2 Indians in top 10 in London Mayor's innovation contest

Two Indians, including a student who has created a programmable smart socket for amputees to customise their comfort level according to their activity, have featured in the top 10 selected for the London Mayor's 2016 innovation competition.
Malav Sanghavi was the highest ranked Indian grabbing the fifth spot with his smart amputee socket followed byMustafa Khanwala in 10th position for inventing an app that eliminates the need to queue at the till in shops.
Another Indian student, Surabhi Mittal was commended for a tea set made from papier-mache.
However, they were pipped to the top prize by Italian- origin Luca Alessandrini, a post-graduate from Imperial College London, who beat hundreds of other entries from 49 different countries and 17 universities, with a violin which is made from a mixture of spider silk and resin.

He won the 10,000 pounds top prize in the Mayor of London's International Student Innovation Award 2016.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said, "The incredible range of talent on show in these awards celebrates the best of the capital and clearly demonstrates that London is open to talent and ideas from across the globe."

"We need to do all we can to ensure that London remains the best and most welcoming destination for international students," he said.
Sanghavi, whose amputee socket received wide praise from the panel of judges, said, "Studying in London was one of the best decisions I have taken for my career development."

London provides an amazing opportunity and platform to showcase my ability.
"Imperial College and Royal College of Art have supported me in every aspect of my career development as an entrepreneur. From grants to take the projects forward to support and collaborations regarding advanced development of the project," Sanghavi said.
Lord Karan Bilimoria of Chelsea, a cross-bench peer and president of the UK Council for International Student Affairs, said there was "huge potential" for each of the entries on the shortlist.
"It is fantastic that London can help these international students from across the world to showcase their ideas in this way," he said.

The awards were set up to highlight the work of the city's international students and also to provide some financial help to assist students in taking their innovation to the next stage of development.
It was devised by London and Partners, the Mayor's official promotional company and is also supported by the UK Government's Education is GREAT campaign and the British Council, Cambridge English, IDP Education and The PIE.