Pitching competition

Digital accessibility plays a crucial role in fostering an inclusive digital society, economy, and environment. For persons with disabilities, the importance of ICT is especially pronounced, serving as vital tools for overcoming barriers and enhancing quality of life through greater independence and broader social engagement. In accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD), the international community works to identify and remove accessibility barriers to enable human development and social inclusion of Persons with Disabilities. Competent Institutions at an international, regional and national level promote innovative solutions that leverage the opportunities of ICT to foster equal inclusion of all and reduce the digital divide, with particular attention for Persons with Disabilities. 

Accessible Europe is organized within the framework of the ITU Regional Initiative for Europe 3 on “Digital Inclusion and Skills Development”, itself defined and adopted by member states during the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) 2022, joining with Resolution WTDC 58 (Rev. Kigali, 2022) Telecommunication/information and communication technology accessibility for persons with disabilities and persons with specific needs. It is further fortified by the Plenipotentiary Conference Resolution 175, which addresses ICT accessibility for persons with disabilities, recognizing the need for equal and equitable access to digital information and the use of ICT and the cooperation with various stakeholders, global standards, and the promotion of emerging technologies, as key elements to achieve the goal of inclusive communication for ALL. 

Upon receiving submissions, a preliminary screening will be conducted to ensure compliance with eligibility criteria and the accuracy of the information provided. Eligible practitioners will have the opportunity to attend the ITU–EC Forum for Europe “Accessible Europe: ICT 4 ALL” in Madrid, Spain, from 13-14 December 2023. 

During the final session of the Forum’s first day, candidates will pitch their solutions to an international audience of ecosystem stakeholders, institutional and industry representatives, and interested general public. Based on the presentations, a public vote will be held amongst Forum attendees to recognize the most innovative digital solution. The public vote will be followed by a social event and ceremony attended by the organizers (ITU and EC), the co-organizer (AccessibleEU Resource Centre), the host (Fundación ONCE), and the voting audience, during which the winner will be announced. Winners will be awarded based on the outcome of the vote and will receive a certificate of participation. 

Please note that all travel, accommodation, and related expenses for attending the event are the responsibility of the competitors. 

All participants of this pitching competition are strongly encouraged to attend the Regional Forum for Europe “Accessible Europe: ICT 4 ALL.”. For more details on the event, please visit the event website at http://itu.int/go/Accessible-Europe-23, where information on the agenda, registration, logistics, and other useful links are available and regularly updated. 

For any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us at eurregion@itu.int. ​

1. ​Introduction ​

In its fifth edition, the Regional Forum for Europe "Accessible Europe: ICT 4 ALL - 2023" will feature the Pitching Competition for Innovative Digital Solutions for an Accessible Europe.  

The Pitching Competition seeks submissions on new concepts of technology, digital applications or interfaces that are developed for use by persons with vision, hearing, speech, cognitive and physical disabilities. Albeit not exclusively, these may include hardware and peripherals for specific use, services accessible through the web or software integrated into mobile devices.  

After an initial screening based on eligibility criteria, selected candidates will have the opportunity to present their innovative solutions in-person during a dedicated pitching session at the Regional Forum, where a public vote will be held to recognize the most impactful solutions presented.  

Eligible projects will be compiled into a stocktaking report, published on the Accessible Europe website (https://www.itu.int/go/Accessible-Europe-23), and further disseminated within the European ICT stakeholder community. Interested participants will have their projects considered for the World Summit of the Information Society (WSIS) Prizes 2024.  

Only submissions received before 19 November 2023 23:59 CEST (UTC+2) will be considered.  

Kindly note that there is no submission fee. However, all travel, accommodation, and related expenses for attending the Forum will be borne by the competitors.  

For any questions please email: eurregion@itu.int and easurmen.itu@gmail.com.  

Note: The application contains open-ended questions for which you need to prepare beforehand. Please check the submission template on the Forum website.  

​  

2. Section 1 - Eligibility screening  

* 1. What is the current development stage of your solution?  

The solution must be in the final stage of development or have been finalized in recent years.  

