The City of Johannesburg’s (CoJ’s) Smart City Office has invited startup technology companies to submit proposals for smart city innovative solutions in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and innovative ideas on how we can go into the future together.
“The lockdown protocols have ignited new thinking about the future of our city and its residents. Therefore, the aim of the Smart City Innovation Challenge is to find and develop digital technology solutions that respond to urban and community challenges faced by the city in the new normal resulting from Covid-19,” the CoJ says.
The solutions should either save lives, such as enabling detection, tracking and prediction of the spread of the virus; enhance communication and improve healthcare and security in the city; or support livelihoods, including reducing vulnerability, improving food security and upholding human dignity.
These are solutions that may additionally enable the city citizens to be entrepreneurial and find new ways to sustain themselves.
The two winning applications will be taken into a rapid development and prototype launching process through a virtual bootcamp and prototyping grant of R100 000 each.
This will be followed by opportunity for further funding to take at least one solution into implementation.
Applicants should submit their proposals on https://www.joburg.org.za/Pages/Campaigns/Joburg%20Enterprises%20-2020.aspx.