GCSP Unveils 2025 Innovation Prize Winners: Accelerating innovation to transform global peace and security

The announcement was the highlight of a dynamic, online ceremony held during GCSP Innovation Day, an event dedicated to fostering and exploring ground-breaking approaches to the world's most pressing peace and security challenges. The event opened with a compelling series of interviews featuring prize recipients from 2015 onward, highlighting the lasting impact of their innovative contributions.

A growing global hub for innovation

Since its launch in 2015, the GCSP Prize has evolved into a vibrant global platform for innovation, drawing an expanding community of visionary individuals and organisations committed to shaping a more secure world. The 2025 edition saw remarkable engagement, drawing an impressive 203 submissions from 61 countries across six continents, reflecting a rich diversity of perspectives and bold, innovative ideas.

Following a rigorous and competitive review, the jury carefully selected the top three initiatives for their exceptional vision, originality, and potential to catalyse lasting change. Additionally, two deserving projects received special Honourable Mentions for their promising contributions to the field.

The recipients of the 2025 GCSP Prize for Innovation in Global Security are as follows:

• First place: “Blue Filter" submitted by Mr Salah El Sadi in the USA. This submission wins CHF 10'000 and a Certificate of Excellence.
• Second place: "AuthentiSci" submitted by Dr Nicholas Clifton on behalf of AuthentiSci Limited in the UK. This submission wins a Certificate of Recognition.
• Third place: “Elloe AI” submitted Dr Owen Sakawa in the USA. This submission wins a Certificate of Recognition.

Honorable mentions:

• The Human Security Index in Post-Assad Syria submitted by Mrs Gülsen Devre Hilly from Human Security Solutions
• Weaponized Interdependence: Managing a world of economic coercion submitted by Professor Henry Farrell and Professor Abraham Newman

Blue Filter: Life-saving water, powered by Nature

Blue Filter is an award-winning, low-cost water purification system solving the global clean water crisis using groundbreaking, plant-based natural materials.

This revolutionary bio-filtration process requires zero electricity or chemicals, making it ideal for off-grid and vulnerable communities, from rural areas to conflict zones like Gaza. It effectively removes harmful contaminants like nitrates and chlorides.

Designed for sustainability and scalability, Blue Filter has demonstrated its ability to secure safe water for both human consumption and agriculture, protecting public health and reducing waterborne diseases.

Led by environmental expert Salah El Sadi, the project is currently being piloted, aligning with several UN SDGs, and has already received international funding and recognition. Blue Filter proves that simple, sustainable innovation can deliver life-saving results worldwide.

Mr Salah El Sadi declared:

“Winning the GCSP Prize is an honour and a powerful confirmation that community-driven, nature-based solutions can contribute to global security. Blue Filter was born to protect the most vulnerable, and this recognition fuels our mission to deliver safe, affordable water everywhere it is needed.

This award strengthens our belief that innovation must serve people. It encourages us to expand Blue Filter internationally, deepen our research, and support communities facing water stress, conflict, and climate challenges.”

AuthentiSci: Protecting global trust with real-time scientific review

Misinformation is a critical global risk, eroding public trust and hindering cooperation on issues from climate change to public health, with science often the primary target.

AuthentiSci is an independent non-profit tackling this by embedding scientific expertise directly into the online environment. This platform and browser extension show readers, in real time, if an article has been expertly examined, its reliability rating, and necessary context. All reviews are provided by practising scientists, ensuring transparency and accountability.

Supported by groups like the Max Planck Society, the model has proven its viability. It is now being scaled globally, using content analysis to route articles to relevant reviewers and broaden coverage. AuthentiSci builds resilience against misinformation by ensuring reliable expertise is present wherever science is discussed, contributing to sustainable global security.

Dr Nicholas Clifton stated:

“Recognition from the GCSP has already given us a tremendous boost, strengthening our commitment to addressing risks from misinformation. It is a privilege to share our approach within this inspiring community of innovators united by common goals. 

The Prize highlights the importance of evidence-based communication, particularly within science, for the stability and resilience of the global information ecosystem. We will use it to broaden our reach, support more experts to engage with the public, and advance our mission to make reliable scientific information accessible to all.”

Elloe AI: Building the Safety Immune System for Global AI Adoption

Elloe AI is pioneering the safety and compliance infrastructure needed for the global adoption of artificial intelligence. Dubbed the “immune system” for AI, their technology converts complex global regulations (like GDPR, HIPAA, and the EU AI Act) into real-time, executable guardrails.

Unlike conventional monitoring tools, Elloe is preventative, stopping biased, unsafe, or non-compliant outputs before they reach consumers in critical sectors like healthcare, finance, and governance. With core modules like TruthChecker™ and SentinelAI™, they ensure accuracy, explainability, and compliance at scale.

Validated across over 20 million AI outputs and deployed with national health systems in Germany, Kenya, and Canada, Elloe is actively protecting millions. By embedding real-time compliance, Elloe is bridging the gap between AI innovation and global security.

The Jury for the 2025 GCSP Prize for Innovation in Global Security included:

• Ambassador Gabriel Lüchinger, Head of the International Security Division at the FDFA State Secretariat in Bern
• Lt General (Retd) André Blattmann, Former Chief of the Swiss Armed Forces
• Dr Daniel Möckli, Head of Think Tank, Center for Security Studies, ETH Zürich
• Professor Jane Royston, Entrepreneur and member of the Swiss Science Council
• Ms Lauren Anderson, Founder and CEO of LC Anderson International Consulting and former FBI Executive
• Professor Nayef Al-Rodhan, Director of the Geopolitics and Global Futures Department at the GCSP and Honorary Fellow at St Antony's College, Oxford University
• Ambassador Thomas Greminger, Executive Director of the GCSP

Gear up for fresh ideas and bold solutions! The GCSP Prize for Innovation in Global Security will open its next call for submissions in Spring 2026!