Archived Newsroom • Press Release |
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ITU seeks next generation of social entrepreneurs
Would-be young innovators can win chance
to pitch their ideas to industry leaders at ITU Telecom World 2012
Geneva, 1 May 2012 – ITU has launched the second edition of
its Young Innovators Competition, giving young, talented social entrepreneurs
the opportunity to attend its key global networking and knowledge sharing event,
ITU Telecom World 2012, and the chance to win funding, mentorship and ongoing
support.
Open to 18-25 year olds worldwide, the Young Innovators Competition calls for
projects/concepts which engage the power of ICTs to meet real-world
developmental challenges relevant to one of eight core areas under the theme
“Youth Innovation for Development”:
- Cybersecurity
- Education
- Empowerment of Women
- Environmental Sustainability
- Healthcare
- Human Rights
- Transparency
- Youth Employment
Submissions consisting of everything from well researched concepts to ongoing
operations showing preliminary results are welcome. From these, the twelve most
outstanding entries -– judged to have the greatest possible social impact and
potential for business success -– will win the chance to attend and participate
in ITU Telecom World 2012, which takes place from 14-18 October in Dubai.
The 12 finalists can benefit from one-on-one mentorship sessions with top
level representatives from various sectors, hands-on workshops focused on
developing entrepreneurial skills and the chance to showcase concepts and
projects at a centrally located stand before the uniquely influential audience
of World 2012 delegates. They can also benefit from the rich opportunities for
networking with the leading names and key decision makers from industry,
government and academia plus visionaries and digital thought leaders present at
the event.
Final winners will also benefit from prize money of up to CHF10,000 to
realize entrepreneurial dreams. In addition winners will have access to the
network of mentors offering ongoing support for up to one year, be invited to
form an active part of the Young Innovators community and update their
submission as featured on our website with regular progress report.
“Participation in this competition offers a great opportunity for the next
generation of young visionaries to demonstrate their ideas and innovations on a
truly global stage at our event, and show how their fresh digital thinking can
change the world for the better,” said ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré.
“Crucially, the reach of the Young Innovators Programme will also extend way
beyond the event, building a cohesive international community of highly talented
social entrepreneurs working on ICT-based initiatives in areas that are vital to
developmental issues facing the world today.”
The deadline for initial submissions is 1st July 2012. For further details
and the application procedure, please visit
world2012.itu.int/young-innovators-competition
For more information on the event, please see
world2012.itu.int
or contact:
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Sanjay Acharya
Chief, Media Relations
and Public Information
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