Deadline: 26-Jun-2020
The Future City Innovation Challenge is an open and competitive call for proposals from civil society organizations, private sector, universities, media, public institutions that offer innovative and technology-based, yet customised solutions that would make Banja Luka smarter, greener, more resilient, inclusive and sustainable.
This Future City Innovation Challenge aims to bring such ideas to life, catalyse action, and test innovative solutions that contribute making Banja Luka a city of the future.
Objectives
The main objectives of the Future City Challenge are to:
- Stimulate design and implementation of a portfolio of innovative and technology-based solutions that help build a more equitable, accessible, and enjoyable city to live in.
- Instigate collaboration among multi-sectoral city stakeholders to co-design blueprint solutions that contribute to a future city.
The key results are:
- At least 5 transformative, and scalable interventions that contribute to Banja Luka becoming a future city;
- At least 3,000 residents benefit directly from the implementation of the proposals.
Priority Areas
The Future City Challenge invites proposals in the following priority areas:
- Future public services: the innovation challenge will seek to support proposals for innovative, technology-based and smart public services (e.g. public transport and traffic, energy efficiency and public lighting, public waste management, administrative services, etc.), which offer future-looking solutions for more effective and people-centred public service delivery. Applicants are encouraged to propose ideas which go beyond an off-the-shell “installation of a new application/software”, but such that envisage re-imagining of the public service based on citizens’ contribution, innovative thinking, data and technology. In addition, in their proposals, applicants may think about the smart public service also from the viewpoint of ensuring that they remain uninterrupted, accessible and effective, especially in times of public health crisis (such as the COVID-19 pandemic).
- Future public spaces: the innovation challenge will seek to support proposals that re-imagine public spaces and areas by taping into collective intelligence, citizen-led processes that offer a new vision for improved public space utilizing innovation, art, culture, green infrastructure and green areas, technology and urban development as complementary tools for more accessible, greener, people-centred and modern public spaces and areas. In their proposals, applicants need to consider the safety and “new normal” in public spaces imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Resilient city: Cities face a growing range of adversities and challenges in the 21st From the effects of climate change to floods or earthquakes, from industrial incidents to pandemics. Resilience is a main feature of future cities, helping them adapt and transform in the face of these challenges and prepare better for both the expected and the unexpected. Therefore, the innovation challenge will seek to support proposals that protect natural and cultural heritage for enhanced urban resilience, pilot circular economy and sustainable urban food solutions, introduce green infrastructure, develop protective and devices and alternative infrastructure solutions, disaster information management systems and solutions, etc.
Funding Information
- The total amount of financial resources ensured by UNDP and co-financed by the City of Banja Luka amounts to BAM 260,000.
- Financing from the Future City Innovation Challenge per project cannot exceed BAM 50,000.
Eligibility Criteria
- The following applicants are eligible to apply under the Future City Innovation Challenge:
- Non-governmental organisations;
- Private sector;
- Public institutions (agencies, institutes, art and culture, etc.) and utilities;
- Public and private universities;
- Public and private elementary and secondary schools;
- Innovation hubs and technology centres;
- Media
- In order to be considered eligible under this Future City Innovation Challenge, a proposal must meet all of the following criteria:
- The proposal addresses directly at least one of the priority areas: i) future public services, ii) future public spaces and iii) resilient city;
- The proposal engages residents in the design, testing, and implementation of the product/service/solution in the pilot area;
- Products, results, data, technologies and solutions generated by the proposal can be open sourced and made publicly available to improve policy and governance;
- The project can be implemented and demonstrate results by December 2020.
- The expected funding from the financing scheme does not exceed BAM 50,000.
Evaluation Criteria
Each proposal which passed the eligibility check will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- The proposal is evidently a “game-changer” in a way a system, a service, or a public space function.
- The proposal offers innovative and first of its kind solution/approach for the city.
- The proposal uses horizon technology and modern digital solutions (e.g. artificial Intelligence, machine learning, etc.).
- The proposal places attention to the needs of the socially excluded residents (e.g. the elderly, persons with disabilities, the poor, the long-term unemployed, etc.).
- The proposal clearly demonstrates sustainability and/or eco-logical/circular approach.
- The proposal envisages activities which focus on stimulating behavioural change that will ensure sustainability of the new product/service/approach.
For more information, visit https://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=66434