GreenNano turns simple apple and mandarin extracts into powerful zinc‑oxide photocatalysts that demolish organic pollutants under sunlight. By combining “green chemistry” principles with a lightweight AI toolkit to optimize synthesis parameters, it delivers >90% dye‑degradation in under 90 minutes. Our reusable catalyst shows <5% mass loss after multiple cycles—making it both cost‑effective and sustainable. Imagine a future where fruit waste fuels safe, off‑grid water purification anywhere in the world!
CEC 2025 Participants
Ideas from CEC 2025 participants
From 1 August to 31 July, participants in the Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition had time to work on their ideas, develop them further, make contacts, exchange ideas in the campus community and collect votes for a month using our free courses and materials.
We are delighted to present the participants and their creative ideas even after the end of CEC 2025:
Every passing second, 1.5 lives come to an end. However, cremation and traditional burial methods are extremely detrimental to our environment. Hence, it is crucial that even in our final moments, we leave a positive impact that extends beyond our time on this Earth. Timeless is a sustainable funeral planning and death care firm that focuses on making death a less painful experience for the family and keeping the whole process eco-friendly and sustainable. What makes Timeless stand out is the signature product: the Ecoffin, short for eco coffin. This is a coffin with its ribs crafted from sustainably sourced wood that is salvaged from old structures, and its planes constructed using biodegradable materials such as bamboo and recycled cardboard, which are put together with plant-based glue. Timless also offers other sustainable services, such as online memorial websites and planting memorial trees.
ThreadCycle
ThreadCycle is your local wardrobe revolution – an app that lets you swap, sell, or give away clothes with people nearby who share your taste. Discover ethical brands, join community thrift events, and track your impact as you help fight fashion waste. Because great style shouldn't cost the planet – or your wallet. Swap more. Waste less. Wear with purpose.
RefleXion
RefleXion addresses the urgent challenge of rising urban heat by turning everyday surfaces into powerful tools for passive cooling and clean energy generation. Our core products include ReflecSpray, ReflecBulk, and ReflecTiles. RefleXion uniquely bridges the gap by providing scalable, accessible cooling solutions for both individuals and communities. This multi-tiered approach enables equitable climate protection and helps lower energy use and heat risks across all income levels.
IncludED Hub
The IncludED Hub is an easily accessible, online program which grants low/free of cost certifications in various digital skills through the completion of the various courses offered. These courses are specifically shaped in a way that is compatible with refugees, disabled persons, socio-economically disadvantaged youth, etc. These courses are completed at the user's own speed of preference, and are aided with functions like multilingual captions and support to make these courses more accessible. Through the partnerships that this program garners from universities and tech companies, certifications and achievements are sure to be recognized by employers. Furthermore, the new found development skills will help one climb to the top of the corporate ladder, or start an enterprise themself. Newcomers can enroll online or through partnered organizations, which is where they can receive temporary aid like laptops and assistive devices. These courses are able to be completely completed independently at home, whilst still having that online 1 on 1 support from volunteer instructors. IncludED Hub not only provides certification programs but real world job assistance and career readiness resources, through coaching and a community that connects learners to potential jobs and internships. The funding that this Hub receives is through grants, sponsors, and sliding-scale fees, which allows the most impoverished to receive quality education for free. This idea aims to take on the problems of education and unemployment percentages/gaps amongst the disadvantaged. To put this gap into perspective, approximately only 7% of refugees are able to access higher education, and disabled people face on average over 2 years of less schooling than non-disabled people. IncludED Hub aims to close that gap. By providing the options of digital learning and course completion, learners gain a new sense of acquired skill sets, drastically increasing their odds at future opportunity.
The Grameen PowerBox is a modular, solar-powered energy solution. It is designed to bring affordable and reliable electricity to rural households in Bangladesh who face uncertain power cut for overloaded electricity grid or poor infrastructure or natural disasters like flood. Bangladesh faces unexpected floods almost every year. During that time, people often have to live on their rooftops for days and experience power outages. It is designed to be compact and portable so that people can use it wherever needed in critical situation. It aims to reduce energy poverty by enabling basic lighting, phone charging, and powering small appliances. This community-driven model empowers local youth as energy entrepreneurs, supporting clean energy access, rural livelihoods and resilience in disastrous situations.
SoulLeaf
A solar-powered, MOF-enhanced artificial leaf that captures CO₂, purifies water, and generates clean fuel, all in one affordable, modular device built to enhance the future of urban, green planning
Former colonies are demanding justice and fair cooperation after centuries of exploitation. My idea proposes an SDG-based investment pact between former empires and their ex-colonies to replace hidden control and unequal contracts with transparent, eco-friendly, and equal partnerships for sustainable development.
POP UP MATERIALS
Pop Up materials, An innovation on Material science and their building security standards. Engineering Fracture Control through Nanotechnology.
AquaNova
Many small villages don’t have access to clean water and can’t afford high-tech filtration systems. AquaNova is a low-cost, solar-powered water purification solution built to solve that problem. It uses natural bio-sand filtering and solar UV LED technology to provide safe, drinkable water without electricity or complex parts. Designed to be modular, affordable, and easy to maintain, AquaNova can scale from serving families to entire communities. By using locally sourced materials and empowering people to manage their own systems, AquaNova brings life-saving water and lasting independence to the places that need it most.
OceanGuard Bins
OceanGuard Bins are compact, solar-powered machines designed to sit quietly by the ocean, looking like normal trash bins — but inside, they’re high-tech warriors. These devices connect to underwater collectors or drones that sweep through parts of the ocean, gathering plastic waste. Once plastic enters the OceanGuard, it’s broken down into fine powder that can later be reused for recycled products. They’re low-maintenance, eco-friendly, and can be placed along coastlines, ports, or fishing zones where ocean plastic is high.
