We congratulate with the participants of the 1st Socratic Social Innovation Contest in Trondheim (Norway). Over two weeks they intensively developed concepts to improve the lives of people affected by the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), using the Socratic platform. The winning idea “CalmMe” received 1000EUR in funds to further develop their idea into a a startup. We had a total of 30 participants engaged in collaborative and creative thinking to find solutions to solve the challenges presented by the Norwegian Autism Society
Two groups earned access to the social innovation contest finale. Group “CalmMe” won the competition by designing and building a prototype of an innovative app for assessment of work environment conditions. The app uses a mix of sensor data and input from the user to determinate whether work environment parameters (e.g. noise, light, …) are suitable for a person affected by autism disorder.
The app can send automatic messages to co-workers to ask them to adapt their behaviour, e.g. lowering voice/noise level in order to make a more comfortable environment for their colleagues affected by Autism. To complement this concept, group “Mind Matters” developed a web platform to facilitate job seekers with Autism to meet potential employers. The platform focuses on freelance work and it also provides a physical workspace where freelancers can meet and work together in an friendly environment.
The winning idea received 1000EUR in funds to further develop their idea into a a startup, while the group awarded of the second price, received a membership that gives them access to DIGS co-working space & services. Participants of both groups also developed business plans for their concepts, and they are eager to create social startups to continue development.
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