Apply now for the ITU Innovation Challenges 2020. This year’s edition has the theme: Rethinking the digital economy’s value chains during Covid-19
The challenge is a global open competition platform for innovators and ecosystem builders to present their ideas and projects, empowering them to transform their communities into thriving digital societies.
The 2020 edition of the ITU Innovation Challenge will be taking place amid a global pandemic caused by Covid-19. This has resulted in stress on value chains and countries’ readiness for a digital economy, significantly affecting social conditions worldwide. Global supply, production, consumption and delivery chains are disrupted. Traditional economies are struggling, as industries have not been digitalized and infrastructure is inadequate to cope with current stress levels.
Benefits
Winners will attend a four-day virtual Global Innovation Forum; where they will participate in capacity-building workshops and pitch their proposals to a global audience of experts and network with decision makers.
Winners will also get access to:
- Virtual networking event and onboarding
- Cocreation workshops with winners on new skills and capacity
- Workshops on storytelling and practice in pitching projects
- High level dialogue, pitching of their project, expert talks, networking, media corner, partner corner, and matching of winners with potential resources.
- 4-day daily subsistence allowance for their participation in event at UN country level daily rate.
- Be engaged in developing a remarkable video story about their project.
- Some activities will be streamed, others will be private and reserved for relevant categories of stakeholders.
- Support in identifying new partnership opportunities and networking with potential buyers, global delegates, investors, government representatives and other attendees.
- Support during event to help winners further develop their proposals; connect with mentors, ecosystem builders, and potential clients and investors; International recognition.
There will be a minimum of five winners per challenge. The final number of winners for each challenge is subject to the organizer’s discretion.
Winners will also join a global network of past winners and innovation champions. This network may offer access to additional resources and mentoring based on mutual interest.
Challenges
Applications are open for the following challenges/categories:
- Ecosystem Best Practice Challenge: This challenge seeks ecosystem builders from around the world. To apply to this challenge, you must have an existing practice with proven results in one of the following thematic areas:
- Digital Change-maker Challenge: This challenge is looking for innovators with remarkable ideas that can create digital transformation in their communities.
- Women in Technology Challenge: ITU and the EQUALS Global Partnership will support standout tech innovators who are helping and empowering women to excel in the access and use of ICTs to increase their productive and economic capacity in sectors such as agriculture, textiles and apparel, and health, and to build prosperous communities.
Eligibility Criteria
- All challenges are open to any participant anywhere in the world. Gender or age restrictions may apply. Consult the individual challenge briefs for details.
- Participants will be required to engage in a co-creation process on ITU’s challenge platform.
- There will be a minimum of five winners per challenge. The final number of winners for each challenge is subject to the organizer’s discretion.
- Only one entry per challenge is permitted. Multiple entries from same applicant for one challenge will be disqualified.
Additional eligibility criteria may be apply for specific challenges. Consult the individual challenge briefs for details.
Evaluation Criteria
All proposals that pass the co-creation stage will be submitted to a jury of experts from ITU and supporting organizations. The jury will use the following criteria in addition to the challenge scope criteria:
- Originality: Your idea must be original.
- Creativity: Your idea must be innovative and unique.
- Sustainability: You must clearly describe the ways in which the activity or project will be able to continue.
- Viability: Your idea must be realistic and logical.
- Impact: Your idea must fall within the scope of the challenge. Your submission should consider cross-cutting impacts, problems and relevant solutions.
- Co-creation: Special attention will be paid to your submission if you actively help other ITU Innovation Challenge community members advance their ideas.
- Ecosystem collaboration: Ecosystem builders who apply to the global ecosystem best practice challenge and have their innovators apply to one of the other challenges will be given special consideration.
