2017 SingularityU Norway Global Impact Challenge

Overview

The purpose of the SingularityU Norway Global Impact Challenge is to foster moonshot innovations and startups that positively impact the lives of people living in Norway, with an ability to scale and impact a billion people worldwide in 10 years.

This year, for the first time, we are ideally looking for applicants who have the skills and passion to develop a moonshot idea and launch a startup company that addresses climate change, although we will also accept outstanding applicants who have other areas of expertise or choose to innovate in other global grand challenges areas such as health, education, environment, energy, water, food, disaster resilience, and governance.

Climate change is a broad focus area that includes many areas ripe for innovation. For example, if you’re developing sustainable food sources or alternative energy sources, developing governance models for policy, or focused on issues such as biodiversity or water access, you already fall within the climate change theme and should definitely apply.

Again, we welcome entrepreneurs, technologists, scientists, and other experts from all disciplines to apply, and we will not require participants to only innovate in the climate change space.

What moonshot innovation would you develop to solve a global grand challenge (environment, energy, water, food, health, disaster resilience, governance, learning, space, security, prosperity, or shelter) using exponential technology that would impact the lives of a billion people in the next 10 years?

New for 2017

This year, the GSP has two big changes: (1) climate change is the overarching theme, and (2) we have a new collaboration with XPRIZE.

We selected the climate change theme because it has consequences for every industry, geographic region, and way of life. Even if you don’t consider yourself a climate change authority or innovator, your skill set can probably help mitigate the effects of climate change. If you’re already passionate about impact or working in the impact space, you can create a moonshot innovation to address this urgent global problem.

We will not require participants to innovate in the climate change space, and welcome people from all disciplines to apply, but this theme will inform the program curriculum. We are looking for applicants from ANY technology or science discipline because we know a challenge as huge as climate change can only be solved within the convergence of multiple disciplines and exponential technologies.

The prize

The winner of this challenge will secure a full sponsorship to attend the prestigious Global Solutions Program at Singularity University. The program runs from June 17 to August 17, 2017, on the SU campus at NASA Research Park. The winner will also be awarded stage time to speak about his or her idea and/or experiences at SU at Aftenpostens Teknologikonferanse in the fall.

Shortlisted finalists will be invited to a tech bootcamp in Copenhagen from March 14-18. All costs will be covered and the camp is mandatory.

Finalists will be encouraged to participate in sponsors’ internal events and/or have the opportunity to publicly communicate their ideas and learnings, as provided by separate agreements with sponsors.

Dates and timeline

Applications open: January 13, 2017
Information session: February 20, 2017,
Sentralen (Øvre Slottsgate 3), Oslo room P3 at 18:30-19:30
Applications close: February 25, 2017
Notification upon approval: March 3, 2017
Finalist bootcamp: Copenhagan, March 14-18, 2017
Pitch event & winners announced: March 30, 2017,
Teknologihuset (Pilestredet 56), Oslo at 18:30-22:30