U21 Student Opportunities

PWC Challenge

U21 and Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC), two globally-focused organisations, have come together to offer exclusive professional development opportunities for U21's graduate students through the Innovation Challenge Competition. This alliance supports and prepares U21 students for the world of work by allowing them to consider and respond to real workplace challenges, overseen by PwC and judges from their client companies. The format of the competition is designed to help students develop presentation and communication skills as well as fostering critical thinking and expertise. Learn more here.

The challenge (set by PwC) offers students the opportunity to apply their knowledge to 'real-world' situations and reflect on their own experiences via a short three-minute video. The videos are judged by PwC and their clients, who are leaders in graduate career development.

2021 Competition:

Information forthcoming.

2018 Challenge:

We are living through a fundamental transformation in the way we work; automation and "thinking machines" are replacing human tasks, changing the skills that organisations are looking for in their people. But what will the future look like? PwC has developed four scenarios in their Workforce of the Future study: a Red World where innovation rules; a Blue World where corporate is king; a Green World where companies care, and a Yellow World where humans come first.

Assuming you find yourself on a journey that looks like it ends in a "Green and Yellow Worlds" scenario where Companies Care and Humans Come First, what are the pros and cons for you? what skills will be important for individuals to thrive in this world, and how do you plan on adapting to it?

RISE Showcase & Awards

RISE (Real Impact on Society and Environment) is U21's newest student opportunity, an international showcase of student achievement in sustainability and social innovation designed to accelerate the scale and impact of student-led projects by connecting them with a network of experts in academia and industry. As a U21 member, UConn is invited to nominate student-led projects that address at least one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. For RISE 2020, UConn is able to nominate 3-4 individuals or teams to the U21 RISE Showcase. Up to 3 projects can be led by students solely from UConn. One joint nomination involving students from 2+ member universities may be submitted in addition.

ELIGIBILITY

You are a UConn student who has a voluntary, social enterprise or environmental project that you wish to scale up/develop/build
Your project is not just an idea, but you have started to implement it in some way
Your project directly addresses at least one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Projects may be individual or group led. Where there is a large student group (e.g. a student society), a leadership group of up to 7 students should be identified as the main entrants. Note: groups must be comprised solely of students - either (1) entirely of current UConn Students; (2) lead by a current UConn Student and include recent UConn graduates from the last two years; or (3) current UConn Students and Students from another U21 Member Institution. No external members or faculty may be a part of the group.
You can still enter if you have already received or applied for other development funding and awards. However, all current or pending applications or awards must be declared when you enter RISE, so that U21 can establish there is no conflict of interest.

More information is also available through the U21 RISE page.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

1. Written Application

UConn is requiring a written application along with the video pitch. Please use the attached UConn Application Form.

2. Video Pitch

Your video pitch is your chance to make a great first impression and attract supporters.
The video can be recorded in any language, however, it must have English subtitles (even if it is recorded in English).
Your video must be no longer than 5 minutes long. A 3-5 minutes video should be sufficient time to clearly and concisely pitch your work, while remaining engaging. Whilst you may incorporate existing content, your video must be an original piece of work that is not available publicly anywhere else.
Your video should demonstrate:
- What your project is and why it is important
- Which of the Sustainable Development Goals you are addressing
- What you have achieved so far
- What your future plans are and what kind of pledge what be most helpful
You can explain this information in a number of ways, for example you can present directly to camera, interview people involved with the project, film one of your events or activities, create an animation or infographic explaining your work

Nominated entries will have access to a global audience of experts in academia and industry. The culmination of the Showcase will be the RISE Awards, where a panel of experts will review the entries and award prizes. Prize packages will be tailor-made to the winners to help further develop their projects. Global Affairs reserves the right to disqualify projects that do not fit the above mentioned eligibility and submission guidelines and those in the U21 RISE Handbook.

JUDGING CRITERIA

THE ISSUE: Why is this initiative needed? Which of the UN Sustainable Development Goals are being addressed?
THE IDEA: How well does this initiative respond to the outlined issue? How original is the idea?
THE IMPACT: What measurable difference has this project already had on the lives of the target population or on the natural environment?
THE POTENTIAL: How scalable is this initiative? What is the future business plan and how would the project team make use of future investment? What could your project use from U21 in the form of mentorship, legal advice, grant application reviews, networking opportunities, industry- or location-specific assistance?

The Office of Global Affairs will host information sessions and provide more details on the project requirements, submission timeline, and prize packages that will be awarded.

Interested in learning more? Join us!

DROP-IN HOURS

If you are interested in learning more or have questions, please stop by during our virtual drop-in hours!

Monday, 11/16 from 10:30am-12:00pm

Tuesday, 11/17 from 10:30am-12:00pm

Tuesday, 11/17 from 2:00-3:00pm

Wednesday, 11/18 from 10:30am-12:00pm

Wednesday, 11/18 from 2:00-3:00pm

Thursday, 11/19 from 10:30am-12:00pm

Thursday, 11/19 from 2:00-3:00pm

Friday, 11/20 from 10:30am-12:00pm

If you are interested learning about the RISE opportunity, kindly email global@uconn.edu for any further questions, or to schedule an appointment.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Use your UConn Google Drive to share your completed application form, supporting budget in excel, and your video file by Friday, February 19, 2021. Share the files with global@uconn.edu, zahra.ali@uconn.edu, matthew.2.larson@uconn.edu, and nicki.hosey@uconn.edu. Set the sharing to editing privileges so the files can be downloaded and shared with the review committee.

Please use the following naming conventions for the documents:

"Group Leader Last Name.Group Leader First Name - U21 RISE Application Form"
"Group Leader Last Name.Group Leader First Name - U21 RISE Supporting Budget"
"Group Leader Last Name.Group Leader First Name - U21 RISE Video Pitch"

IMPORTANT DATES

November 9-13, 2020 - UConn info sessions held by Global Affairs
February 19, 2021 - UConn submission deadline
March 12, 2021 - UConn RISE Committee nominates 3-4 individuals or teams and their videos are submitted to the U21 RISE Showcase
April 2021 - Judging for RISE Awards
April 2021 - U21 winners to be announced