News
£1m funding pot for Tech to Connect Challenge
Posted on 6th August 2019
The innovation charity Nesta has along with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), launched the Tech to Connect Challenge, to support charities, social enterprises, and social tech ventures across the UK to tackle social isolation using technology.
Technology offers unprecedented opportunities to approach social challenges and the tech for good movement is critically important to help solve the major issues facing us all.
The Challenge, funded by the DCMS, consists of £500,000 of grant funding along with £500,000 worth of business support.
The applicants in the Challenge are expected to outline a problem related to social isolation in England and highlight how technology could help to address it.
Seven finalists will be invited to follow a five-month programme of guided support, during which time they will conduct further research and develop a prototype and a plan for how it might be implemented.
At this end of this period, one winner and two runners-up will be chosen to receive a share of the available funds.
Executive director of Nesta Challenges, Tris Dyson, said: “Social isolation is a major public health concern affecting people of any background, age or location. We know that a wide range of civil society organisations already have great ideas to combat social isolation, but they are often constrained by a lack of funding or resources.
“By offering tailored guidance and funding to help scale the most impactful solutions, we will help to build more connected communities.”
“The simplest solutions are often the most impactful, and we’re encouraging organisations from across the board to submit their ideas through our short submission form. Whether it’s an idea in its early stages or an operational concept that needs scaling up, we want to hear about your tech-based solutions.”
Learn more about it here.
