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EU challenges citizens to come up with smart solutions to social problems

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(Source: Stockfresh)

17 September 2015

The European Commission in cooperation with the European Investment Bank Institute is awarding a prize of €2 million to the best idea to solve a social problem facing society. But which particular problem this will be has yet to be decided.

Until 21 October, citizens will be able to choose from five challenges facing society. The most popular choice will form the basis of the Horizon Prize, where entrants will be invited to submit innovative solutions in pursuit of the multi-million euro prize.

The topics up for voting are: Childhood obesity; an aging population; integration of immigrants in labour markets; women-led enterprises growing in numbers and size; and how to introduce community-led clean energy generation.

The prize contest is expected to be launched in early 2016. The team that best meets the challenge will receive €2 million from Horizon 2020, the EU’s research and innovation funding programme.

Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Research, Science & Innovation, said: “Horizon 2020 is a flexible programme that adapts to the fast-developing, urgent problems that our society faces. Horizon Prizes ultimately aim to engage with everyone in Europe and be open to all innovators. With this public vote we want everyone in Europe to engage in the design of the first ever Horizon Prize on Social Innovation.”

Social innovations bring forward new solutions that often merge technologies with organisational and social responses. These ultimately increase society’s capacity to react to common challenges. With this new Horizon Prize, the European Commission puts new emphasis on social innovation as a powerful way of generating new responses to pressing social challenges.

Voting is now open at http://tinyurl.com/p3qgjpn

Results will be announced on 22 October 2015.

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