Futur One ist ein physischer Ort in Berlin. Eine neue Adresse für künstlerische Praxis, gesellschaftliches Denken und ganzheitliche Entwicklung. Das Ziel ist ein kuratierter Raum, in dem Kunst, soziale Verantwortung und körperlich-geistige Resilienz nicht nur nebeneinander stehen, sondern bewusst miteinander verbunden werden. Futur One versteht sich als Labor für neue Formen des Zusammenwirkens – jenseits klassischer Ausstellungen oder reiner Seminarkultur. Ich bringe meine Erfahrungen aus Ergotherapie, bildender Kunst und kollektiver Praxis in ein Konzept ein, das langfristig tragfähig ist, wachsen kann und gesellschaftlich relevant bleibt. Die Besonderheit liegt in der Adresse: Futur One ist kein rein digitales Angebot und keine Plattform – es ist ein Ort, an dem Formate durch Beteiligung entstehen und durch Haltung wirken. Ich befinde mich derzeit in der konkreten Planungsphase und suche gezielt nach Förderstrukturen, strategischer Begleitung und Kooperationsnetzwerken, um erste Formate zu entwickeln und den Raum gemeinsam mit anderen zu gestalten. Ich lade Sie ein, Teil dieses Aufbaus zu werden : als Unterstützerin oder Partner für ein Projekt, das kulturelle Impulse mit gesellschaftlicher Verantwortung verbindet.
PerifaPlay is a free digital platform designed for audiovisual creators from marginalized communities to publish their videos, gain visibility, and earn real and sustainable income through ads, sponsorships, and direct support from their audience. The platform accepts content such as short films, documentaries, music videos, and series focused on culture, education, and social impact. More than just a video site, PerifaPlay is a comprehensive ecosystem that values peripheral culture by offering free courses, workshops, and networking spaces for creators. The goal is to fight the invisibility of these talents, expand their professional opportunities, and especially to boost the local creative economy by turning culture into a concrete source of income and development. This initiative aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including poverty eradication, quality education, decent work, and reduced inequalities, aiming to transform audiovisual media into a real tool for social, economic, and cultural development.
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P-Bump
Piezoelectricity is a sophisticated novel idea within the green infrastructure industry, as a product that essentially converts kinetic energy accumulated from roads with high traffic to electrical energy. In further partnership with an electricity grid company, this product will later distribute electricity to local communities, prioritising impoverished areas with fewer electricity sources and offering a solution to electricity insecurity. This smart device serves as a catalyst in achieving the global net zero coalition, offering a different energy source other than fossil fuel burning, which results in further secondary issues like global warming and climate change. With a robust government and electricity grid company customer base, this product will leverage its customers to build its brand and compete with other renewable energy innovations with its high efficiency, sustainability benefits and customisable application methods, giving it a promising business potential.
NutriPrint is an innovative food-tech solution designed to address global protein deficiencies, food waste, and environmental impact. With malnutrition still prevalent in rural and underserved regions, and traditional protein sources either unsustainable or inaccessible, NutriPrint offers a revolutionary alternative: compact, shelf-stable protein tablets made from upcycled agricultural waste. Using cutting-edge technologies such as precision fermentation (microbial protein synthesis), CRISPR-Cas9 (enhanced plant protein yield) & insect protein, and 3D bioprinting, we create high-protein capsules (20–25g/serving) that are nutritious, easy to distribute, and culturally adaptable. AI algorithms optimize flavor, texture, and nutrition, while nanotechnology improves absorption and extends shelf life. Unlike meat or dairy, NutriPrint eliminates the need for cold-chain storage and livestock emissions, drastically reducing the carbon footprint. Our method turns crop residues like lentil husks and chickpea shells into digestible, high-value protein—fighting both hunger and food waste. Scalable, affordable, locally sourceable, and sustainable, NutriPrint is designed for rural nutrition programs, disaster relief, and even space missions—pioneering a new frontier in eco-conscious protein access.
Seaweed Nets
Seaweed nets are a sustainable, biodegradable alternative to conventional plastic nets, crafted from dried seaweed and carrageenan-based bioplastic. Waterproof, durable, and 100% eco-friendly. They perform all the functions of a traditional fishing nets while surpassing it through its natural composition and sustainable manufacturing process. These nets are designed not only for marine plastic cleanup and as eco-conscious replacements for conventional synthetic fishing nets, but can also be adapted for various applications across industries, depending on consumer needs. Their biodegradable polymer structure ensures minimal environmental impact throughout the entire product lifecycle. The mission is clear and impactful: to develop nets that cause 0% pollution in waterways and pose no threat to marine life or surrounding ecosystems. This innovation aims to significantly reduce marine pollution caused by plastic fishing gear - currently responsible for over 10% of ocean waste. My target is ambitious yet achievable: to cut that figure down to 4%, marking a vital step toward restoring ocean health and protecting marine biodiversity for generations to come.
Unplugged
Hi! I'm Shreya, someone who feels strongly about the topic of mental health, social impact, and helping this generation deal with the challenges of growing up in a digital-heavy world. Personally, I am someone who has felt the pressure to constantly maintain online connections, especially through group chats. I am also someone who doesn't believe social media should dictate people's lives. That's why I created "Unplugged", which is a community-based workshop series for teens to disconnect from their digital lives, and reconnect with themselves and their community. I want to create a space where people can feel seen, heard, and supported. And this is why I believe "Unplugged" is the support system we've all been looking for.
