The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has called for innovative solutions to tackle challenges faced by Singaporeans and businesses during and after COVID-19.
Launched by IMDA's Open Innovation Platform (OIP), the special Innovation Call is themed “COVID-19 & Beyond – Innovation for Social Good”. It opens on May 6 and will close on June 5.
Through this initiative, IMDA and its industry partners aim to inspire the innovation community to apply digital technology to solve COVID-related problem statements. Examples would include developing a better food distribution network for underprivileged households; efficiently providing COVID-19 tests to workers while minimising any disruption to business operations; and helping migrant workers access self-help resources.
“COVID-19 has had and will continue to have a profound impact on lives and livelihoods, especially for the more vulnerable segments of our society," said Tan Kiat How, Chief Executive, IMDA. "Through this special Open Innovation Call, we are reaching out to our innovator community to crowdsource solutions to challenges that our people and businesses face, and help us adapt to a post-COVID ‘new normal’.”
OIP will host six challenges to address some of these problems aggravated by COVID-19, with total prize monies amounting to SGD 90,000. To help alleviate some of the initial risk of innovation, IMDA will co-fund 70 per cent of each challenge’s prize money, with the remaining 30 per cent supported by the partner.