World Food Programme And Singularity University Launch Global Impact Challenge | WPN World People News

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is joining forces with Singularity University (SU) to launch a Global Impact Challenge – a call for radical innovations in the fight to end hunger by 2030.

In the words of WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin, “To achieve a world without hunger - the greatest goal of our generation - we must unleash the power of technology and the data revolution for good. Through bold innovation and collaboration we can overcome the persistent challenges that today keep generations locked in hunger and poverty.”

WFP and SU are seeking bold new ways to provide access to local and nutritious food for the most vulnerable people in emergencies. Applicants are being asked to design a solution that can be rapidly deployed when a crisis breaks out. It should provide a sustainable source of nutritious food as quickly as possible – something that can be rolled out fast and at modest cost. And the proposed solution must enable vulnerable families to support their own household food needs, reducing their dependence on external assistance.

Shortlisted winners will be invited to a bootcamp at the WFP Innovation Accelerator in Munich to develop their ideas using lean-startup and human-centred design, aided by WFP’s field expertise. One team will be selected to continue on to SU’s nine-week Global Solutions Program in Silicon Valley, where they will have access to a world-class faculty, mentors and technology labs, and the opportunity to collaborate with other companies and/or transition their solution into a viable company within SU Labs. WFP will also evaluate innovators with high impact for participation in its Innovation Accelerator Sprint Programme, which provides support and funding for a pilot.

“We are very honoured to have developed this new partnership with the WFP, which will bring a powerful network of innovative entrepreneurs and moonshot thinkers together with the most knowledgeable experts in the field of food. Together, we will realize abundant food production and distribution for all,” said Co-founder and Chairman of SU, Dr. Peter H. Diamandis.”

This call for solutions is open to anybody, anywhere: entrepreneurs, technologists, scientists, students, and passionate members of the public. It stems from a synthesis between what SU calls “exponential thinking,” rooted in Silicon Valley, and WFP’s globally-minded, specific expertise. This challenge offers creative, public-spirited individuals around the world a chance to take their ideas from inspiration to implementation.

The Global Impact Challenge is open for applications from 18 January to 10 March, 2017. WFP and SU are seeking a global cohort of innovators from diverse backgrounds and geographies. Solutions can range from concept idea to fully implemented innovation.

Source:World Food Programme