BT Infinity Lab competition launched with a £15,000 prize
BT has launched a competition to find innovative ideas from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that will help cities become more connected, efficient and sustainable.
The BT Infinity Lab SME Awards 2016: Connected Cities, will give SMEs in Northern Ireland a chance to showcase their big ideas for future digital products and services, in areas such as health and social care, transport and education, employment and skills and across the wider public sector.
The BT awards are run in partnership with the Cabinet Office, MK Smart and TechHub. Entries will be judged in three categories: Smart City, Connected Society and the Internet of Things. The winning entrants will show how their ideas can help make a big difference to the cities of the future.
Entrants can submit their ideas here. The closing date for entries is Friday 11 March.
Shortlisted finalists will be invited to the BT Tower in London on Tuesday 26 April to pitch their ideas to a “Dragons Den” style panel of connected cities experts from BT, the Cabinet Office, the Department of Health, the Department for Transport, Milton Keynes Council and TechHub.
There is a total prize pot of £30,000. The judges will award each category winner a cash prize of £7,500. The overall winner will pick up an additional prize of a £7,500 plus six months' membership at TechHub. In addition, the Smart City winner will have the opportunity to work with Milton Keynes Council to turn their idea reality, whilst the Connected Society and Internet of Things winners will each receive six months of support from BT to help them develop their ideas.
Peter Russell, General Manager BT Business in Northern Ireland said; “This is a fantastic initiative that is designed to foster innovation and give SMEs the help they need to turn great ideas into reality. We’re committed to nurturing and supporting businesses in Northern Ireland and this competition provides an invaluable opportunity to extend their reach into public sector organisations. I’d encourage our SMEs to get involved and leverage the opportunity to share our huge technical and public sector expertise to help them play their part in the creation of connected cities.”
Matt Hancock, Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, said: “We are recasting the relationship between the citizen and the state, making public services simpler, clearer and faster and taking advantage of state-of-the-art digital technologies. To get this right we need to draw on the expertise of digital innovators from all over the country, and especially small businesses which we know to be some of the most innovative in the marketplace.
“We've made it easier than ever for small businesses to win government work, but we know that there is more to do to encourage growth in the sector. That's why I'm excited that we're working with BT to give digital innovators the leg up they need to grow and develop their ideas.”
Elizabeth Varley, co-founder & global CEO of TechHub, said: “The way we'll be living in the very near future depends on the new ideas of entrepreneurs. The best part of what I do is being amazed and delighted by concepts I've never seen before, right at the early stage. Scaling these innovations is the challenge, and working with TechHub and established organisations like BT gives startups a real leg up."
