In celebration of its tenth anniversary, the Philips Foundation launched the Social Impact Award, a global internal competition inviting Philips employees to submit innovative ideas to improve healthcare access for underserved communities. Program Manager Victor de Boer emphasized the Foundation’s bold target of reaching 100 million people annually with quality healthcare by 2030 and encouraged employees to contribute ideas that could help achieve this goal. The competition offered participants the opportunity to bring their ideas to life with a €300,000 in-kind donation to their chosen non-profit partner organization.
The competition, which began in late 2024, attracted 117 ideas from nearly 300 employees worldwide, reflecting local knowledge and a shared belief in the transformative potential of healthcare technology. From these submissions, ten finalists across eight regions were selected to refine their concepts with guidance from mentors and experts at the Philips Foundation. Ideas ranged from programs empowering frontline health workers in India to maternal health initiatives for indigenous communities in the United States, all demonstrating bold, scalable solutions for underserved populations.
The semi-final stage featured a virtual event with over a thousand employees participating, where an expert jury selected three finalists to advance to the Grand Final in June 2025. The Grand Final, held at Philips’ head office in Amsterdam, saw the three teams from Greater China, the Middle East & Türkiye, and Asia-Pacific present their proposals. The winning idea, submitted by the Greater China team, proposed a mobile CT scanner initiative to bring early cancer detection to underserved urban and rural areas, combining clinical relevance with scalability and a clear implementation plan.
The Social Impact Award not only recognized the winning team but also provided all participants with a platform to gain support, visibility, and momentum for their initiatives. Several submissions, including a breast cancer program in Indonesia, continue to influence ongoing projects and demonstrate the value of employee-driven innovation. Eddine Sarroukh, Director of the Philips Foundation, emphasized the importance of translating these ideas into real-world projects, noting the Award as a launchpad for future social impact initiatives.
For Philips, the competition highlighted the wealth of creativity, regional insight, and medical expertise within the organization. Leaders including Marnix van Ginneken, Chair of the Philips Foundation Board, emphasized that the ideas submitted are shaping a new approach to social innovation and collaboration, reinforcing the shared mission of Philips and the Foundation to deliver better care to more people globally.
