Magrid, a start-up created by former doctoral student Tahereh Pazouki, last week scooped the top prize in a social innovation tournament organised by the European Investment Bank Institute (EIB).
Magrid was developed as part of a doctoral research project and was incubated at the University of Luxembourg Incubator. Its language-free maths training method is tailored for pupils struggling with language barriers or who are hearing-impaired. Such a tool is particularly well designed for Luxembourg, which has a very large non-native speakers’ student body in primary schools.
While language diversity has many positive sides for children, it is a significant challenge for teaching and learning in schools, notably for maths. Magrid was rolled out in Luxembourg schools in 2021.
The start-up competed against 14 other finalists – including medical technology start-ups, start-ups developing sustainable fabrics or working to reduce plastic waste and water wastage – at the 10th Social Innovation Tournament in Lisbon last week. The award carries a cash prize of 75,000 euros in the general category. The EIB Institute initiative aims to reward Europe’s best social entrepreneurs.