from within the private sector in general on how it is possible to work collaboratively around the SDGs, we have been able to support the inception and/or acceleration of several innovative solutions such as NXFiltration; Solar Sack; Deby; Sludge Dewatering (Chile), Abhiram Dukkipati – Magellan Life Science.

Hello Science has sought to find and align itself and its mission with a series of like-minded partners from the Public and Private Sectors and Civil Society by way of a collaborative partnership model and series of supporting framework agreements.

The approach has enabled Hello Science to add additional resources and supporters who have both unique and synergistic competences and capacities that strengthen its overall partnering ecosystem.

The partners of Hello Science are carrying the related running and operational costs. A broader cost/benefit analysis has yet to be undertaken due to the relative early stage of the initiative but we are broadly pleased with the overall responses to date from the stakeholder communities with which we have engaged.

Hello Science intends to increase the number of SDGs within scope over the course of the next year, as well as secure a number of additional partners around the world, notably to enhance outreach to interested innovators working on Sustainable Development/2030 Agenda issues.

Openness and shared values can pay dividends when building innovative partnerships and new initiatives.

Whilst getting introduced to multiple innovators across globe broadly gives Hello Science a vantage point for discovering new breakthrough solutions, it is the combination of digital and physical interactions that is truly enabling Hello Science.

Capacity building and Innovation focused events such as the Hello Science Live Lab (Bangalore, India 27-28 February 2019), supporting Innovators such as Solar Sack and establishing co-development projects with partners such as NX Filtration are required to move the world towards the change we want to see.

Please see:

www.helloscience.io

And:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzr79dC2nfy6p-QM41QKn4w (video channel)

A useful summary article is available here:

https://businessfightspoverty.org/articles/experimenting-to-address-the-sdgs-can-global-partners-collaborate-with-local-entrepreneurs-and-find-solutions-to-urgent-urban-water-challenges-in-bangalore/