Total Prizes of $600,000 Awarded to Mobile and Wireless Solutions for Global Community Impact
The Vodafone Americas Foundation has launched its seventh annual Wireless Innovation Project™ (WIP), offering applicants the opportunity to win a total prize fund of $600,000 for innovative mobile solutions that have high potential to solve critical global issues. The Director of the Vodafone Group Foundation, Andrew Dunnett, officially announced the opening of the competition at the Social Innovation Summit in San Francisco on November 19.
Previous winners have gone on to receive additional funding, defined their intellectual property strategy, filed for patents, and commercially launched their innovations, among other notable advancements.
Vodafone Americas Foundation Director June Sugiyama explained: “Over the past six years, roughly 500 teams have participated in this competition with innovative solutions focusing on education, health, economic development, access to communication, the environment and disaster relief. We’re proud to witness so many of the winning innovations strive to improve economic opportunity and quality of life for people around the globe, especially in developing countries.”
Applications will be accepted until midnight PST on February 27, 2015 and finalists will be announced on March 16, 2015.
Application information
- Applicants compete for first, second and third-place prizes worth $300,000, $200,000 and $100,000, respectively.
- Projects must be at a late stage of research, advanced prototype or field/market test; these can occur during the award period.
- A panel of expert judges from the fields of wireless engineering, international development, social entrepreneurship and business will evaluate the applications.
For the application materials, please visit: https://vodafone-us.com/wireless-innovation-project/apply/