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#ICT4IC
#ICT4IC
Mitigating the impact of climate change on people with disabilities
The Atos GIZ ICT 4 Inclusion Challenge India 2022 has concluded.
Thanks a lot to all the participants, partners and our great jury members!
Barriers can be triggers for innovation. That is why Atos and GIZ set up the ICT 4 Inclusion Challenge to find and support local digital innovations to accelerate disability inclusion. Our shared ambition with the ICT 4 Inclusion Challenge is to unlock the potentials of digital technologies for disability inclusion and to support local innovations in countries of the global south.
In 2021 we dedicated the ICT4IC to the topic of digital solutions for inclusive education in Africa. More information on ICT4IC Africa 2021. ICT4IC 2021 Africa Edition – ict4inclusionchallenge.org.
In 2022 we aimed even higher and focused our innovation challenge on digital solutions to mitigate the impact of climate change on persons with disabilities and elderly people in India. We also focused on solutions for inclusive disaster risk reduction.
Scroll down to watch the pitch videos of our winner solutions and the award ceremony of the challenge.
If you are interested to join our cause, contact ICT4InclusionChallenge@atos.net.
ICT4IC stands for Information Communications Technology for Inclusion Challenge .
This is the hashtag (#ICT4IC) and shortcut for this challenge.
You can rewatch Atos GIZ ICT 4 Inclusion Challenge 2022 Award Ceremony here!
The second Atos GIZ ICT 4 Inclusion Challenge has come to an end.
Here are the key facts:
The winning teams were awarded at the Innovation in Disability Inclusion event on the 3rd of December, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
Each participant from each of the three winning teams joined the Zero Project Impact Transfer Program to receive tailored support and mentorship.
Gorakhpur Environmental Action Group (GEAG) & Tattva Foundation
Shelter is an interactive AI enabled information access and social networking platform generating personalized alerts and mitigation strategies, to support older persons and persons with disabilities with 4 focus areas: Self learning, Gamification, Peer-to-peer engagement & AI/ML enablement
Convegenius Digital India Services Pvt Ltd.
Swiftchat is a conversational AI platform with current focus on AI enabled and data backed chatbots for learning, development, awareness, and accessibility on a mass market scale with multiple language and voice support (including 10+ Indian vernacular languages).
Child REACT Foundation and CSEDI.
ICT enabled system for reaching out to the persons with disability (PWD) during disasters. Integrating ICT based systems, processes, stakeholders so as to reach out
to PWDs in a shortest possible time by locating them on a click of mouse particularly in the high-risk geographies.
We want to find and support digital innovations for inclusive climate action. These can be related to the following topics and thematic areas:
We welcomed sumissions of prototypes / mock-up under the following two categories:
*Note: We are aware that there are disasters not necessarily related to climate change. However, even for innovations related to non-climate change affected disasters, such as earthquakes, there can be important co-benefits for other types of disasters.
Under “Scaling Solutions”, we welcome applications that are digital and already disability inclusive solutions for climate action in India.
You are developing a digital assistive technology targeted at persons with disabilities or the elderly in the context of climate change related disasters.
You are developing a digital assistive technology targeted towards inclusive disaster risk reduction with a focus on disability and/or age.
You are creating a digital and/or technical solution for persons with disabilities or the elderly to make everyday infrastructure more disability inclusive and/or universally accessible (buildings, transport systems, roads).
We received applications from Innovators, Entrepreneurs, Tech Start-up or Company Founders, Changemakers, Tech Geeks, University graduates, and alumni.
The proposed solution must be a digital/technological solution focusing on:
Climate change adaptation, mitigation, or disaster risk reduction, focused on the geographical region of India. Disability inclusion or the inclusion of elderly people (>60) is mandatory under the category “Scaling Solutions”.
To be eligible for the challenge, the proposed solution must be a digital/technological solution focusing on:
disability inclusion or the inclusion of elderly people (>60) in the context of
climate change adaptation, mitigation, or disaster risk reduction.
focused on the geographical region of India.
Your company should be a start-up according to the definition of the European Start-up Network or a Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) according to the definition of the EU recommendation 2003/36.
If your solution is not disability inclusive yet but could be adapted to become a great resource for persons with disabilities and/or elderly people, you are encouraged to apply if you can prove eagerness to upskill and learn about accessibility. If selected, support can be provided.
The solution shall have measurable success in improving climate change mitigation or disaster risk reduction for children, youth, and/or adults with disabilities or elderly people (>60 years old) in India and be affordable, accessible, and realisable. If your solution is not targeted towards persons with disabilities (PWD) or elderly persons yet, you will have to outline why your solution would be especially beneficial for them. The participation of people with disabilities in the design, creation, development, or testing of the solution is highly encouraged.
