{"id":4993,"date":"2012-08-20T10:59:58","date_gmt":"2012-08-20T08:59:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rudebaguette.com\/?p=4993"},"modified":"2019-05-03T15:39:27","modified_gmt":"2019-05-03T13:39:27","slug":"eu-civic-tech-startups","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rudebaguette.com\/en\/2012\/08\/eu-civic-tech-startups\/","title":{"rendered":"\u20ac15 Million from EU for Civic Tech Startups"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article was cross-posted at the\u00a0Center for Global Communication Studies<\/a>,\u00a0where Kat is also a regular contributor.<\/em>
\n\"\"
\nIf we accept the premise that the intersection of technology-fueled transparency, open innovation and civic engagement is increasingly central to making government work for everyone, perhaps it\u2019s time for new models of governance. Governments need to provide services a little\u00a0more<\/em>\u00a0through results-driven civic entrepreneurs operating in dense community networks and perhaps a little\u00a0less<\/em>\u00a0through hierarchical programs overburdened by bureaucracy. Having worked on both sides of the aisle, I can tell you that galvanizing the co-creation of social services is no simple task. Tapping the power of civic engagement and community problem solving, however, is our likely our best shot at transformative social change.
\nWith an impressive understanding of these issues, the European Commission has decided to build the capacity of the third sector to create new forms of social innovation through its brand new CAPS initiative. CAPS = Collective Awareness Platforms for Sustainability and Social Innovation (A mouthful, I know.) But additionally, CAPS = 15 million euros in funding for \u201cICT systems leveraging the emerging \u2018network effect\u2019 by combining open online social media, distributed knowledge creation and data from real environments.\u201d
\nEuropean entrepreneurs, NGOs and civil society representatives, here is my best attempt to break this down for you:
\nDoes your innovation initiative:
\n– support a bottom-up approach?
\n– tackle sustainable solutions to societal challenges such as youth engagement, health, transportation issues and the environment?
\n– develop collective decision making tools based on the combination of social networks, wikis and\/or IoT?
\n– contribute to new forms of self-regulation (based, for example, on the awareness of global constraints) ?
\n– use free software, open hardware and\/or open data?
\n– empower existing communities of citizens?
\nIf you check most if not all of these boxes, then there\u2019s a good chance that call 10 of the ICT workprogramme 2013 will accommodate your proposal. The CAPS initiative, launched under objective 5.5 within the call, supports a broad range of actors to pilot and spin-off self-sustaining programs.
\nTo get a clearer idea of the kind of projects eligible for funding, Dr. Fabrizio Sestini, Senior scientific officer at the European Commission, throws us a few examples:<\/p>\n