Konza Technopolis is looking to create an ecosystems of technology partners and research institutions to deliver innovations relevant to development.
The Konza Innovation Ecosystem Initiative links stakeholders in innovation to drive the Knowledge Economy and Innovation pillar of Konza Technopolis.
Konza Technopolis in collaboration with the Association of Countrywide hubs is developing an innovation challenge to harness the capability of technology to respond to grand challenges.
These challenges recognize the combined package of infrastructure, technological tools, human capacity and data to revolutionise services.
The great covid-19 innovation challenge provides an opportunity for different technological companies and communities to accelerate the Big 4 Agenda, Vision2030 and SDGs.
The challenge will match issues articulated by Ministries, Departments and Agencies, with scalable solutions that can be co-created and adopted for use, matched by policy and financial incentives.
Challenge categories are health systems innovation for covid19, dignified work challenge and food systems innovation.
The covid19 pandemic has created an unprecedented challenge to the global health, wellbeing and economy of people.
It has impacted how we live, learn and work, with populations in most countries under a form of stay at home order, creating unemployment, especially to a majority in Kenya who depend on daily wages from trade.
With the economic slump, social distancing and stay at home orders, the transport, construction, groceries, artisans and the creative economy (arts, crafts), the rest of the informal economy have no income to sustain themselves and their families.
While the pandemic is already creating uneasiness, Kenya has the opportunity to turn the economic tide, if personal safety measures are enhanced and its young population incentivised towards harnessing technology and innovation.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution has now been thrust onto the world at an accelerated pace, where emerging technologies can enable rapid transformation of socio and economic response to covid19.
Participants can be individuals, start-up teams and organisations working on innovative solutions to address the covid19 pandemic.
The Expected submissions include:
1. Complete innovation concepts for immediate use in the country.
2. Proof of concept solutions with short term implementation and potential to scale
Submission requirements:
1. Completed online submission form detailing the project/ initiative as per the form process.
2. Video demo of the product/ solution uploaded on the platform.
The winning team will bag $5,000 as the first runners up take home $4,000.
The second runners up will get $3,000 as the third runners up and fifth position overall receive $2,000 and $1,000 respectively.
The solutions will need to be re technically feasible, socially responsible, and entrepreneurially sustainable.
Covid19 has created a tremendous strain on Kenya’s health system.
With the disruption of global supply chains, curfews and transport restriction (especially air travel), importation of food will face delays.
The challenge therefore is to harness data and innovation to secure food systems that ensures continuous access of affordable food across the country.
The Standard Group Plc is a
multi-media organization with investments in media platforms spanning newspaper
print operations, television, radio broadcasting, digital and online services. The
Standard Group is recognized as a leading multi-media house in Kenya with a key
influence in matters of national and international interest.
join