Digital Inclusion Innovation Funding

There’s a new ‘contest’ for some funding to create some commercial prototypes in key areas of digital inclusion. Don’t be put off by the ‘contest’ label. That’s just public sector speak. They have to call it a contest. But it’s really a call to hear from people interested in this area who can create relevant prototypes and to allocate funding to the ones that most closely fit the brief. There is a briefing event in London this Thursday, 29th November. So if you’re half-interested, it’ll be worth popping along to to find out more.

Some more details for you:

Contest Overview

Digital Inclusion Innovation Contest - briefing event on Thursday 29th November, in London

Summary

The Digital Inclusion Innovation Contest is being run in conjunction with Scope, RNIB and the University of York and is offering businesses up to £48,000 each in funding for the development of innovative commercial prototypes. We are looking for applications under three challenges focusing on different areas of the digital inclusion theme

The challenges

• one award of up to £48,000* for the development of a prototype service or application in the ‘sensory assistance’ challenge area supported by the University of York. For more information please click here.
• one award of up to £48,000* for the development of a prototype service or application in the ‘inclusive media’ challenge area supported by RNIB. For more information please click here.
• one award of up to £48,000* for the development of a prototype service or application in the ‘accessible Internet of Things’ challenge area supported by Scope. For more information please click here.

Benefits

The successful applicants will benefit from:

• funding of £48,000 to produce their commercial prototype
• gain from exposure to a range of leading sector partners
• test their proposed application or service with leading sector partners
• promote their prototype solution via the IC tomorrow programme
• retain their intellectual property
• register a trial on the IC tomorrow digital test bed.

For more details on how to apply and what’s involved, please go to their website at https://connect.innovateuk.org/web/digital-inclusion-innovation-contest. There’s a two-stage process – a form to fill in online and then you have to submit a two minute video about your proposal by 8 January. Why not give it a go? The longer I’m in the mobile sector, the more I see the area of digital inclusion and accessibility growing. Why not be part of that growth story?