Melbourne issues open call to help make the city safer

The City of Melbourne in Australia is inviting creative solutions and expertise from innovators, entrepreneurs and community members as part of the 2019 Open Innovation Competition.

The competition, now in its second year, aims to stimulate new ideas and unearth effective solutions driven by the broader community on key issues that matter to Melbourne.

Community action for a safer city

Held in conjunction with Melbourne Conversations and Accenture, the launch this week revealed the 2019 competition theme and problem statement, which is dedicated to understanding how everyone can get around safely in the city.

Chair of the City of Melbourne’s Knowledge City portfolio, Councillor Dr Jackie Watts, said the theme for this year’s competition is ‘safe mobility’ for everyone. It encompasses four key areas: public spaces, transportation, safety at night and safety around city disruption.

“More than 900,000 people move through our bustling city every day and night. Residents, workers and visitors all converge on our roads and footpaths to experience the vibrant life our city has to offer,” said Dr Watts. “The Open Innovation Competition 2019 will explore ideas around what we can do to ensure everyone can travel safely through our city at any hour.”

"We encourage anyone with a solution or idea about any aspect of ‘safe mobility’ to get involved with the competition"

“We seek innovative solutions! We need your creativity! We encourage anyone with a solution or idea about any aspect of ‘safe mobility’ to get involved with the competition. We will help you, with a number of mentoring sessions to refine your ideas, help you incorporate the rich data provided by the City of Melbourne and our partner institutions into your solution and help you pitch your solutions.”

Accenture, an official corporate partner of the Competition, sees the partnership as an opportunity to help support local innovation and address the safety needs and concerns of the people who travel through our city.

With a prize pool of $30,000 and major prizes including entry to the MAP Velocity programme for early-stage start-ups, a trip to the Bundung Institute of Technology in Indonesia, cash prizes, mentorship and other development opportunities, the City of Melbourne is eager to see a range of new talent come forward with their technology-enabled solutions.

Application are now open until Sunday 21 April. For more information on the Open Innovation Competition, visit: participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au/open-innovation

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