The City of Munich's 2019 Innovation Competition will reveal which startup has the best idea for municipal issues. The competition is taking place for the second time this year and focuses on 'smart city' solutions for Munich. A digital weekly market, waste reduction in our schools, or a district calendar—smart ideas for these are in demand! The application deadline is May 19, 2019.
The City of Munich is announcing its second innovation competition on 'Smart Cities'. Students, founders, and the local startup community are invited to develop innovative solutions for predefined municipal issues. The most convincing idea will be awarded the Innovation Prize. This will lead to a pilot project, which will be implemented jointly with the city administration and the UnternehmerTUM should be further developed and tested in practice.
Opening Munich administration to innovations
The competition aims to open Munich's administration to innovation. The 2019 Innovation Competition also represents a unique opportunity for local startups to implement their solutions at home and test their new approaches locally.
The following topics were selected for the 2019 innovation competition:
- Waste avoidance at Munich schools
- Digital weekly market — reaching new target groups
- Self-generating district cultural calendar
- Use crowdsourcing — collect data together for the city
Interested parties can also discuss any questions with the contact persons in the individual departments. This also allows them to clarify the city's expectations and whether the innovation appears to be feasible within the city's framework.
The process
For each topic, the participants with the best concepts will be invited to present their ideas to a jury. All finalists will receive a €500 award.
The jury will select the most promising solution approach. The winning team will be presented with the Innovation Award at an evening event hosted by Mayor Pretzl on July 18, 2019. Upon completion of the implementation phase, the winners will receive an additional cash prize of €1,500.
In autumn 2019, the winning concepts will be implemented in the respective test fields, accompanied by a Founder coaching of the UnternehmerTUM.
What could a pilot project look like?
Last year, the Munich startup Holo-Light A mixed-reality application was developed at the Freiham test site in which the existing development was supplemented with a virtual 3D model of the future development. Information such as street names and floor numbers can be displayed on top of it. Users can adjust virtual objects using hand gestures and voice commands. This approach is intended to support the city council and urban planners in their construction planning. At the same time, the mixed-reality solution enables a new form of communication with Munich's citizens.
Also honored in 2018 was the Munich-based startup Teratrace, which offers a digital approach to measuring capacity utilization on the Munich subway. On the test field at the Fröttmaning subway station, Bluetooth sensors were used to anonymously record passenger movements. Combined with intelligent algorithms, the company then generated forecasts that enabled emergency personnel to respond to future events in advance. At well-attended events such as football matches, personnel can be deployed more effectively in the future, and crowd flows on the platform and at the entrances can be better controlled.
Application information for the 2019 Innovation Competition
Are you interested in further shaping Munich as a 'smart city'? Then apply for the City of Munich's 2019 Innovation Competition by May 19, 2019.
