Expo offers $100M grant to innovators
dubai — Do you have a smart idea that could impact society or the environment? Then Expo 2020 Dubai’s innovation grant programme, Expo Live, could help you bring it to its full potential, with the third round of grants open now until December 2.
The Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme has an allocation of $100 million to support projects with creative solutions to challenges that improve lives or preserve the planet.
Expo Live organisers are looking for ideas already at the demonstration and implementation stage that would not reach their full potential without its support. They could come from anywhere and anyone, as part of Expo 2020 Dubai’s ambition to support the growth of social enterprises, startups and grassroots projects.
Yousuf Caires, vice-president of Expo Live, said: “The UAE is pioneering a path of innovation and the leadership’s directives to nurture this have become deeply rooted in our society, with a particular focus on youth. We welcome these young UAE-based creators to join Expo Live’s community, which already includes some of the best innovators in the world.
“We believe there are innovative projects within the UAE that would benefit from support and guidance to reach their full potential in the international arena. We look forward
45 projects in 30 countries have been supported by the expo Live programme
to supporting those projects, especially SMEs in the UAE and GCC, as well as the rest of the world.”
The Expo Live programme has already supported 45 projects in 30 countries, providing them with funding, business guidance and publicity. One of the successful projects from the first round of grants is Smart Labour, a UAE-based digital learning and smart services platform that provides voice-enabled content to educate blue-collar workers in their language.
Expo Live will grant up to $100,000 to help accelerate and promote each initiative — with funding to be made available incrementally depending on progress and results.
The Expo Live programme was launched in January 2017, following a pilot phase last year. The second cycle attracted more than 500 applicants from 86 countries. After a rigorous evaluation process that included live pitches, 16 winners from 14 countries joined Expo Live’s community of global innovators, which also includes 29 projects from the pilot phase.
— business@khaleejtimes.com