The Futures Project announces Call for Innovators for the Future
Deadline: 03-Jul-2020
As the world lives through a crisis unprecedented in recent history, IFP launch their first Global Open Call to Action for Innovators for the Future.
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They solicit your help to turn this severe global challenge into an opportunity – an opportunity to address the urgencies of the moment and the problems of their futures. This Call to Action is organised in partnership with the UN75 Global Conversation Initiative.
The COVID-19 crisis exposes the vulnerabilities of our connected societies, our economies, our ways of life. Rarely has even the near future been less certain. Even though pandemics have been part of human history throughout the centuries, they realise that they are not prepared. And it shows more than ever the need for collective action, shared knowledge, solidarity and creativity.
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Focus Areas
Submitted projects should target one or more of The Futures Project’s focus areas:
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Empowerment (e.g. education, equality, future of work, financial services)
Solutions that ingeniously enfranchise the marginalised, bridge gaps, ensure continuity of learning and work in times of disruption, raise awareness, provide universal access to solutions and safeguard futures of communities.
Life (e.g. health, protection of biodiversity, food, energy, sustainable cities)
Current projects that consciously inform, sustain and protect life on our planet, ideas that support responsible management of natural resources, means to aid well-being of individuals and communities alike, solutions in times of crises that are conscious of future impacts, movements that propagate sustainable solutions.
Society (e.g. governance, social cohesion, peace).
Mechanisms that bring people together, agile networks to mobilise collective action, critical assessments of interventions, means to foster solidarity in times of crisis, ways to mitigate conflicts.
They encourage the applicants or those nominating to consider solutions in the range of areas mentioned. Solutions that address more than one area simultaneously are preferred.
What they offer:
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Top 75
The Call for Innovators will select the top 75 inspiring and impactful projects and recognize them in conjunction with the UN75 Global Conversation project. These projects will be portrayed online in a digital yearbook as recognition of the Innovators’ work. Their work will be shared through The Futures Project’s network as well as through the social media channels of the UN75.
Top 15
Of these 75 projects, 15 semi-finalists will additionally have their projects reviewed by and receive feedback from their Jury of Leaders, comprised of CEOs, NGO directors, political leaders, impact fund managers, foundation executives, and leaders from other fields. Participants will receive feedback from this jury of leaders and training and practical support on pitch preparation. They will be invited to pitch their projects in front of a jury of high-level leaders, funders, investors, and supporters at The Futures Project’s Flagship Conference in Munich in December 2020.
Top 15
The Futures Project will select up to 5 winning projects to participate in their highly-customised Social Impact Accelerator in Spring 2021. This four-month experience will include one-on-one mentoring with experts and industry leaders, interaction with their global network, and an intensive 5-7 days, in-person training week in Berlin. While the Accelerator programme will last for 4 months, participants will receive individualised mentorship for a full year. Participants will regularly learn from and work with their broad range of renowned partners from around the world, including business leaders, foundations, NGOs, and media partners. Through participation in this programme, Innovators will receive practical training and opportunities for collaboration that will launch their projects into the next phases of impact for the future.
What IFP looks for:
IFP seeks to identify projects that help communities, building on their motto: innovation is the future delivered. You can nominate an initiative you know of, or self-nominate a project you’re affiliated with. They are especially interested in learning about work that may have gone unrecognized on the global stage, whether these initiatives are very recent or more established, provided they are relevant for today and the future.
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These are the qualities that they look for in their innovators and their projects:
Future-oriented & optimistic: Believing in their capacity to inspire positive change and build a better world and a better future for all.
Unorthodox & passionate: Bold ideas that show ingenuity, passion and dedication and that move beyond traditional definitions, concerns and binaries.
Sustainable & responsible: Ideas that use resources with care and do not come at the cost of the well-being of others.
Specific & impact-driven: Projects that target clear needs of communities and their environment. Ideas that are meaningful to people.
Eligibility Criteria
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Applicants should fulfill the following basic eligibility criteria:
Must provide a valid and functioning email address and be able to communicate regularly by email.
Must be a registered entity (company, nonprofit, quasi-governmental entity, etc.).
Project must address one of The Futures Project’s focus areas: Life, Empowerment, and Society.
Project must be intended to last beyond the current COVID-19 crisis (i.e. we are not looking for projects that have a temporary or crisis-dependent duration).
Must be committed to enrolling in and participating in The Futures Project Social Impact Accelerator if they are selected.
The Futures Project will select 5 winning projects to participate in their highly-customised Social Impact Accelerator in Spring 2021. This four-month experience will include one-on-one mentoring with experts and industry leaders, interaction with their global network, and an intensive 5-7 day, in-person training week in Berlin. Though the Accelerator programme will last for 4 months, participants will receive individualised mentorship for a full year. Participants will regularly learn from and work with their broad range of renowned partners from around the world.
For more information, visit https://call-for-innovators.futures-project.org/