Want £10 Million? Design The First Smart City

In case you don’t know the big buzz phrase this year is the Internet of Things (IoT for short). This is simply where everything you won is connected to the internet. The first step was the rise in “Smart TV’s” but expect smart fridges, heating and even kettles in the near future meaning that you will never come home to an unboiled kettle ever again.

Even the UK Government is getting in on the act. They are offering a £10 million prize to a single collaborative research and development project which helps to demonstrate “the capability of IoT in a city region.”

This prize is being offered by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and Innovate UK as part of a wider £40 million government investment in IoT announced back in March. Aside from involving some form of IoT application – other requirements include:

 

Specific benefits for citizens, the city region, and the environment.

Economic benefits for businesses and local authorities.

Appropriate security and privacy features.

Entries must be able to work across a variety of sectors.

Digital Economy Minister Ed Vaizey said: “The UK technology sector is renowned for its creativity and pioneering research and development. This competition will be instrumental in discovering new connections between city services and their users, and identifying many more advantages that the Internet of Things could offer.”

This could actually be the platform to really push the UK to the forefront of technology and development.

The deadline for registration to participate in the event is at noon on 23 September 2015 – with the deadline for applications being set at noon on 30 September 2015.

Interested parties can get more information either online at https://interact.innovateuk.org, by calling the competition hotline on 0300 321 4357, or through emailing support@innovateuk.gov.uk