Smart District Innovation Challenge 2023
One of the critical components of Smart Bangladesh is the Smart District as districts play the most crucial role in the field-level governance of Bangladesh. The idea of a Smart District is to combine digital assets and the internet of things to improve and optimize to its maximum efficiency to create opportunity and provide services and interaction with inhabitants. Citizens will be able to get benefits with minimum effort and optimal time; on the other hand, service providers will be able to forecast citizen needs and allocate resources accordingly through advanced data intelligence by establishing interconnection among various platforms.
- Thoughtful Citizen: 100% digital access, innovation, empathy, and collaboration at the core
- Inclusive Society: Fully inclusive society thriving in a sustainable environment
- Innovative Economy: High ease of doing business, $50Bn ICT Industry & Circular economy
- Competent Government: Top 20 digitally innovating countries & 100% paperless govt. With personalized services
4 pillars of Smart Bangladesh
This Smart Bangladesh heavily relies on four fundamental pillars that will be harnessed by the technology, which are the principal drivers of transformation. These four pillars are:- Smart Citizen: 100% digital access, innovation, empathy, and collaboration at the core
- Smart Society: Fully inclusive society thriving in a sustainable environment
- Smart Economy: High ease of doing business, $50Bn ICT Industry & Circular economy
- Smart Government: Top 20 digitally innovating countries & 100% paperless govt. with personalized services
Objectives of SMART District:
- The efficiency of Services: To optimize the use of public resources and provide a high level of citizen service.
- Mobility: To make it convenient for citizens to move around in the district, whether by foot, bike, car, public transport, etc. (regardless of transportation means).
- Economic Growth: To attract businesses, national and international investors, and visitors.
- Sustainability: To grow & develop the district with strong consideration for environmental impact.
- Safety and Security: To improve public safety & security in everyday life and at special events, as well as being best possibly prepared for emergencies and disasters.
- District Reputation: To constantly improve the district’s image & reputation.
Problem Statement
To build Smart Bangladesh, all the districts need to be smart in terms of healthcare, education, administration, public service delivery, law and order, agriculture, social security, environment, transportation, production and supply chain, utilities, etc. The field-level governance of Bangladesh needs to improve efficiency in creating opportunities and providing services and interactions with inhabitants. On the other hand service providers do not have adequate capacity to forecast citizen needs and allocate resources accordingly through advanced data intelligence from integration and interconnection among various platforms.
How Smart Districts Should Look Like
- The trendy district should visualize tomorrow's first attainable transformed district considering local demography, technology availability, current digitization infrastructure, etc., aligning with Smart Bangladesh Plan. A holistic plan for intelligent district results in an inclusive society, sustainable economic growth, increased quality of life, more opportunities for citizens, seamless government services, etc., with reduced cost and resource consumption.
- Imagining the District of Tomorrow, the Deputy Commissioners need to consider the core economic contributor, digitization, resilience, climates, health infrastructure, education, local governance, security, the well-being of local communities, etc., and provide a sustainable plan to specify each area and provide detail of increasing benefit during this shift.
- This transformation will be the citizen-first approach considering data-driven intelligence and human-centered design. During transformation two communication channels between citizens and district administration will establish transparency and build trust during the transition. Empowering & motivating each district’s citizen to contribute through innovation and crowdsourcing in this smart transformation.
- Before the paradigm shift begins in a district, there needs to be some breathing space for stakeholders and citizens to adapt the smart way. For this a well-balanced implementation plan is required including some rapid transformation to show its positive impact, it will bring more enthusiasm, joy, and motivation to all contributing and beneficiary parties to achieve its final goal. This Smart District will have an eco-system of its own to run through prosperity and show resilience during a tough time in that district leaving no one behind.
- The smart district should visualize the first attainable transformed district of tomorrow considering local demography, technology availability, current digitization infrastructure, etc. aligning with Smart Bangladesh Plan. A holistic plan for a smart district resultant an inclusive society, sustainable growth in the economy, quality of life increased, more opportunities for citizens, seamless government services, etc. with reduced cost and resource consumption.
