It’s the last few weeks to get involved as a Challenge Sponsor
As the Plato inspired proverb goes, necessity is the mother of all invention, and the time to innovate and affect positive change in Scotland is now.
Previous Challenge Sponsors have had incredible impact on CivTech Challenges, by paving the way for sustainable innovation across almost every sector in the country, and we’re looking for the final few partners to join our campaign.
As part of our quest, CivTech’s challenge-based approach to innovation is to ‘start with the problem and not the solution’. This is an approach shared by our Challenge Sponsors that help present innovative solutions to public and private sector issues.
With budget pressures and the increased need for effective social, business, nature, and climate based tech solutions ever increasing, Challenge Sponsors are a crucial part of our programmes and they continue to have an impact long after Challenge Winners are announced.
Challenge Sponsor Kyle Usher, Head of Innovation at Scottish Forestry says: “CivTech enabled us to view our challenge differently to standard procurement. We wrote the brief differently, spoke to different companies, funded it differently, and have been able to collaborate on the development of a brand-new technology.
CivTech has enabled us to invest in innovation and to collaborate on the development of new technology we hope can provide value for years to come. With the CivTech process, support and funding model removing barriers to innovation, we've taken an approach we would otherwise have been unable to pursue.”
If you are interested in developing a Challenge, you might wonder what that means in practice. Our Challenge definition process is how we work with organisations to develop Challenges and get them ready to be part of a CivTech process.
Each potential Challenge we work on is different so the approach will vary for each issue. But the basic steps are as follows:
Step One: A discussion with an Innovation Manager
During an initial informal chat we will ask you to explain more about the issue you are focused on, and if you have looked for any existing solutions. Our Innovation managers will explain more about the process and costs, and agree whether to proceed to Step Two.
Step Two: Challenge Workshop
Depending on the requirements on your Challenge we can either hold an exploratory workshop (where you include any stakeholders you wish to engage) or alternatively, a definition workshop. Both these workshops aim to work towards developing an Expression of Interest form.
Step Three: Expression of Interest
Our Expression of Interest form captures the outline details of any Challenge. If we are over subscribed for a cohort we will use Expressions of Interest to select Challenges into a Cohort.
Step Four: Detailed Challenge Preparation
After review of the Expressions of Interest, successful Challenges will work with the CivTech team to prepare all the collateral needed to publish Challenges. This includes a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the CivTech team, relevant procurement documentation and Challenge Videos.
We’re launching the next round of CivTech Challenges in the June 2024. If you are a Public or Third Sector organisation with a problem you want to solve then you could become a CivTech 10 Challenge Sponsor. It all starts with a conversation, email civtech@gov.scot