New Delhi: Kaif Ali, an emerging innovato and a student of the Faculty of Architecture and Ekistics, Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) won the prestigious Commonwealth Secretary General Innovation Award for Sustainable Development 2021.
Kaif is the only Indian among 15 awardees from 54 Commonwealth countries to win the prestigious award, the university said in a statement.
Kaif won the award for his contribution towards Covid-19, refugee shelter crisis, and climate change, Jamia said.
Each winner of the award received a trophy, 3,000 pounds (300,000 INR approx.) in prize money and the opportunity to scale up their innovations in collaboration with partners and mentors across the Commonwealth.
Kaif has invented low-cost portable housing for Covid-19 quarantine and shelter from extreme weather conditions like earthquakes and flooding. His design has been recognised by the UN under the top 11 emerging innovation start-ups solving climate challenges.
JMI Vice Chancellor Prof. Najma Akhtar congratulated Kaif for the achievement saying that the university is proud of him.
“We expect that it will motivate other students of the university to work hard, think out of the box to get noticed and contribute in nation building”, she said.
During the pandemic, Kaif researched how architecture could prevent the spread of disease. He designed a prefabricated sustainable shelter, SpaceEra, that would not only help reduce transmission of the virus but could also house refugees worldwide in the future.
“Winning the Commonwealth Innovation Award lifts my confidence to a greater level and motivates me to work even harder than yesterday and innovate unprecedented solutions to achieve a sustainable future. I pledge to become the voice of the youth transforming the Commonwealth and to Be the Change!" Kaif said.
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