The Data City | Data Nation initiative is giving participants managed access to Big Data provided by telcos, retailers, health providers, security firms, and local government, synchronised by time and location. Entry is open to innovators from around the world, from start-ups to teams within large companies.
The Digital Catapult and data provider partners are setting participants a series of monthly data innovation challenges, linked to specific themes including mobility, healthcare, construction, population, concluding with security. The next challenge, focussing on healthcare and wellness, will be launched at a morning event on 14 June at the Digital Catapult Centre in Euston.
At each event, participants will be able to find out more about Data City | Data Nation, meet industry stakeholders and thought leaders from across sectors relevant to the challenge, and receive access to the data required to solve the challenge.
After the event, participants will have two weeks to submit a one-page pitch laying out their solution to the challenge at hand. Submissions will be judged by a panel made up of representatives from Osborne Clarke, the Digital Catapult, the data providers, and third-parties such as venture capitalists.
Shortlisted entries will then be invited to pitch these solutions to the panel at an event at the Digital Catapult Centre, where the winners will be selected and announced.
Winning participants will receive a sponsor-funded cash prize and access to the Digital Catapult Centre London for hot desks and meeting space, along with mentoring to progress relationships and ideation support after each challenge ends.
Osborne Clarke, winner of The Lawyer and Legal Business magazine’s Law Firm of the Year awards for 2015, is a leader on many of the business sectors involved in making cities smarter, including tech, media and comms, energy, financial services, retail, transport, life sciences, and real estate.
The firm will contribute its expertise to each Data City | Data Nation judging panel, and will host the Safety and Security challenge at its offices in London Wall. Osborne Clarke will also publicise key innovations from the programme on its Smart Cities and Connected Consumer hubs, and through its social media channels.
Simon Beswick, International CEO, Osborne Clarke said:
“At Osborne Clarke, we pride ourselves on working with the innovators, from large, multi-national businesses to SMEs and investors in innovation, who are tackling the big challenges we face in an increasingly digital world. We are particularly interested in the work that is being done around smart cities, as that work overlaps extensively with our areas of strength, including technology, finance, energy, transport, and infrastructure to name but a few.
“Data City | Data Nation is an exciting initiative that has real potential to unlock the value hidden in Big Data, allowing us to solve the big issues urban environments are facing. We are very proud to be working with the Digital Catapult and Newton Circus on Data City | Data Nation, and we cannot wait to see the innovations that will come out of it.”
Chirdeep Chhabra, Senior Manager, Data Programmes, Digital Catapult commented:
“For the UK to remain a leader in the digital economy and accelerate economic growth and productivity, we need to make breakthroughs in the data sharing movement. By facilitating collaboration between organisations and providing a platform to responsibly share the data they own, the Data City | Data Nation project is already driving this forward.
“It is fantastic to have Osborne Clarke on board as sponsors of the programme. They bring with them a wealth of expertise from across our four key areas of opportunity around proprietary data. We look forward to working closely with them as we continue to build momentum, not only with this project, but as part of the wider data sharing movement in the UK.”
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