Do you have a digital solution that addresses
the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Global South? If yes, then apply
for this Global South COVID-19 Digital Innovation Challenge!
The Global South COVID-19 Digital Innovation Challenge, in
response to COVID-19, is co-organized by the International Telecommunication
Union (ITU) and the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation
(UNOSSC).
The challenge will identify scalable innovative
digital solutions that will enable countries, societies, communities,
institutions and individuals from the Global South to deal with the cascading
effects of the pandemic – across governance, economic and social sectors, and
wellbeing – and contribute to the organizations’ respective focuses on
South-South cooperation and digital technologies.
The Challenge objective is to promote
South-South cooperation by replicating or scaling up existing innovations with
a potential partner/ country in the South. The Challenge will provide a
mentorship scheme to increase the potential/ capabilities of the selected
proposals/ teams to scaling up innovations across developing countries.
Goals
The Global South COVID-19 Digital Innovation
Challenge aims to build a network of champions in developing-country ecosystems
to:
- accelerate the response to the
negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic;
- grasp the current innovation
impetus and bring innovative digital solutions into international
development, and reach out to entities which are usually in innovation’s
frontlines activities;
- leverage South-South
cooperation networks, platforms and funding mechanisms to achieve impact
at scale through sharing and replicating selected innovations; and
- provide open access to
resources from the international expert community and build
entrepreneurship capabilities for innovators in governments,
intergovernmental organizations, private sector and start-up companies,
research institutions and academia, and CSOs.
Categories
Applicants’ projects/MVPs must fall into one of
the following categories/topics:
- Enabling governments and
communities to suppress the transmission of the virus: Use of technologies (such as AI, blockchain, IoT)
for-
- Social-distancing measures
(e.g., logistics and distribution for local supply chains, digital
aggregate platforms for food delivery)
- Telecommuting solutions
- Technology-based health
solutions (e-health/ telehealth)
- Learning and knowledge sharing
through open educational resources (OERs), teleschooling (e-learning),
etc.
- Mitigating the socioeconomic
impact and safeguarding people and their livelihoods
- Pilot or scale up digital cash
transfers solutions
- E-commerce solutions
- Digital financial inclusion
solutions
- Digital rights- and
security-related solutions with a special focus on vulnerable and
digitally unserved groups
- Food security and water
management solutions
- Incubating inclusive
agribusiness
- #RecoverBetter
- Preparedness measures (e.g.,
contact tracing, testing and surveillance) by governments and
communities
- Skills development and digital
literacy solutions for small, micro, and home-based businesses
(particularly those owned by women and youth in the informal
sector)
- E-governance solutions (digitizing
government functions)
- Renewable energy for
healthcare solutions
Award Information
Will be provided with seed funding up to USD 25
000 to implement/improve/scale up their proposed solution(s), with mentorship
and training support, in a new market (developing country) by end of April 2022
(subject to the presentation of a sound budget and workplan with clear
milestones and budget allocation. The seed funding will be applied based on
progress of implementation.) Both the seed funding will be provided by ITU
subject to the terms and conditions of agreements signed between ITU and each
winning institution/organization.
Outcomes
The Global South COVID-19 Digital Innovation
Challenge aims to build a network of champions in developing-country ecosystems
to:
- accelerate the response to the
negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic;
- grasp the current innovation
impetus and bring innovative digital solutions into international
development, and reach out to entities which are usually in innovation’s
frontlines activities;
- leverage South-South
cooperation networks, platforms, and funding mechanisms to achieve impact
at scale through sharing and replicating selected innovations; and
- provide open access to
resources from the international expert community and build
entrepreneurship capabilities for innovators in governments,
intergovernmental organizations, private sector and start-up companies,
research institutions and academia, and CSOs.
Eligibility Criteria
Only legally registered
organizations/institutions from developing countries are eligible to
participate in this challenge. The challenge is open to governments,
intergovernmental organizations, NGOs, private sector and start-ups, research
institutions, academia, and civil society organization (CSOs).
Applying organizations/institutions must have an
existing project or minimum viable product (MVP) that:
- promotes South-South cooperation
by replicating or scaling up existing innovations with a potential
partner/country in the South,
- demonstrates a new innovative
project/prototype, outlining its potential for scaling up through
South-South cooperation, and
- is a digital solution.
Post Date - 04-Jun-2021