Tech Trends Purina Pet Tech Dogs Cats Prize Social Enterprise
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Recognising Pet-Based Innovation

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Purina launches £75,000 prize for social and commercial enterprises working to harness the power of the bond between pets and their humans.

Post Updated: 12 June 2018

Two UK organisations, Medical Detection Dogs and Canine Hope, have been recognised for their work in enriching the lives of pets and people at the first-ever Purina BetterwithPets Prize, held in Barcelona last week. Both received highly commended recognition and £11,000 each towards scaling-up their projects, which harness the positive power of pets and people working together.

With the help of rescue dogs, Canine Hope offers a safe place for survivors to learn with and from a canine co-tutor Click To Tweet

Following a European-wide search, the expert panel found five finalists difficult to split, with OOPOEH (Opa’s en Oma’s Passen Op Een Huisdier) – a Netherlands-based foundation seeking to reduce loneliness and increase physical activity for the elderly by matching them as dog sitters for local families – awarded first place, taking a £30,000  share of the £75,000 total prize money.

Tech Trends Pet Technology Purina Prize

Canine Perspective CIC’s leading programme, Canine Hope, focuses on trauma recovery, resilience and personal development for survivors of sexual violence. With the help of rescue dogs, Canine Hope offers a safe place for survivors to learn with and from a canine co-tutor – Canine Perspective will be able to invest the prize money to further this valuable work

“Being part of the event and standing alongside such incredible organisations was a real honour. This means that we can immediately start our next series of Canine Hope programmes with survivors and rescue dogs in the South West Region and develop our books and resources to share our message of resilience with a wider audience,” said Canine Perspective co-Founder Marie Yates.

Dr.Claire Guest pictured with the medical detection dogs, they are from left: Lucy, Kizzy, Ulric, Midas, Jobi, Jack, Daisy, Teasel and Nan.

 

“It’s fantastic to be able to support the growth of these programmes and connect a community of passionate people, committed to enhancing the lives of pets and people,” said Calum Macrae, Purina PetCare Regional Director for UK & Ireland “Every finalist was inspiring and well-deserving. All initiatives demonstrated how harnessing the pet-human bond in an innovative way can have a positive impact on society.”

Other finalists Dutch Cell Dogs and K9 Hundekunde: Happy Kids with Happy School Dogs were also awarded £11K prizes and recognition for their programmes.

 

The prize is open to entries in three categories: healthier together; connecting together and enjoying spaces together Click To Tweet

Nestle Purina is on the lookout for social innovators across Europe to enter their newly launched BetterwithPets prize, worth a total of around £75,000.

Working in collaboration with Ashoka – A global organization that identifies and invests in leading social entepreneurs – Purina is offering the prize to social and commercial enterprises, non-profit entities and other organisations working to harness the positive power of the pet–human bond.

Tech Trends Purina Pet Tech Dogs Cats Prize Social Enterprise

The prize is open to entries in three categories: healthier together; connecting together and enjoying spaces together and the winner, or winners, will be selected at a special event in Barcelona in June. Organisations from the European Union, as well as Russia, Switzerland, Ukraine and Norway are all eligible to enter. In addition to the chance to win the cash prize, contestants will also get detailed feedback on their idea from industry experts in their field.

“Our first BetterWithPets prize provides a really exciting opportunity for anyone who shares our passion for pets and the relationships we have with them – and who is doing innovative work in this area – to win a significant cash investment for their project,” says Calum Macrae, Regional Director for Purina UK & Ireland. “The UK has a fantastic heritage as a pet-friendly country and this prize could really make a difference to a small British start-up, charity, or a local scheme that has the ambition and the potential to do more.”

Successful applications will be shortlisted and five finalists will be invited to travel to attend the Purina BetterwithPets Forum in Barcelona on 7 June 2018, where the winners will be announced. The categories below are eligible for the prize:

Purina is on the lookout for social innovators across Europe to enter their newly launched BetterwithPets prize, worth a total of around £75,000 Click To Tweet
Healthier together

The demands of a modern, more sedentary life mean that people either have less time or are less likely to be physically active with their pets. Entries are community-focused initiatives and innovations that enable people and their pets to live active and healthy lives together, such as:

  • Facilitatating a healthier and fitter lifestyle for both pets and people
  • Preventing obesity for both pets and people
The demands of a modern, more sedentary life mean that people either have less time or are less likely to be physically active with their pets Click To Tweet
Connecting together

People of all ages are experiencing a sense of isolation and disconnection, be it from the increasing complexity of modern life and technology, or because ageing and minority populations are being overlooked, which can leave them feeling lonely and cut off from society. Purina is looking for initiatives that span communities and ages, and that celebrate the power of the pet–human bond for better emotional well-being to help foster and cultivate empathy and emotional self-care, such as:

  • Helping to overcome societal disconnection and isolation
  • Seeking to provide interventions for emotional well-being
Purina is looking for initiatives that span communities and ages, and that celebrate the power of the pet–human bond for better emotional well-being to help foster and cultivate empathy and emotional self-care Click To Tweet
Enjoying spaces together

Increasing urbanisation and more regulations have led to fewer pet-friendly open spaces and greater restrictions in places where pet owners can take their pets. We are looking for initiatives that enable both people and pets to enjoy and share the same spaces as well as demonstrate a social and/or economic benefit, e.g. pets in workplaces, and enhanced pet-friendly areas in urban and rural spaces. Potential entries could include:

  • Enabling greater access to pets in everyday settings
  • Enhanced design of pet-friendly spaces to enable pets and humans to spend better quality time together
Increasing urbanisation and regulation has led to fewer pet-friendly spaces Click To Tweet

Tech Trends Purina Pet Tech Dogs Cats Prize Social Enterprise

Evaluation Criteria for the winning applications include:
  • Innovation – The initiative must represent an innovative approach to the problem it seeks to address. Innovation may result from the use of new methods, new models or new technologies, or from the application of old methods, models or technologies in new and innovative ways
  • Social impact – The initiative must have proven its worth on a pilot or small-scale basis, and already have measurable, quantifiable social impact
  • Potential for scaling up and/or replication – The initiative should have strong growth potential and/or replicable to other social, cultural or geographical settings
  • Financial viability – The initiative must be built on a viable business model, and/or show realistic and long-term plans for long-term financial viability, and must have the potential to continue beyond the Purina BetterwithPets Prize funding
  • Organisational leadership – The initiative and its leaders must show leadership to influence the field in which they work, as well as the ability to incorporate and leverage the investment by Purina and the support offered through the Purina BetterwithPets Prize
  • Potential for Creating Shared Value – The initiative should create shared value for all stakeholders-  pets and people – in the community where we live, work and play
I’m a sucker for anything that recognizes the human-pet bond. so here’s the best picture ever of my dog Watson, who loves Balloons SO MUCH! Click To Tweet

Tech Trends Purina Pet Tech Dogs Cats Prize Social Enterprise

Alice Bonasio is a VR Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.