SAIS Team Takes Third Place in Thunderbird Sustainable Innovation Summit Challenge
A team of five international relations graduate students from the Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) finished in third place out of more than 85 teams competing in the Sustainable Innovation Summit Challenge hosted by Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, Ariz.
SAIS was the only non-MBA school participant in the group of 10 teams from around the world competing 03/21-24 in the final round of a competition held in conjunction with Thunderbird's first Sustainable Innovation Summit. MBA teams from Instituto de Empresa in Madrid, Spain, and Duke University's Fuqua School of Business won first ($20,000) and second ($5,000) prize, respectively.
Seth Colby, Landon Loomis, Chris Meyer, Chris Saunders and Rachna Saxena comprised the SAIS team, taking home a $3,000 prize.
The winning teams beat out seven other finalists including a Thunderbird Global MBA team from Costa Rica, a second team from Duke, and teams representing Vanderbilt, Purdue, the University at Buffalo the State University of New York, University of Florida and Bainbridge Graduate Institute. More than 85 teams representing 45 universities in 13 countries competed in the competition.
Students in the final round of the competition developed innovative and sustainable business concept plans that addressed real-life challenges faced by global corporations Johnson & Johnson and Merck & Co. Inc. Each team had to address questions proposed by both companies.
Merck's question involved opportunities for the company to shape the overall healthcare landscape in the emerging markets of China or India thereby producing sustainable markets for its products. The SAIS students devised the idea to strengthen the rural insurance system in China by improving access and efficiency. The team proposed a fellowship program in which Merck would pay partial tuition for medical students in return for their services in rural hospitals. They also included an administrative workshop to train and build the capacity of local insurance providers.
Johnson & Johnson's question involved how the company could provide its high-tech health care solutions in emerging and developed economies at an affordable price for growing middle and lower income consumer groups. The SAIS team proposed a sustainable program where Johnson & Johnson would create networks of micro entrepreneurs supported by microfinance institutions to supply diabetic testing services in Brazil. The business model called for testing strips to be sold individually thereby increasing affordability for lower income consumers.
"Innovative, real-world solutions presented by the student teams that participated in the Thunderbird Sustainable Innovation Summit exceeded our expectations in many ways," said Neil Currie, Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies. "We all gained new insights that will contribute to immediate action in the short term as well as help shape our responses to challenges that corporate and community leaders (including the students who participated) will continue to wrestle with for years to come. It was a privilege to participate in the creative process with the best and brightest MBA talent and experts from around the world, and we are already planning for the next challenge."
The winners were announced 03/24 at an awards dinner marking the final event of the Thunderbird Sustainable Innovation Summit, a four-day event that showcased real-world innovative business solutions that reflect a commitment to economically, environmentally and socially sound business practices.
SAIS is one of the country's leading graduate schools devoted to the study of international relations. Located along Embassy Row in Washington's Dupont Circle area, the school enrolls more than 450 full-time graduate students and mid-career professionals and has trained more than 13,000 alumni in all aspects of international affairs.