About > Introduction
CITIES REQUIRE NEW SOLUTIONS AS THEY FACE MAJOR CHALLENGES IN AREAS SUCH AS MOBILITY, HEALTH, SAFETY, URBAN MANAGEMENT, CARBON EMISSIONS, EDUCATION AND TOURISM. IN TURN, SOLUTION PROVIDERS ARE OFTEN STRUGGLING TO NAVIGATE A COMPLEX MARKET OF 557,000 LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN THE WORLD.
Since 2009, the Living Labs Global Award has worked together with cities in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas to present major societal challenges affecting more than 125 million people. In response, more than 800 solution providers have in the past two editions responded with often ground-breakingtechnologies, ready to meet those challenges.
Winners of the Living Labs Global Award are invited to implement a pilot of their solution to evaluate impact, provide input into product development, and improve procurement or regulatory decisions by cities later on. This has transformed the way waste management is planned in Barcelona, the way venture capital is provided to social entrepreneurs in Cape Town, or community healthcare is delivered in New Taipei City.
THE LIVING LABS GLOBAL AWARD 2012
Living Labs Global conducted a selection process in which dialogues where held with more than 250 global cities. As a result, 21 cities with more than 90 million citizens have joined the Living Labs Global Award 2012 with a commitment to a) present a real challenge, b) to adhere to the accountable and transparent jury process, c) to invite the winning solution provider to pilot their solution in the city, and d) join the Award Ceremony and Summit to be held in Rio de Janeiro in May 2012.
PARTNER CITIES
Barcelona, Birmingham, Caceres, Cape Town, Coventry, Derry~Londonderry, Eindhoven, Fukuoka,Glasgow, Guadalajara, Hamburg, Kristiansand, Lagos, Lavasa, Mexico, Rio de Janeiro, San Francisco, Sant Cugat, Santiago de Chile, and Terrassa.
WHY DO SOLUTION PROVIDERS TAKE PART ?
Companies, non-governmental organisations and research centres have invested in technologies that change our cities. The Living Labs Global Award 2012 will provide these innovators an opportunity to present their solutions directly to a leading group cities, receive a professional and documented evaluation, win a prestigious recognition for their efforts and an opportunity to enter a new market through a pilot.
WHO CAN TAKE PART?
The Living Labs Global Award does not charge solution providers to keep the door wide open to innovations from all parts of the world, and all kinds of organisations. Only solutions that exist at least as prototypes, pilots, pre-commercial solutions or are fully ready for market deployment are accepted.