The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), in partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO), has launched the ITU Telecom World 2014 Young Innovators Competition focused on smart cities and climate change.
This is the third time the competition is being held. This year, the challenge is to find young entrepreneurs with innovative ideas on how ICT can help smart cities slow down or mitigate the effects of climate change for the benefit of global health.
According to the competition organisers, these ideas might include novel technologies or combinations of existing technologies, services and systems which would shape a smart city.
An idea may focus on the monitoring of or reporting on climate change, mitigating or adapting the impact of climate change on society, or on changes in technology and society that lead to a greener community, says ITU.
Winners will receive up to $5 000 in seed funding, as well as business workshops on entrepreneurial skills, networking opportunities, showcasing and pitching opportunities with potential investors.
They will also have the chance to showcase their projects at the InnovationSpace, followed by a mentorship programme throughout the development year to help their businesses to thrive.
The challenge comes in co-operation with the WHO's calls to action on the link between health and climate change, the topic of its upcoming Conference on Health and Climate Change, being held in Geneva, Switzerland from 27 to 29 August, where some of the ideas submitted for the Young Innovators Challenge will be presented.
The competition is open to people between the ages of 18 and 30 from across the ITU's 193 member states.
The submission of ideas is open until 7 October.