Please provide a brief explanation or evidence supporting your response above.  

* 2. Does your solution originate from the Europe region?  

Link to the list of countries  

Please provide a brief explanation or evidence supporting your response above.  

* 5. Which of the following categories best qualifies your project?  

Please provide a brief explanation or evidence supporting your response above.  

6. Does your solution fit into any other secondary category?    

Please provide a brief explanation or evidence supporting your response above.  

3. Section 2 - General information about the organization and project  

* 1. Name of Institution/Organization  

* 2. Type/legal entity  

The pitching competition seeks submissions from individuals and teams across the private, public, non-profit, and academic sectors.  

* 3. Please provide a brief description of the Institution/Organization. (Up to 3000 characters)  

* 4. Name of the Solution  

* 5. Please provide a brief description of the Solution. (Up to 3000 characters)  

* 6. Where your Institution or Organization is registered  

Country/Territory 

City  

* 7. Contact information of the Organization  

Telephone/Mobile (+country code)  

Email  

* 8. Organization/Institution/Solution Social media and Website  

Website 

LinkedIn 

Facebook  

Twitter  

Instagram  

Other 1  

Other 2  

​

4. Section 3 - General information about the submitter  

The submitter will be considered as the focal point for any communications or queries about the submission.  

* 1. Name(s) of the submitter (legal name as it appears in the passport)  

* 2. Last name(s) of the submitter (legal name as it appears in the passport)  

* 3. Occupational title of the submitter  

* 4. Contact information of the submitter  

Telephone/mobile (+country code) 

Email address  

Secondary phone number 

Secondary email address  

5. If you have an additional contact person, please share their information.  

Name(s) 

Last Name(s)  

Role  

Email address  

Phone number  

5. Section 4 - Solution descrip​tion  
  

* 1. Solution Overview: Photo 1  

Up to five high-resolution pictures of the solution, containing the main components (screen pictures or device pictures).  

Please submit in PNG, JPG, JPEG formats.

* 2. Solution Overview: Photo 2  

Up to five high-resolution pictures of the solution, containing the main components (screen pictures or device pictures).  

Please submit in PNG, JPG, JPEG formats.  

3. Solution Overview: Photo 3  

Up to five high-resolution pictures of the solution, containing the main components (screen pictures or device pictures).  

Please submit in PNG, JPG, JPEG formats.  

4. Solution Overview: Photo 4  

Up to five high-resolution pictures of the solution, containing the main components (screen pictures or device pictures).  

Please submit in PNG, JPG, JPEG formats. 

5. Solution Overview: Photo 5  

Up to five high-resolution pictures of the solution, containing the main components (screen pictures or device pictures).  

Please submit in PNG, JPG, JPEG formats.  

  6. Solution Overview:  

Please provide a link to a video of the solution (if applicable)  

* 7. Components Description:  

A description of the components of the solutions, including the interfaces, hardware or software, and the standards used or developed for the solution.  

(Up to 2500 characters)  

* 8. Main Use Case Scenario:  

A detailed description of the solution’s main use case, the actors involved (i.e. beneficiaries, collaborators), the sequence of actions, the input and outputs, etc.  

(Up to 4000 characters)  

* 9. Business Development Plan:  

Please outline your plan for business development of this solution.  

(Up to 2000 characters)  

10. Please upload any instructions for use (if applicable) or any other related supporting documents for your solution here.  

Please submit in PDF format.  

6. Section 5 - Participation  

* 1. Will a representative from your organization be able to attend and present your solution in English and in-person at the Accessible Europe pitching session, covering all related expenses for your participation?  

Eligible competitors will be invited to present their projects in-person during the dedicated pitching session at the Accessible Europe Forum held on 13-14 December in Madrid, Spain. ITU is not able to provide financial assistance for this purpose; all associated expenses will be borne by the competitor.  

The event will be conducted in English, and all presenters are kindly requested to present in English.  

* 2. Signee  

Name(s) and Last Name(s) of the signee and submitter (legal name as it appears in the passport)