#NEPALVSCOVID19 is a Virtual Design Thinking Challenge organized by the Impact Week in collaboration with King’s College in Kathmandu, Nepal. The 60-hour design challenge is a unique opportunity for young minds to tackle a pressing challenge using Design Thinking and user-centric design tool kits, while being coached by international design & innovation experts.

Over a period of 60 hours spanning across 2.5 days, participating teams will receive challenges arising due to/ associated with the COVID-19 outbreak. They will work virtually using digital collaboration tools and apply the Design Thinking framework for solving the challenges. Each team, comprising 5-6 participants, will be supported by an international mentor, coach or pair of coaches.

Why should you participate in this challenge?

This challenge gives you the immediate opportunity to create an impact during one of the most challenging times globally. By joining this virtual challenge, you will be part of an initiative which may set a global landmark in order to cope with the Covid crisis. You will be part of a global community who is practising the Design Thinking methodology alongside with international experts. You will learn how to understand any challenge and design solutions in a user-centric manner based on rapid prototyping. Modern day technology enables collaborative innovation despite the physical world crisis. So here is your opportunity to stand, act and make an impact for your community and nation. 

Virtual Design Thinking is an attempt to bring the globally acclaimed Design Thinking methodology into a fully digital environment. 

Participants will complete the entire process of Understanding - Observing - Synthesizing - Ideating - Prototyping - Testing in a virtual environment while working on the challenge.

Participants will be brought together in a digital briefing session via ZOOM and will work in individual virtual work spaces using collaborative tools such as Mural, Slack & Google Suite.

Eight to ten teams will go through this intensive digital journey while being mentored by innovation experts and design thinking coaches, and use their skills, ideas & passion to tackle the most current pressing issues. The goal of the teams will be to develop user-centric solutions that would deal with problems, needs or opportunities arising due to COVID-19 challenges in Nepal.

Each team will submit its result/idea as a video presentation for everyone to review at the end of the challenge. Our panel of expert jury members will evaluate the solution and the winning team will receive financial support up to €500 to turn their ideas into a reality. 

Each participating team will work on one of the four focus areas. Each team decides which focus area they want to participate during the registration process. The teams would then together ideate on how they would like to approach the challenges within the focus areas - as a Problem, Need or an Opportunity.

Please read the concept paper for details regarding challenge scenarios.

The challenge will be scheduled in the Nepalese timezone (GMT +5:45 | CET +4:45)

The participation for the challenge is FREE but there are limited seats available. Only eight to ten teams will have the chance to participate in this challenge. Thus, we only encourage candidates who can fully devote 2.5 days of their time to register.

You must fulfill the following requirements to participate:

• You must be Nepalese citizens (or of Nepalese origin) currently pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree, or young professionals/ entrepreneurs (you can be living anywhere in the world)
• You must devote you full time virtually for 2.5 days while participating in the challenge (circa. 8 hours per full day)
• You must be fluent in English
• You must have a strong internet connection which can be accessed with a laptop or PC.
• You can register as an individual or a team with a mixed academic/ professional background. Each team registering must have five or six members; if you are fewer, please register individually 

If you have any further questions or require additional information, don’t hesitate to contact our organizers. You can email us at info@impactweek.net or directly contact Aman Bhattarai on WhatsApp under +49 15 7802 86916.

We are looking forward to your participation and support.

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