Call for new ideas to tackle COVID-19 challenges

The Singapore InfocommMedia Development Authority’s (IMDA's) Open Innovation Platform (OIP) has launched an Innovation Call to tackle challenges during and after COVID-19. The OIP, introduced in 2018, supports companies in getting quality and multidisciplinary ideas, talent and resources to meet their innovation and business needs effectively. Together, they co-create innovative digital solutions that are not commercially available in the market.

The Innovation Call, with the theme COVID-19 & Beyond – Innovation for Social Good, seeks to develop solutions to address the challenges faced by vulnerable Singaporeans and businesses. Through the Innovation Call, IMDA and its industry partners aim to inspire the innovation community to apply digital technology to solve COVID-related problem statements.

Examples would include developing a better food distribution network for underprivileged households, to efficiently test workers while minimising any disruption to business operations, and helping migrant workers access self-help resources.

Tan Kiat How, Chief Executive, IMDA, said, “COVID-19 has had and will continue to have a profound impact on lives and livelihoods, especially for the more vulnerable segments of our society. Through this special Open Innovation Call, we are reaching out to our innovator community to crowdsource solutions to challenges that our people and businesses face, and help us adapt to a post-COVID ‘new normal’.”

Melissa Kwee, CEO, National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC), said,“Every crisis amplifies a nation’s strengths and weaknesses, and COVID-19 has brought the needs of many marginalised groups to our attention. Social innovation initiatives can foster greater 'whole of community' collaboration that identifies unmet needs and opportunities to rethink solutions and question our assumptions of what works in creating a truly inclusive society for hidden groups at the last mile.”

The OIP will host six challenges to address some of the problems aggravated by COVID-19, with total prize monies amounting to S$90,000. To help alleviate some of the initial risk of innovation, IMDA will co-fund 70% of each challenge’s prize money, with the remaining 30% supported by the partner.

The OIP has launched six Open Innovation Calls so far. To date, more than 6,500 registered solvers have signed up to participate in the 123 problem statements hosted, and more than S$3 million in prize monies has been distributed.

Details:

The call will close on 5 June 2020. Interested applicants can submit their proposals online.

Challenges

National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC)

- Enhancing neighbourhood-based volunteerism and enabling regular social support for the vulnerable within the neighbourhood community

How can we enhance trust and reliance within the neighbourhood communities so as to promote a culture of giving and support, especially for the vulnerable families, by the community for the community?

- Smarter food resource management to alleviate food wastage and ensure food is distributed to the ones who need it

How might we leverage on digital solutions to create a food rescue or repurpose ecosystem, made up of the food industry, charities and supporting industry to minimise food wastage in Singapore?

NVPC and GlobalSign.In

“As an integral part of the society, migrant workers in Singapore help to build and make the country the modern metropolis it is today. The COVID-19 crisis is truly unprecedented and has placed the health and safety of many at risk. During these trying times, this is when we need to come together and innovate to better the lives and living conditions of people. As a start, ensuring the right information and relevant resources are made available to those who need it, is key,” said Veemal Gungadin, CEO & Founder, GlobalSign.In, an event management specialist.

- Assisting migrant Workers to gain access to resources and enable self-help

How might we reduce the barrier for migrant workers to gain access to healthcare services, food, shelter, information and rights independently so that they are aware of the help available and can ask and receive help in time?

Golden Energy and Resources 
 
“It is important that we emerge from this crisis more resilient as a society. That's why it is imperative now more than ever to collaborate with the larger community to find innovative solutions that can help workers go back to work safely, while helping those displaced find new ways to contribute,” said Tan Toi Ngee, Head of Innovation, energy and mining company Golden Energy and Resources.

- Avail resources to better utilise skills and time of displaced workers for supply chain transformation

How might we avail resources or platforms to better utilise the skills and workforce who may be displaced so as to transform the supply chain to meet the demands of societal needs, leading to more sustainable, efficient and resilient business models through deeper public-private partnerships?

- Decreasing the effective cost of testing our workforce to ensure they are safe and protected

How can we balance the effectiveness and cost-efficiency of testing the workforce to ensure their safety and protection while minimising disruption to business operations?
 
ABM Media

“Charity goes beyond just monetary donations for most corporate entities and individuals nowadays. We at ABM are looking into more innovative and integrated practice of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and exploring how we can leverage each other’s strengths to create more impactful shared value engagements.

"We hope through the development of a platform to connect the community more people can start to come together to collaborate and create good stories. The more wisdom that is collected and shared, the more we can lead more meaningful lives," said Gary Hong, Founder, ABM Media, a B2B marketing and media group.

