The 2020 edition of the ITU Innovation Challenges 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.

 

Today, more than ever, we need digital innovation to help communities leverage technology to bridge the digital innovation divide and improve social conditions.

 

The ITU Innovation challenges bring together policy-makers, ecosystem builders, innovators, and resource partners to co-create ideas and projects that nurture an inclusive digital world.

 

There are three challenges to choose from:

 

  • The Digital Change-maker Challenge covers a wide range of topics from cybersecurity and regulation, to digital inclusion and climate change, and calls for participants to provide innovative solutions to real-life problems faced by stakeholders in their communities, especially considering value chain competitiveness and global disruption due to COVID-19.
  • The Ecosystem Best Practice Challenge looks for ecosystem builders to identify best practices that allow innovators to develop sustainable and resilient solutions to navigate technological change and bridge the digital divide.
  • The Women in Tech Challenge, in cooperation with the EQUALS Global Partnership, invites tech innovators to help and empower women in various sectors, including agriculture, fashion, and health.

 

The winners will be announced in August 2020 and will be invited to a four-day immersive Global Innovation Forum in October 2020 where winners will participate in capacity-building workshops and pitch their proposals to a global audience of experts and network with decision makers.

 

Exceptionally, this year, we are looking at this forum as an online event due to the changing situation of Covid-19 (details to come).

 

At least 5 global winners will be selected per challenge by a jury of experts. Application criteria and guidelines are available here.

 

The application deadline is Friday, July 31, 2020. For more information about ITU innovation challenges, please visit here or send an email to [email protected].