2026 SDG Innovation Challenge in Copenhagen

20.-24. August | Copenhagen

14 students from Heidelberg University joined the 2026 SDG Innovation Challenge in Copenhagen, teaming up with 26 students from other European universities to develop solutions for menstrual health in Kibera, Nairobi.

Guided by expert input and an innovation consultant from UCPH Lighthouse, the interdisciplinary teams created sustainable, locally relevant ideas that respond to the everyday realities of women and girls in the community.

The winning team, including Heidelberg students Johanna Wassum and Margarita Karaivanova, will present its prototype, Girls4Girls “Pad Service”, at the Sustainability Olympiad in Geneva from 6–9 November. The low-cost laundry system combines discreet collection, low-water washing, and rooftop drying, with the local community actively involved.

As a 4EU+ initiative, the Global Health Solutions Design Sprint promotes interdisciplinary, challenge-based learning. Heidelberg’s participation was supported through 4EU+ mobility funding within Flagship 1, “Urban Health and Demographic Change.”