- Digital platform for community participation, engagement & management

How might we bring all stakeholders into a single platform to offer sponsored resources and rally their communities for a better match of skills-based volunteering, delivering impactful social activities and accountability of sponsored resources?

DBS boosts innovation with new twist to hackathons

Source: DBS. Participants brainstorm on ideas to tackle business challenges.

DBS has found a way to have both startups and its own employees benefit from hackathons. At the DBS MegaHackathon last week, the bank brought together 150 DBS employees and startups from around the region to tackle business and societal challenges, making DBS the first organisation in Singapore to build hackathons into its talent development programme, with employees creating prototypes alongside startups.

This initiative by DBS is driven by a desire to create a more digital mindset among its employees. The hackathon serves as a sandbox for employees to experiment like a startup, utilising lean startup methodology and human-centred design to identify and act on opportunities quickly. It also provides startups with the opportunity to interact with like-minded peers, understand business realities and showcase their capabilities.

Today, technology drives 99% of DBS’ interactions with its customers, and with more financial technology companies (fintechs) entering the traditional banking space, the digital agenda is a key priority for the bank. In addition to building technology infrastructure to support a more nimble organisation, DBS is also focused on making sure staff embrace innovation.

Said Dave Gledhill, Head of Group Technology & Operations at DBS: “Our industry is seeing an unprecedented pace of change and if we wish to remain relevant to our customers, our employees must embrace a culture of innovation and be intrapreneurs. At events such as the DBS MegaHackathon, our employees and startups can benefit from each other’s knowledge and expertise, as well as have a cultural exchange. 

"This fresh approach to hackathons has generated a number of viable working prototypes for the bank. We believe it will also help shape the startup ecosystem in Singapore by creating business opportunities for them.”

By making innovation a key focus of its talent development programme, DBS is also equipping its employees with skills and knowledge to shape the future of banking.

Said Lee Yan Hong, Head of Group Human Resources at DBS: “We are committed to providing opportunities for our employees to learn, develop and excel in their careers. As the bank embarks on its digital journey, it is essential for us to innovate and find new ways to groom the next generation of digitally-minded leaders through exposure, education and experiential learning.”

The five-day DBS MegaHackathon took place from 23 to 27 March at Block 79, Ayer Rajah, part of the newly expanded JTC Launchpad @ One-North startup cluster. The event kicked off with a two-day workshop to help DBS employees adopt a digital mindset and an outside-in approach to the customer journey. This was followed by a three-day hackathon where bank staff and startups teamed up to create 19 prototype mobile apps to better engage customers in an increasingly mobile world.

Judges at the DBS MegaHackathon included DBS CEO Piyush Gupta, DBS Chief Innovation Officer Neal Cross, DBS Head of Group Human Resources Lee Yan Hong and Venture Capitalist Jeffrey Paine. The three winning startups walked away with prizes of S$8,000, S$6,000 and S$4,000 respectively, while the rest were awarded S$2,000 each.

First prize winner BuUuk created iWealth, a 'go to' financial tool for those looking to grow their wealth. The mobile app enables learning through gamification, social sharing and engages customers with real rewards via the DBS iWealth website. 

“The DBS MegaHackathon provided a unique mix of perspectives and expertise required to tackle the challenges presented. We learnt to apply human-centred design to business solutions and learnt the importance of leveraging customer insights throughout the product creation process. As a startup, we’re always on the lookout for new ideas to work on, and the DBS MegaHackathon was an excellent platform for experimenting,” said Muh Hon Cheng, Co-Founder, BuUuk.

First runner-up QRInno worked on ShareCare, an app which connects caregivers to a support network that includes peers, social enterprises and other healthcare organisations. Through the mobile app, they can lend support to each other and achieve a better quality of life. 

“As a startup, it is important for us to collaborate with industry leaders like DBS if we want to truly make a difference. The DBS MegaHackathon was unique in the way it brings internal stakeholders and external collaborators together, and boosted the team’s overall expertise. The exposure to mentors and senior management from DBS was also a bonus. We look forward to exploring a mutually beneficial partnership with DBS in the future,” said Peter Shu, QMARGO Consultants Aggregator at QRInno. 

Eco Bear was the second runner-up, developing DBS Delight, an app to increase staff engagement, help staff embrace digital trends and use their time more efficiently. In addition to providing staff with access to work applications via their mobile, the app also makes performing HR functions such as leave application and claims management much simpler. 

“The DBS MegaHackathon is very different from a normal hackathon. Normally, we come in with an idea and just build that over 24 to 56 hours. This time round, we have to work with DBS staff on a blind challenge while getting them to think like a startup. It was an interesting experience and I learnt how to engage people outside of the startup community. It is really cool to see the team transform to come up with a winning idea,” said Jason Sigmon, who is part of the Eco Bear team.