A student team from Benha National University has secured a grant of EGP 50,000 to support its DIA-CARe project, which aims to develop a smart medical insole designed to be worn inside everyday footwear to help prevent diabetic foot ulcers and reduce associated complications. The achievement came under the Ready for Tomorrow – YIEP programme, in partnership with Plan International Egypt.
The team participated under the patronage of Prof. Tamer Samir, President of Benha National University, and Prof. Mahmoud Saqr, Vice President for Employment, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, reflecting the University’s commitment to supporting innovative ideas and student-led projects that address health and societal challenges.
The team comprises Mahmoud Hossam El Din Mahmoud, Logina Ehab Ibrahim, Mohamed Hany and Abdelrahman Mohamed Nasser, students in the Mechatronics Engineering Programme at Benha National University in Levels Two and Four, respectively; Dareen Essam Ibrahim, a Level Five student at the University’s Faculty of Medicine; and Mahmoud Nashaat Mahmoud, a Level Six student at the Faculty of Medicine, Helwan University. The team is supervised by Dr. Dina El Naggar.
The DIA-CARe project aims to develop a smart medical insole designed to be worn inside everyday footwear, using technology to help protect the foot and reduce the risk of ulceration. The project seeks to improve patients’ quality of life and reduce the risk of complications that, in advanced cases, may lead to amputation.
The project is part of the Ready for Tomorrow – YIEP programme, which aims to support and empower young people to turn their ideas into viable entrepreneurial projects through entrepreneurship training, business model development, mentoring and guidance, and opportunities to compete for funding. The programme is implemented through a partnership between the Entrepreneurship Centre at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport and Plan International Egypt, as part of efforts to promote innovation and expand opportunities for young people to establish their own ventures.
The team’s success in securing the grant highlights the students’ ability to apply their academic knowledge to innovative ideas with health and societal impact. It also underscores the importance of collaboration between engineering and medical specialisations in developing technological solutions to challenges facing society.
Benha National University reaffirms its continued commitment to encouraging student innovation and entrepreneurship and supporting participation in programmes and competitions that enable students to develop their ideas and gain the experience needed to turn them into implementable projects. These efforts reinforce the University’s role in preparing graduates capable of innovation and contributing to sustainable development.