New 'Innovation Action Insights' podcast launched - episode 1 now live

Many of the innovations which shape our lives and the world we live in are developed by designers and engineers working behind closed doors. But what happens when researchers and innovators work together to develop open-source solutions to address some of the greatest challenges of our time? Hosted and produced by Dr Giulia Barbareschi and with a technical commentary by Dr Ben Oldfrey, Innovation Action Insights features interviews and stories from the brains behind the disruptive and cutting-edge innovations aiming to impact the lives of millions of people living in different areas of the world.

Funded by UK Aid COVIDAction and AT2030 through the Innovation Action collaborative initiative led by the Global Disability Innovation Hub. The podcast is supported by UCL Engineering, GDI Hub, UCL Institute of Healthcare Engineering, Institute of Making, Frontier Technologies Hub, University of Nairobi and the ALL Institute.

Hosted on SoundCloud and it is also available on Spotify - both are free. Innovation Action Insights will be a 6 part series, with episodes released every two weeks.

Episode 1

The word manufacturing is often associated with an image of multinational corporations shipping large amounts of materials across continents to big factories. In these factories specialised heavy machines are operated by trained workers to produce small parts that are then assembled into finished products. Products are then packaged and shipped back to stores where consumers can get access to them. While many of the products that we use in our everyday lives are still made in this way, innovators around the world have developed new and alternative models of manufacturing. In this episode we’ll look at some examples of how entrepreneurs in Nepal and Uganda have been able to harness the power of digital technologies and human creativity to create fair and resilient manufacturing systems that bring value to their communities.

Focused on innovative manufacturing methods that are more resilient and can bring values to local communities the episode will feature stories from Wazi Vision in Uganda (supported by the AT Impact Fund) and Zener Technologies in Nepal (part of the Local Production Local Solution network).