The Airbus Foundation is calling upon social entrepreneurs to develop innovative ideas that would provide technical solutions to humanitarian challenges. These would use technologies such as the Internet of Things, data analytics, blockchain, and virtual and augmented reality.
The projects will be hosted by the Airbus BizLab business accelerator, which performs an important "facilitator" role for start-ups by providing a six month acceleration programme and free hosting. During the programme, the Airbus Foundation and IFRC will also support the BizLab to meet the needs of social entrepreneurs, facilitating their access to key stakeholders and innovation specialists within the humanitarian community.
"We're constantly amazed at some of the innovative solutions that people across the Red Cross and Red Crescent network are developing in response to the challenges they face in their own communities" said Andrea Debbane, Executive Director of the Airbus Foundation. "We are happy to be able to support a number of these innovations. When we look at the scale of humanitarian suffering around the world, it's clear that new ideas, new approaches, new ways of thinking are needed. That's what this initiative is about."
Throughout the programme, start-ups will have access to a large number of Airbus experts and mentors in various domains, as well as a Demo Day with decision makers, venture capitalists, Airbus customers and partners. This year's call for projects also allows start-ups to decide where they would like to be hosted, either in Hamburg or Toulouse.
Project proposals can be submitted from now until 23 July, 2017 via the F6S start-up platform: https://www.f6s.com/airbusbizlabcallforprojects/apply Pitching sessions will occur in Hamburg and Toulouse on 29 August and 5 September respectively.
Massive slide buries stretch of iconic California highway
A massive rockslide has buried a stretch of California's iconic seaside Highway 1 which had already been hit by a number of road closures caused by severe winter storms, state transportation officials said Tuesday.
The slide on one of America's most picturesque highways took place on Saturday morning in a remote and largely uninhabited area known as Mud Creek.
The road in that section of … read more