- Imagining the District of Tomorrow, the Deputy Commissioners need to consider the core economic contributor, digitization, resilience, climates, health infrastructure, education, local governance, security, the well-being of local communities, etc., and provide a sustainable plan to specify each area and provide detail of increasing benefit during this shift.
- This transformation will be the citizen-first approach considering data-driven intelligence and human-centered design. During transformation two communication channels between citizens and district administration will establish transparency and build trust during the transition. Empowering & motivating each district’s citizen to contribute through innovation and crowdsourcing in this smart transformation.
- Before the paradigm shift begins in a district, there needs to be some breathing space for stakeholders and citizens to adapt the smart way. For this a well-balanced implementation plan is required including some rapid transformation to show its positive impact, it will bring more enthusiasm, joy, and motivation to all contributing and beneficiary parties to achieve its final goal. This Smart District will have an eco-system of its own to run through prosperity and show resilience during a tough time in that district leaving no one behind.
Outcome/results expected
- Increased the number of smart services consisting of smart connectivity, power, water supply, solid waste management, sewerage, multimodal transport, cyber connection, housing, and disaster.
- Increased the quality of Education, Healthcare, Entertainment, Inclusive Planning, and Building Homes through technology.
- Improved the Participatory Decision Making, Enforcement, Security, Taxation, Institutional Finance, Transparency & Accountability, Skill Development, Environmental Sustainability, ICT-based Service delivery, and Citizen Advisory Committee.
- Increased GDP Contribution, Job Creation, Livelihood Activities, and Market Growth.
Minimum viable features:
SMART
| Telecom Network | Urban Platform | Data Management | Energy Self-sufficiency |
| Education Service | Health Service | Water Service | Mobility Service |
| City Light system | Renaturation | Urban Transformation | Furnishing |
| Urban Resilience | Smart Citizenship | Open Government | Waste Management |
| Regulation | innovation | Infrastructure and Logistics | Leisure and Tourism |
A proper smart district backed by a strong economy increases the satisfaction of the community, optimizes its resources, and reduces costs. Most importantly a Smart District is more equipped to handle critical challenges compared to the conventional system.
Beneficiary:
People living in a particular district
Process
FAQ
What is an Innovation Challenge?
Innovation Challenge is about solving a well-regarded problem. a2i circulates the problem and innovators are asked to submit their idea or solution to solve that.
How many days are required to get the final results?
It may take about three months from the launch date.
What are the evaluation stages?
Generally, 4 steps of the process, shortlisting, Bootcamp, technical evaluation, and approval from the Executive Committee.
What are the selection criteria?
innovative concept, feasibility, strategy, implementation plan, management team, etc.
What additional support will be given to the innovators?
Marketing, promotion, partnership, intellectual property support, fundraising, mentoring, training, etc. will be given from seed to growth and scale-up stages.
What is the winning prize?
Up to 1 crore BDT, considering the due diligence and technical evaluation.
Should I submit a technology-based solution?
a2i Innovation Fund invites innovators to solve problems with technology-based solutions.
Why should I participate in the Innovation Challenge?
Innovators have the opportunity to participate in national problem-solving as well as financial, technical, mentoring and other necessary support from a2i and industry leaders.
Who is eligible to submit an idea/solution?
Any individual/team/company/consortium/organization is eligible.
What to do if I don’t get a confirmation email?
It would usually mean that you have not been selected primarily.
Where to contact for any query or feedback?
Any query of generic nature related to content, design, service, or technological issues can be sent through email or contact form.
What to do if I face any problems regarding registration, login, password recovery or difficulty in submission?
Delete/clean your browser history, cache, or cookies and try again. If you still face difficulty, please email us at aif.support@a2i.gov.bd or contact us through the Contact Form.
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