[14 January 2009]
S$1 million for innovative and impactful social projects in Asia
Singapore, 14 January 2009 - The Lien Centre for Social Innovation at Singapore Management University (Lien Centre at SMU) has established the Lien i3 Challenge, a comprehensive hot-housing effort to catalyse social innovations in Singapore and beyond. S$1 million as well as expert advice is available for social innovations projects that best demonstrate Innovation, Impact and Implementability – the i3 – to tap into.
The Lien i3 Challenge is organised by the Lien Centre at SMU, a partnership between the Lien Foundation and SMU to enhance and grow the non-profit sector through social innovation. The Challenge is open to all individuals, groups, companies or organisations in Singapore, the region and beyond, who are implementing or planning to implement new and innovative projects which would result in significant social impact. It is preferable that intended beneficiaries of the social projects be communities in Asia.
Social innovations are new and practical ideas that result in improving the capabilities or capacity of the non-profit sector, meeting social needs or which result in the creation of social value. Social innovation ideas or proposals submitted for the Challenge can span a range of issues, from human rights, delivery of social service, the environment or those which may not be adequately addressed by governments and non-profits. The Lien i3 Challenge hopes to uncover and help launch new ideas that lead to social returns or are more efficient and effective mechanisms that better address current social needs. Examples of impactful social innovation projects from around the world can be found in the Annex.
The Challenge is a three-stage process which culminates with the implementation of the winning projects within a one-year time frame. In the first stage, participants are asked to submit ideas that can create significant social value in a 2-page proposal by 31 March 2009. Participants will be shortlisted to proceed to the second stage, where they will each be given S$1,000, mentorship and support by the i3 Challenge panel of judges to further develop their ideas. Shortlisted participants will have to submit their refined entries by 31 August 2009, where the judges will select the final participants to award the S$1 million grant money to implement their ideas in the third and final stage. The winners will be announced in October 2009.
The winning entries will be evaluated based on the three criteria:
? Innovativeness - The creativity and originality of the idea
? Impact - The degree of benefit and lasting impact on the social sector and the community
? Implementability - The practicality of the idea and ability to muster the resources needed to implement the idea, the risks of implementation.
The distinguished and diverse panel of judges is drawn from academia, the corporate sector and non-profit space across the region (see Annex for Lien i3 Challenge details and Panel of Judges). The S$1 million grant may be awarded to one or more deserving projects. The panel of judges will also determine the size of the award money for each winning entry.
Kaushal Bhalotia, a 24 year old alumni of SMU, sees the Challenge as a timely opportunity for people like him who are embarking on social projects. Currently in partnership with a non-profit organisation, Light Up The World Foundation, to supply and light up rural village homes in Asia with smoke-free, low cost solar-powered white light-emitting diodes or LEDs, Kaushal said, “The Lien i3 Challenge goes beyond providing social innovators an avenue of funding. With the mentorship provided by judges, participants will benefit greatly from their advice and insights and will be better poised to see the fruition of their social projects.”
“The i3 Challenge embodies the kind of work we do at the Centre - generating new thinking, catalysing innovations and building the capacity of the social sector. We have sought to keep the Challenge requirements fairly broad and open. We also made participating in the Challenge easy and simple - social innovators only need to submit a 2-page application of their idea and enter into two stages of competition at the most. In the second stage, successful participants will even enjoy some funding and direction to refine and strengthen their ideas for implementation. It is so easy, I look forward to the new ideas and proposals that will make a lasting positive impact on people's lives,” said Mr Willie Cheng, Chairman of the Lien Centre at SMU.
Mr Lee Poh Wah, Chief Executive Officer of the Lien Foundation said, “We are pushing the frontiers of philanthropy by making great ideas compete. We hope the Challenge will create a high level of interest and bring to funders' attention, the quality and diversity of proposals and projects with potential to make a big impact in Singapore or the region.”
Professor Howard Hunter, President of SMU said, “SMU seeks to nurture global world leaders of tomorrow who have a heart for the communities around them. Supporting and encouraging enterprise, innovation and contributions to society among our undergraduates is integral to the SMU educational experience. The Challenge allows us to bring industry, young people and disadvantaged communities together to establish projects that improve lives around us.”
Annex 1 – Lien i3 Challenge
Annex 2 – Social innovation Examples
About the Lien Centre for Social Innovation at SMU
The Lien Centre for Social Innovation at SMU, a partnership between the Lien Foundation and the University, was established in 2006 to advance the thinking and capability of the not-for-profit sector. The Lien Centre at SMU aims to help cultivate dynamic, principled and insightful leaders who can stimulate social innovation and create social and environmental value. We aim to inspire students and alumni, scholars and the larger community to contribute to solutions that enable positive social change in our society.