Key Takeaways:
- The Horizon 2020 project, launched this January, utilises the power of ICT inducement prizes to stimulate social progress in Europe.
- Inducement prizes provide the goal without prescribing the method, offering a unique opportunity for innovative problem-solving.
- Europe’s rich pool of ICT researchers and innovators are ideally positioned to address societal challenges through these inducement prizes.
- The project, spearheaded by Nesta in partnership with Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna and Burson-Marsteller, aims to design 8-12 inducement prizes under various ICT themes.
- Rigorous market analysis, desk research, expert interviews, and workshops will validate research findings and refine the prize designs.
The Power of Inducement Prizes: Catalysing Social Progress
For centuries, challenge or inducement prizes have served as effective tools to spur innovation, proposing a reward to whoever can most effectively meet a defined challenge. By setting the goal without specifying how it should be achieved, these prizes offer an open canvas for innovative thinkers to express their problem-solving prowess.
In today’s digital era, the Horizon 2020 project marries this concept with Information and Communication Technology (ICT), crafting an innovative platform for sparking social progress within Europe. By utilising inducement prizes, the project seeks to activate the latent potential of Europe’s ICT researchers and innovators to address pressing societal issues.
Europe: A Hotbed for ICT Innovation
Europe boasts a vibrant ICT ecosystem, home to some of the world’s leading researchers and innovators. This pool of talent is ideally positioned to tackle societal challenges, making Europe a ripe testing ground for the inducement prize model. With a clear vision and the right resources, ICT-based inducement prizes have the potential to bring transformative solutions to some of the most urgent issues faced by European societies.
The Partnership: Nesta, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, and Burson-Marsteller
At the helm of the project is Nesta, the UK’s innovation foundation, in partnership with the Italian University Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna and the communication and public affairs company Burson-Marsteller. This potent collaboration brings together a diverse set of expertise, enabling a holistic approach to the design and implementation of ICT inducement prizes.
In the coming year, the project aims to create 8-12 inducement prizes under several ICT thematic areas, addressing societal challenges affecting European communities. The process combines rigorous market analysis with desk research, expert interviews, and workshops to validate research findings and shape the inducement prizes.
What’s Next for the Horizon 2020 Project?
The project consortium, in collaboration with DG CONNECT, is investigating a range of possible challenge topics with plans to hold expert workshops in the spring to refine the first wave of prize designs. More information about the project will soon be available on the Nesta website, offering an in-depth insight into this unique initiative.
Final Thoughts: ICT Inducement Prizes and the Future of Europe’s Start-up Scene
As the Horizon 2020 project unfolds, it marks a promising chapter in Europe’s ICT and start-up landscape. The intersection of ICT and inducement prizes holds immense potential for harnessing the innovative capacity of the region’s brightest minds, fostering a surge in start-up activity and technological advancements.
By fostering a competitive and cooperative environment for ICT-based problem-solving, the Horizon 2020 project promises to catalyse social progress, revolutionising Europe’s start-up scene. As we eagerly await the outcomes, it’s clear that the initiative will serve as a stepping stone for Europe towards a more innovative and socially progressive future.
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