10,000 students from GEMS Education competed in the “Global Innovation Challenge 2025”.

GEMS Education Group announced the winners of the eighth edition of the Global Innovation Challenge 2025 and the Plug and Play Tech Center programme, celebrating a new generation of young innovators and change makers.

The eighth session of the competition witnessed a record turnout with the participation of more than 10,000 students from GEMS schools around the world, and 1,500 of them qualified for the final stages, which included two main events to showcase projects.

A pioneering initiative

The Global Innovation Challenge is a pioneering entrepreneurship initiative designed specifically for GEMS Education students, and aims to connect young innovators with innovation experts, venture capitalists and global accelerators. The competition invites students to innovate solutions that address pressing global issues in areas such as clean energy, health, sustainability, education, and equality, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Innovation platforms

The scope of the competition was expanded this year through a strategic partnership with the Plug and Play Tech Center, one of the world’s leading innovation platforms based in Silicon Valley in the United States. Through this collaboration, GEMS students had the opportunity to benefit from the same innovation ecosystem that supported global companies such as PayPal, Dropbox, and N26, and the program also allowed a number of teachers, parents, and graduates to participate.

Eight student teams

Over the course of five months, eight student teams and three GEMS graduates received specialized training and mentoring from industry experts, developed prototypes of their projects, and presented their solutions to investors and partners from the public and private sectors.

Winners will receive seed funding, incubation and commercialization opportunities for their projects, creating a one-stop-shop from idea to viable startup. Earlier this year, GEMS Education announced seed funding worth AED 3.67 million (one million US dollars) to support emerging student projects.

Entrepreneurship

Paz Nijar, Vice President, Educational Technology and Digital Innovation at GEMS Education, said: “The Global Innovation Challenge and our partnership with the Plug and Play Center have changed the way our students experience entrepreneurship. They not only learn, they launch their projects, engage with investors, and develop solutions that make a real impact. This initiative embodies GEMS’ mission to empower every learner to become an innovator, a solution maker and a leader of the future.”

Innovation system

For his part, Benjamin Close, Vice President of Corporate Partnerships and UAE Director at Plug and Play Tech:Center, said, “We are proud to collaborate with James to expand the global innovation ecosystem to include young entrepreneurs in the UAE. The students have shown exceptional creativity and ambition that prove that innovation is not related to age. Together, we are building a bridge between education and the world of startups, and nurturing the next generation of change makers.”

Arbitration committees

More than 100 experts participated in the judging committees to evaluate projects in the secondary and primary categories, and 41 gold teams were selected for the next stage. Of these, 19 secondary school teams received direct guidance from international experts, while 22 primary school teams participated in a special training camp at the Plug and Play Tech Center.

The three winners

The top three winners in both the secondary and primary categories shared financial prizes worth 52,500 dirhams, in addition to receiving ongoing support to develop their projects. 11 Plug and Play Tech Center teams were also honoured, four of which received financial prizes worth 7,500 dirhams for each team. Some selected projects are currently being studied for potential investment opportunities.