Samsung solve for tomorrow is a unique opportunity for young people from all backgrounds to bring their passion and ideas and come along to learn some skills to make them a reality.

In 2023, Solve for Tomorrow in the United Kingdom drew over 650 young innovators across the country to put forward their ideas. These aspiring students are primed to take on challenges of the future through technology, to create a meaningful contribution to society and our planet.

Among them stood out two projects who caught the attention of the judge with their innovative yet realistic ideas, designed to improve polluted water and help farmers increase the crop yield. Read on to unveil these winning projects’ potential.

Used oil purifies water

Securing the top place in the 16-18 category were Joseph, Ben, and Liam – three youngsters from Bromley and Beckenham in Greater London and Epsom. At Solve for Tomorrow, the trio presented their brainchild, OLEO. This innovative device utilizes cooking oil waste from fast-food chains and restaurants to purify contaminated water, effectively removing microplastics.

Thrilled about their win, Joseph said, “We hope to further develop our idea into a real-life product and business. Collaborating with our mentor and the peers has been such a great experience.”

“Technology in the future will play an imperative role in everyone’s lives,” his teammate Liam added. “If you look at even the development over the last 20 years with smartphone, technology has grown at such as exponential rate. It’s just going to keep evolving into new areas we haven’t seen yet!”

The grand win at Solve for Tomorrow is just the beginning, propelling these three forward in their quest to create impactful technological innovations.

Reusing e-waste for farming

Kiara Taylor, a 24-year-old from Berkshire stepped into the spotlight in the 18-25 category. Her innovation, ReGrow, took home the honors with the idea to use electronic waste in building an affordable irrigation system for Ghanaian farmers. This technology aims to bolster their crop yields and enhance agricultural productivity.

After the big win, Kiara’s sights are now set on refining her concept through second-round prototyping and real-world testing. “I am looking to implement it in Ghana, my target country, which is very different to the UK, so that will be interesting!”

As she navigates ways to make a bold step of starting her project overseas, Kiara thanks the program that fostered hands-on understanding of business development as well as creative thinking. “As a young person lacking industry experience, it was incredibly helpful meeting the mentors and industry experts,” she said. “I am excited to see what the future holds.”