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Experience the global pitch competition where the future unfolds before your eyes

- September 12, 2024

Dr. Joseph Bedard won top prize in the Falling Walls Lab Pitches competition in Berlin, Germany last year during his doctoral studies at Dal.
Dr. Joseph Bedard won top prize in the Falling Walls Lab Pitches competition in Berlin, Germany last year during his doctoral studies at Dal.

Imagine sitting in a room where the next world-changing idea is unveiled. You’re invited to do just that at on September 17 at 6 p.m. This lightning-fast event will bring together 14 daring young innovators from Atlantic Canada to face a daunting challenge—making the case for why their breakthrough idea has the potential to change the world for the better, in just three minutes.

Each pitch is a compact, electrifying burst of innovation, a sneak peek into the disruptive ideas that could reshape our world—giving you a front-row seat to the future before it arrives.


“The challenges our world faces today are formidable, but within this new generation of thinkers, there is an undeniable spark of hope,” says Dr. Alice Aiken, ɫֱ’s vice president of research and innovation, whose office sponsors and organizes the event. “These young innovators are ready to share their visions for a better tomorrow. All they need is a platform to amplify their voices. That’s what our Falling Walls Lab is for.”

What’s on the line? The winner secures an expenses-paid trip to the in Berlin, Germany, on November 7, to present their innovation on a global stage to an audience including global thought leaders and Nobel Laureates. Cash prizes supported by Invest Nova Scotia will also be presented. It's a chance to take a local spark of inspiration and ignite a global conversation. Last year, a ɫֱ PhD student won the global finals, prevailing over nearly 100 competitors from around the world. It could happen again.

The topics? A range of solutions aimed at addressing our most urgent needs. You’ll hear revolutionary approaches to fighting food insecurity, fresh takes on battery technology that could drive the next generation of clean energy, and ingenious solutions to plastics pollution. From mussel farming and sustainable concrete to deforestation and global shipping you’ll get a glimpse of a future that could be—if we are bold enough to pursue it.

Don’t miss your chance to see this next generation of innovators in action.

Alexa Wilson

Breaking the Wall of How Viruses Cause Cancer

Dr. Eric Ignatz

Breaking the Wall of Blue Mussel Farming

Sweda Madhu

Breaking the Wall of Water Pollution

Pengcheng (Louis) Bu

Breaking the Wall of Inefficient Shipping

Bennett Brule


Breaking the Wall of Plastic Pollution

Alireza Jafari

Breaking the Wall of Sustainable Concrete

Melina Marketjohn

Breaking the Wall of Directional Hearing

Matthew Garayt

Breaking the Wall of Low-Cost Energy Storage

Surangi Dharmawansa

Breaking the Wall of Colon Inflammation

Venkatraman Manikandan

Breaking the Wall between Humans and Poultry

Shubhangi Mahato

Breaking the Wall of Inefficiency in Dairy Farming

Tyler Hannah

Breaking the Wall of Green Plastics

Christine Latimer

Breaking the Wall of Sustainable Omega-3s

Constadina Rogers

Breaking the Wall of Plastic Pollution Through Protein Engineering