INNOVATIVE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM SHORTLISTED FOR NATIONAL AWARD

A new communication system designed by a York man which could help during humanitarian crises has been shortlisted for a prestigious national award.

Global-Anthem has been developed by York St John University student Richard Holmes in partnership with Kyiv National University of Design and The Kyiv National University of Culture and Art.

The zero technology communication system bridges language barriers, particularly for displaced individuals and frontline support workers.

Global-Anthem uses natural and intuitive hand gestures that transcend language and culture. It comprises 36 easy-to-use flashcards in a self-contained pack, featuring non-specific gender and race illustrations, along with target words printed in five languages. There’s even space to write the word in any language, making is adaptable to various contexts.

Richard, 52, has just been announced as a finalist in the Engineers in Business Champion of Champions competition.

Richard said: “As a support worker with Refugee Action, I witnessed the desperate need for displaced people to communicate with support services without language barriers. The Global-Anthem system has been designed to overcome various communication difficulties, notably conveying basic needs on initial arrival, processing, and re-housing. The principle can be extended into the broader humanitarian and educational sectors and has the potential for wide adoption due to its simplicity.”

Richard will now pitch his innovation against nine other teams of student innovators at the event at the Royal Academy of Engineering on 3 November 2023. A sum of £16,000 is up for grabs, providing vital seed money to help the winners develop their innovation.

Winners will also receive mentoring from business leaders who are members of the Sainsbury Management Fellows network, plus CV packages from PurpleCV and entrepreneurial books from Cambridge University Press and Double your Price, a book by David Falzani MBE, which covers how pricing works with practical insights, tools and actionable guidance.

The event, hosted by TV presenter and engineer Rob Bell, is the culmination of a year of enterprise competitions held across UK universities, with thousands of undergraduate and graduates taking part.

Each year, Engineers in Business Fellowship champions business education for engineers and supports universities by giving them grants to award prizes to engineering students who develop ideas that can make a positive impact on society.

After winning the York St John University Ingenuity Programme and looking ahead to the final, Richard said: “I need help – three words that can change a life. I understand – two words that can change the world. Let’s change the world with our Global Anthem.”