Upcoming Innovation Challenges & Calls
Challenges & Calls
The calls and challenges listed are hosted by UN Entities and external partners. To share your innovation call or challenge with the Network, please head to our contact page.
The Czech Challenge Fund
Are you ready to bring your innovative ideas to life and make a sustainable impact in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ethiopia, Cambodia, Georgia, Moldova, or Zambia? Applicants can receive up to USD 40,000 to develop and implement sustainable, innovative, and development-oriented projects.
House of No Waste
The goal of the HØW Competition is to generate creative, forward-thinking solutions that rethink how we design, construct, and manage buildings and cities with minimal negative environmental impact. Concepts should align with the HØW Criteria and focus on reducing waste, closing resource loops, and integrating innovative systems that support sustainability across all stages of a building’s lifecycle.
GovStack Women in GovTech Challenge (WiGTC)
Applications are now open for the third edition of the GovStack Women in GovTech Challenge (WiGTC). Join this global initiative empowering women to lead digital transformation in government and advance digital cooperation. WiGTC brings together women innovators to design inclusive, citizen-centric digital public infrastructure (DPI) services, aligned with the UN Global Digital Compact and the Universal DPI Safeguards Framework.
UN Tourism Social Innovation Challenge
UN Tourism Social Innovation Challenge seeks to identify and support groundbreaking startups, scaleups, and entrepreneurs who are driving change in three key areas: Community-based Tourism, Inclusivity & Accessibility, and Green Projects. The challenge invites innovative solutions that enhance the tourism ecosystem through sustainable practices, inclusivity, and community empowerment.
Artificial intelligence for the Public Sector
Inspired by the UNESCO Framework on AI and Digital Transformation for Civil Servants, this course provides an introduction to AI with a focus on its application in the public service. Participants will be guided through the entire process of devising AI-based services in the public sector. Lessons will cover not just the functional aspects of this application but also the governance and ethical aspects of the process to offer a holistic point of view. The content of this course is built on the AI4Gov Master Programme, formerly supported by the EU and offered by Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and Politecnico di Milano.
