Archived Newsroom • Press Release |
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ITU Telecom Young Innovators Competition: New challenge
on Internet of Things for social good
4th challenge in 2014 series launched in partnership with IEEE Internet
of
Things Initiative
Geneva, 25 September 2014 – ITU
Telecom Young Innovators Competition has launched its fourth
challenge in the 2014 edition. It calls for young people aged between 18 and
30 from around the world to submit ideas for concepts of start-ups aimed at
using the Internet of Things (IoT) for social good in order to significantly
improve the lives of people globally. Run in partnership with the
IEEE Internet of Things
(IoT) Initiative Working Group, the challenge opens the way for two winning
concepts for start-ups to attend
ITU Telecom World 2014, the leading platform for
debate, networking and showcasing for the global ICT community, that will be
held in Doha, Qatar, 7 – 10 December 2014.
Challenge-4 seeks ideas on how benefits from the ‘Internet of Things’ can
be used for social good and spread to countries around the world, especially
to emerging economies where development is currently slower due to the cost
of the technology, lack of underlying infrastructure and the need for
strong, widespread connectivity. Ideas may focus on methods to expand access
to existing technology, such as near-field communication, RFID or QR codes,
or might involve applying IoT technology to specific fields, such as
agriculture, water management, transportation or other areas of particular
relevance to developing communities. Ideas on developing an “Intranet of
Things” – local networks of IoT devices functioning on a smaller scale to
serve a concrete social purpose – are particularly welcome.
The IoT refers to the ability to connect and interact digitally with
physical objects around the world, bringing together sensing, communications
and information infrastructures with unprecedented potential to initiate a
paradigm shift in areas such as agriculture, healthcare, manufacturing and
customer services. According to
speakers at ITU Telecom World 2013, its market value is
estimated at over USD 14 trillion, representing between 15 and 25 billion
devices by 2015.
“The Internet of Things is one of the most exciting areas of technology
today,” said Blaise Judja-Sato, ITU Telecom Executive Manager. “It is vital
that its implementation and the benefits arising from it are not limited to
developed, wealthy economies. The potential impact of IoT technologies,
solutions and applications in emerging markets is tremendous – from reducing
the risk of famine to amplifying currently scarce resources in healthcare or
increasing efficient, sustainable energy production.”
“The Internet of Things offers tremendous business opportunities, but it
also presents challenges for engineers, who must build ever more complex
systems, deal with interoperability, privacy, regulatory and energy
efficiency issues, and determine ways to analyse the deluge of data,” said
Roberto Minerva, chairman of the IEEE IoT Initiative to drive the evolution
and deployment of successful IoT solutions in academic and industrial
environments, and
speaker at ITU Telecom World 2014. “IEEE is excited to
be involved in the ITU Young Innovators Competition, as the need to identify
the next generation of engineering talent to develop IoT technologies for
the benefit of humanity is extremely important.”
Challenge-4 is a co-creation challenge calling for applicants to submit
ideas and to discuss, exchange views and contribute collaboratively. The
ideas with the greatest potential will be developed into concepts under the
guidance of expert facilitators over the dedicated crowdsourcing platform at
https://ideas.itu.int.
Experts from the IEEE IoT Initiative, ITU and other prominent partners
currently working on IoT will conduct online facilitation. Two winners of
the Challenge will attend ITU Telecom World 2014 to pitch ideas before
industry and government leaders, participate in workshops, benefit from a
year of ongoing mentorship, and win up to USD 5000 in seed funding.
The deadline for submission is 3 November at 23:59 CET (22:59
UTC).
For more information, please contact:
Sanjay Acharya
Chief, Media Relations and Public Information, ITU
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Vivian Kelly
IEEE IoT Initiative |
About ITU...
About IEEE
IEEE, a large, global technical professional organization, is dedicated
to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. Through its highly
cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and
educational activities, IEEE is the trusted voice on a wide variety of areas
ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to
biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics. Learn more
at the IEEE Web site. To learn
more about the IEEE Internet of Things Initiative and the IoT Technical
Community, visit the IEEE IoT web portal at: iot.ieee.org.