1/3 weighting
The solution/prototype shall be creative in how to reach the goals of mitigating climate change and reducing disaster risks for PWD and elderly people and should provide novel benefits to the target group in the respective context. These benefits could be improved access to climate change or disaster risk reduction related information, e.g. through inclusive early warning systems, but also improved access to infrastructure, which allows for inclusive evacuation in the case of disasters. It is expected that participants research if there are already similar solutions on the market and identify their unique selling points. Innovation can also mean that a solution which is already existent in high-income countries is adapted to the Indian specific context.
1/3 weighting
Your solution/prototype is at least in prototype stage and has the potential to be scaled to an economically sustainable solution and business model. If technical, financial, or other barriers prevent scaling of the solution to other regions and contexts, the application will be discarded.
1/3 weighting
Applications which do not respect the Articles of the UN CRPD or other basic human rights principles (e.g. discriminating against any minorities because of their ethnicity, religion, language etc.) will be discarded.
Until 29 Aug 2022
Register your interest and submit your prototype or ready solution.
29 Aug – 06 Sep 2022
Inclusion experts will evaluate the submissions.
12 Teams will be invited for selection interviews.
13 Sep – 23 Sep 2022
In-depth interviews will be held and rated according to pre-defined criteria.
8 teams will be selected.
9 Nov 2022, 10 am – 12.30 pm CET
3 teams will pitch their solution to a final jury
2 Dec 2022, 10.30-11.30 am CET
Awards to the 3 winning teams will be presented during a public live event to celebrate UN Day of Persons with Disabilities
The judging panel is composed of experts of Atos, GIZ, private sector, civil society and international organisations. The panel will be carefully selected to provide expertise in the fields of climate change, Disaster Risk Reduction, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), innovation, accessibility and inclusion as well as regional Indian perspectives.
The most promising solutions will have the chance to enter the prestigious Zero Project Impact Transfer Program and the Accelerator Zero Project Impact Transfer Program and the Atos Accelerator program Scaler. In addition we will offer monetary prices for the winners and soft prices for all finalists. Those solutions admitted to the Zero Project Impact Transfer Program will take part in the Zero Project Conference in Vienna and Zero Project India Conference to present their solutions to potential partners and investors.
For all teams who made it to the second round (interviews) of the program, we will offer expert online events implemented by Zero Project on social business development and other exciting topics. On top, we will conduct an online workshop on digital accessibility and inclusive design.
Do you have questions about the eligibility criteria, how to apply, which stages the challenge has, or who the organisers of the challenge are?
Find the answer to these and other questions in our FAQ:
Atos and GIZ kick-started their cooperation in 2021 by setting up a joint innovation challenge. The goal was to support digital innovations aimed at improving access to education for persons with disabilities in Africa. To this end, both parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2021. We received overwhelming response to the ICT 4 Inclusion Challenge – Africa Edition 2021 with over 200 applications.
Building upon this success, we have decided to take the challenge to another part of the world this year – India, one of the fastest growing countries in the world! Our aim is to find and support digital solutions to mitigate the impact of climate change on persons with disabilities and elderly people. Through this challenge, we intend to not only address one of the most pressing issues of recent times but also raise awareness about the importance of technology-based inclusive climate action.
The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is a global service provider in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development. GIZ has over 50 years of experience in a wide variety of areas, including economic development and employment, energy and the environment, and peace and security. We work to shape a future worth living around the world.
Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with 105,000 employees and annual revenue of over € 11 billion. European number one in cybersecurity, cloud and high-performance computing, the Group provides tailored end-to-end solutions for all industries in 71 countries. A pioneer in decarbonization services and products.
Initiated by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Make-IT Alliance is a co-innovation network with partners from international companies, associations, researchers and other partners. The Alliance promotes collaboration and supports the exchange of experience and practical knowledge between international and local partners in order to foster digitalisation for inclusive and sustainable development world-wide.
Our mission is working for a world with zero barriers. Worldwide, the Zero Project finds and shares solutions that improve the daily lives and legal rights of all persons with disabilities. In order to achieve this objective, the Zero Project engages with a worldwide cross-sectoral network of innovators, decision-makers, and opinion leaders.
Ability Foundation works for an equitable society & a level playing field for persons with disabilities. Its areas of involvement include advocacy, inclusion, empowerment, information and rights, and towards these, is involved in a wide range of pioneering activities that serve to bridge the divide between persons with & without disabilities towards creating an equitable world for all.
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