Innovation and the Sustainable Development Goals
Innovators have a critical role to play in achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. They help to adapt and more broadly distribute existing products. They mobilize capital and investments for scaling proven solutions – and to develop entirely new ones. They apply and share their technology and know-how every day with partners globally. Companies in particular have the resources and scale to deliver broad global impact. Innovative partnerships involving the private sector are giving rise to creative ways of tackling global challenges in cost-effective, sustainable ways. Our members contribute to the SDGs through both their everyday activities and targeted initiatives. Through Innovation Council, they share information about what has worked, what worked less well, and their successes. They support diverse stakeholders in overcoming the remaining challenges to meet the SDG targets.
Artificial intelligence-created medicine to be used on humans for first time
A drug molecule “invented” by artificial intelligence (AI) will be used in human trials in a world first for machine learning in medicine. It was created by British start-up Exscientia and Japanese pharmaceutical firm Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma. The drug will be used to treat patients who have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Typically, drug development takes about five years to get to trial, but the AI drug took just 12 months. Exscienta chief executive Prof Andrew Hopkins described it as a “key milestone in drug discovery”.
Novo Nordisk Foundation awards DKK 128 million for an innovation platform at Denmark’s university hospitals
Innovation should be a fully integrated part of Denmark’s healthcare system, both in cultural and operational terms, and researchers should find it worthwhile to pursue the development of new methods and solutions for improving patient care. This is the vision for a 5-year pilot project to be run by innovation centers at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen and Aarhus University Hospital and with local innovation employees at Aalborg and Odense University Hospitals. The Novo Nordisk Foundation has awarded a grant of slightly more than DKK 128 million for the project.
Q&A with Denise Bierman
Innovation Council sat down with Denise Bierman, the Founder and CEO of Fontis Organic Skinfood, a premium high performance botanical skinfood brand, to talk about the beginnings of her company and what made it successful.
Igniting Innovation and Productivity with 5G in the World of small Business
As with any new generation of wireless technology, the benefits won’t change the world overnight, but over time, as networks expand availability and technology advances, 5G is poised to improve the way we work, the way we stay connected, and the way we thrive in the business world.
To stay ahead of the curve, businesses of all sizes — including small to medium-sized companies— need to understand the opportunities that 5G presents. This includes enhanced customer experiences, increased employee productivity, potential for new business opportunities, and more. Entrepreneurs are taking note and working to leverage the benefits of 5G to improve existing situations and create new opportunities.
Enabling AI-driven health advances without sacrificing patient privacy
There’s a lot of excitement at the intersection of artificial intelligence and health care. AI has already been used to improve disease treatment and detecIon, discover promising new drugs, identify links between genes and diseases, and more. By analyzing large datasets and finding patterns, virtually any new algorithm has the potential to help patients — AI researchers just need access to the right data to train and test those algorithms.
Using digital health to improve health outcomes and equity
The pandemic’s disruptions create a moment to fundamentally rethink health care. Rather than simply replicating in-person care virtually, how can care be transformed to deliver dramatically better outcomes for patents? Digital health can be used to improve health care results and health equity by creating better solutions for people who face challenges in access and/or in achieving better health outcomes. For instance, by adding to the efficacy and efficiency of care delivery. Providing value-based care starts with identifying the shared needs and common goals of a group of people who are not well-served by today’s care.
A common core for fiber, 5G could be just around the corner
Convergence between wireline and wireless networks is one of those ideas that feels like it’s perpetually on the horizon. When the industry took a crack at convergence about 10 years ago, the necessary puzzle pieces just weren’t in place. The big difference now is that everything but the core – the devices, the protocols – is IP-based. Experts told Fierce that a perfect storm of industry trends – virtualisation, disaggregation, 5G, fibre, cloudification – have finally come together to bring the long-sought after approach within reach.
Ethical and Educational Marketing (ME2): Marketing for the XXII Century
Innovation Council member AVA is proposing a new trend for responsible, ethical and educational marketing, which will for the benefit of the consumer, providing a multidisciplinary vision focused on the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals to positively impact society in terms of education, consumer protection, intellectual property and the future of society.
Environmental sustainability and a greener economy: The transformative role of 5G
A new Qualcomm report highlights the many ways 5G technology can achieve critically needed sustainability benefits and calls for joint efforts by industry and government to accelerate 5G adoption. The report finds that 5G can transform and positively impact industries across the globe by creating new products and processes that support environmental sustainability. Importantly, the report shows how 5G enabled sustainability is an economic opportunity with major potential for increased revenues, profit margins and productivity – as well as a range of other business benefits.
With 5G, industries and organization can increase their overall sustainability and competitive advantage by significantly improving greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, pesticide usage, and energy consumption.