Win up to 50.000€ with the Creative Ring Challenge!

There are a lot of commonalities between the challenges Media and Cities are facing. Both are
in a constant state of flux and often their available infrastructure and solutions no longer fit the
proper needs in this fast evolving society. They face multiple and interconnected challenges but,
they are also engines of new ideas and solutions, dynamic places where people meet and
changes happen.

Citizens cope on a daily basis with a diversity of challenges: traffic problems, threatening
proximity of terrorism, increasing flows of refugees and immigrants, the specific needs of an
ageing population, a multiplication of real and virtual communities, the social diseases exclusion
gives birth to such as racism, sexism, handicap-ism, the burdens to provide free and equal
access to high-quality education for all children, the inability to get access to certain basic
services such as health, transport or ICT,…

The city is becoming increasingly smarter and citizens are getting more and more connected.
Access to open data drives Smart City innovations and app development. Still there are further
steps to be taken. The future of our cities will depend on all of us and our ability to rethink our
society. What solutions can help us move revitalize our cities and our neighborhoods? What
benefits can we expect from connected devices, digital transformation, wearable technologies?

Globalization and migration requires citizens to be informed, within their specific context,
combining local with international information. What opportunities offer open data, open services
platforms and open networks, over-the-top (OTT) experiences, personalized media, the conversational interface or Virtual Reality? Can we come up with innovative solutions to
augment our surroundings, making the city more exciting, safe and a seamless extension of our
own existence? How can we make the city more social and more inclusive? How will technology
ensure access to quality education?

For the Creative Ring Challenge, we are looking for creative professionals, entrepreneurs, smart
individuals and businesses eager to develop their creative, smart applications powered by
FIWARE technologies for smarter cities, citizens and societies in general. Win up to 50.000€ in
funding and implement your application into cultural centers, museums, sports events,
education, urban development areas, broadcasters, or even lampposts and bell towers.

Don't miss this unique opportunity to get your creative idea funded!

The Creative Ring Challenge Benelux fits within the framework of Creative Ring Europe and is made possible with support of the EU-funded program CreatiFi. Parallel with this challenge, the Creative Ring Challenge takes place at Ghent and Eindhoven.

Who Is THIs for?

For every Startup, SME or creative individual that represents a legal entity (you need a VAT number). For those with a great idea, product or service supporting smart society and have the necessary skills to implement FIWARE components. 

WHAt ARE THE STEPS TO TAKE?

Don't worry.. There are a few steps to take along the way for winning the funds, but you will be supported and cheered up along the way ... First things first: if you want to apply with a project, register to participate.

timing

1: the Kick-off + Challenge Week

Join us for the Creative Ring Challenge Week from March 21st to March 24th at VRT Sandbox for the Brussels Hub. All participants for the Challenge should be present at the kick-off, 21st of March and the workshop op the 24th of March. You will be submerged to the Creative Ring Challenge, the process and the timings. You will have the opportunity to be inspired by some relevant cases. Also you will have the opportunity during the week to learn about the FIWARE components and the iMinds Living Labs.

Preliminary agenda

Monday - VRT Sandbox

17:30 Registration
18:15 Introduction Creative Ring Challenge
18:30 Lightening talk: the challenges & ambitions of Brussels as a Smart City in the center of Europe - Tanguy De Lestré
18:40 Presentation: Open Data Strategy of Brussels - Yves Thomas & Celine Vanderborght (CIRB)
19:00 Presentation of Brussels Creative - Juan Bossicart
19:20 Introduction to collaborative innovation by Koen Meyskens - VRT Sandbox
19:30-21:00 Networking & Drinks

Tuesday - VRT Sandbox

Open sessions and hackathon plus meetups with VRT experts.

Thursday - VRT Sandbox

10:00-12:00 - Living Labs workshop
13:00-14:00 - Technical webinar
14:00-15:00 - Open Online session for extra questions to the technical team
15:30-17:30 - Pitching Sessions (10 mins/company, 5 min pitch, 5 min Q&A)

Monday - Online

March 28, 23h59 CET Final deadline to submit application - digital.

2: Pitching EVENT, win 25.000€

April 6th and 7th, a pitching event will be held delivering the first selection of winners. A maximum of 5 projects will be selected, granting each project 25.000€ and guidance. This event will be held in Brussels.

3: Development and testing

From April to June, a period for the implementation of a prototype is foreseen. The 5 selected projects will get professional support during this period from different mentors such as the iMinds Living Labs and VRT Sandbox mentors.

4: Finalists, Win An EXTRa 25.000€

In June, the jury will select two projects who will get an additional support of 25.000€ and extra coaching.

5: Wider implementation & finish

From June to October implementation of your mature application on one or more locations, and end presentation together with the winners from the other regions in Europe (Spain, Finland and Italy).