05.05.2014 - 22:57
Barcelona is looking for innovative ways to solve the city’s problems. It has joined with Citymart in order to leverage its prestige as a smart city into attracting talent that can offer new solutions to stubborn issues. The project has three phases: attract innovative ideas for the six initial challenges, with an innovation fund of 1 million euros, support the winning companies by offering support including free space for opening up or starting an office in Barcelona and coordination with local partners, and finally, help the companies take advantage of the success of their projects by strengthening their credentials and thus their ability to enter new markets.
Bid awards run from 60,000 to 250,000€ with multiple winners possible in each category. The challenges are open to any individual or company. Proposals may be submitted in Catalan, Spanish, or English, and must be received by June 10, 2014 at 13:00 CET.
The six challenges are:
Reducing bicycle thefts in the city
To encourage bicycle use in the city, Barcelona is looking for a parking system that reduces bicycle theft
Empowering support systems to reduce social isolation
Barcelona wants to support families and health professionals who take care of seniors in order to reduce isolation and loneliness
Monitoring pedestrian flows in the city
Data in real time on the distribution of people throughout the city in order to better manage Barcelona’s public spaces
Tools for digitization of museum and archive collections
The digitalization of a valuable archive of Barcelona’s books, manuscripts, photographs, and other documents will facilitate sharing this unique collection of Catalan culture with its citizens
Automatic detection and alerts of damaged road surfaces
Responsible and efficient management of road surfaces is essential for ensuring that the city is comfortable and safe both for its citizens as well as its businesses
Empowering local retail through technology
Improving the competitiveness of local small businesses by increasing their visibility on social networks and the internet
You can get full information on participating in the challenge on the BCN | Open Challenge website.
