Siemens Stiftung Launches “Empowering People. Award” At United Nations Conference On Sustainable Development Rio + 20

Today the Siemens Stiftung (foundation) launched a worldwide competition aimed at identifying and granting better access to appropriate technological solutions as one of the key levers for sustainable development.

London (I-Newswire) June 18, 2012 - . Inventors and developer teams are called upon to submit technical products or solutions that help combat existential problems in basic supply. The entries will be evaluated and made accessible to practitioners on a central knowledge database empowering more people to actively improve social and economic environments. For the competition the international Siemens Stiftung is partnering with competent organizations from interdisciplinary backgrounds such as the KfW (business area development bank).

As from today innovators and developer teams can submit a proven product or solution that can help people in combating existential basic supply problems. Entries can be filed in the categories of Water & Waste Water, Energy, Food & Agriculture Waste Management & Recycling, Housing & Construction, Healthcare, and Information & Communication Technology. The main objective of the competition is to make these solutions more easily accessible to practitioners and to empower more people to actively improve the social and economic environment.

The competition will honor the winner at the Awards Ceremony in June 2013 with a sum of 50,000 EUR. The second prize is valued at 30,000 EUR, the third at 20,000 EUR and a further 5,000 EUR will be awarded to 20 runners up. All intellectual properties will remain with the inventor or team. The entries will be valued by an interdisciplinary and international jury.

The entries submitted in this competition will be used to form the basis of a long-term knowledge database that, alongside research possibilities, will generate direct interaction between the public and private sector as well as the world of academia, including developers and practitioners. At the same time, the entrants and their projects will become visible to international partners and investors. The platform serves to link people with the aim of attaining collaborative success in development ventures, a declared goal of the Siemens Stiftung. Ulrike Wahl, Managing Director of the Siemens Stiftung stated: “As a foundation active in projects extending basic services to those in needs we are convinced that technological solutions are a key lever to sustainable development. The database we want to build is geared equally to bringing inventors in touch with organizations funding their idea, as well as empowering inventors and practitioners to link-up directly and thus speed up processes to tackle basic supply challenges. We invite everybody who has invented a technological solution for solving basic supply challenges to take part in the competition.”

Deadline for entries is 31st December 2012 at 12.00pm EST.

Further information and material is available at:
www.empowering-people-award.org/press

About the Siemens Stiftung
ENCOURAGE. empowering people. The Siemens Stiftung wants to empower people to actively address today’s social challenges and is dedicated to the values of Werner von Siemens. Together with partners, the foundation designs and implements local and international projects with the aim of promoting individual responsibility and self-initiative. The foundation is committed to enlarging basic services and social entrepreneurship, promoting education and strengthening culture. The Siemens Stiftung pursues an integrative approach and stands for responsible, impact-oriented and innovative project work.