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STOCKHOLM CHALLENGE AWARDThe Stockholm Challenge gathers some of the world’s most innovative IT projects. Year after year we get new examples how one can use IT for the benefit of all people and societies. They show in practice how IT is applied in everyday life – whether it concerns social welfare and health care programs or as a tool in favour of democracy in communities and regions, or other. The new technology has provided new possibilities for education to be brought to larger and new groups. The challengers show how society faces a possibility of creating new and more democratic structures. This is what the Stockholm Challenge Awards is all about. The Stockholm Challenge is a unique awards programme for pioneering IT projects world wide. It is a way of building networks between entrepreneurs who will benefit from contracts across borders, cultures and economies. The Stockholm Challenge focuses on the positive effects of today’s information society, technology itself is not the issue. Projects compete in seven categories, in areas where IT has great influence on people’s lives. The possibilities of strengthened democracy, safer health care and renewal of educational systems are just a few examples. A growing category is culture, where artists and holders of cultural heritage show how they use Internet for new experiences. Other projects have shown how IT can be used to counteract segregation and discrimination, make every day life easier for the disabled or create possibilities for education in rural village. |
The Stockholm Challenge jury, a group of international senior experts, base their evaluation on the four criteria: Innovation, User Need, Sustainability and Transferability. Special attention is given to projects that promote democracy, counteract segregation and discrimination or support gender equality. The Stockholm Challenge is a yearly event arranged by the City of Stockholm. It is a non-profit initiative open to private, public and academic contestants. To enter, projects must be fully implemented and in use, or piloted in a realistic setting for at least three months. The Stockholm Challenge Final Events are open to all finalists, and include Seminars, Best Practice Exhibition and an exciting Prize-Giving Ceremony that follow the noble tradition of The Stockholm Challenge and take place in the glorious setting of the Stockholm City Hall. Further challenges Every year hundreds of new-thinking IT entrepreneurs, selected Stockholm Challenge Finalists meet in Stockholm and show their Best Practice Applications to interested exhibition visitors. This provides an opportunity to study and bring about the possibilities brought by information technology to the rest of the world. Our next Challenge will be to ensure the widest possible dissemination and take-up of the knowledge, experiences and technology that have been gathered via the Stockholm Challenge Award. The Stockholm Challenge Award is a part of TIME.STOCKHOLM – a Stockholm event for innovative entrepreneurs within the TIME industries; Telecommunications, IT, Media and Entertainment. For further information, see www.time.stockholm.se
In a country breakdown the United States hold the lead with 140 projects, followed by Sweden with 68 and Italy with 54 participating projects. In Top Ten we also see Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, Israel, India, France and Brazil. In the Culture
and Entertainment category of the Stockholm Challenge Award 2001, 15
Projects were shortlisted. Among them was ‘Introduction of Computer Aided
Design (CAD) Technology in Handlooms’ which was conceived and implemented
during my tenure as District Magistrate, Nadia. With increasing competition combined with impact of globalisation on the industry there was an urgent need to utilise modern technology. I, therefore, took the help of national Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT). We decided to se-up a CAD Studio at Shantipur itself. A batch of 24 young designers was selected from the community, non of whom had ever seen or operated a computer. They were trained at NIFT, Calcutta on AutoCAD software. Funds for the project were sourced from MPLADS funds & the Nadia Zilla Parishad. A significant proportion of the funds were contributed by the local weavers and the trading community. The Chief Minister of West Bengal formally inaugurated the facility on 28th November, 2000. The entire project was managed by a Project Management Group which was chaired by the District Magistrate. Most of the other members were persons from the local handloom community. This was done to provide an institutional framework, a sense of belonging and ownership to the community. The facility was designed to be open to all weavers and designers of the industry. However, a user charge was to be paid to ensure its financial viability. Since the inauguration of the studios several more batches of designers have been trained. Workshops on appreciation of colours and assessment of future trends have been organized. The Center now has a substantial reserve fund. The project has shown both replicability and scalability. Three other districts have now started CAD studios for handloom weavers. Many private individuals have also installed computers for their in-house designers. The project has dispelled the notion that technology is elitist. The productivity of the Industry has increased and so has the incomes. This project was among the 15 short-listed for the finals of the Stockholm Challenge Award – a world-wide competition of pioneering IT Projects. That year 742 projects from 90 countries were considered for the award. The details are available at the following websites:- http://www.the-week.com/21sep16/events12.htm |
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