Kreislauf der Dinge – Future Urban Society Call #2

AI Quick Summary

The Future Urban Society Innovation Booster seeks and promotes radical ideas from research and practice to further disseminate or strengthen the impact of the most promising social innovations for climate-friendly housing, mobility and food.Before submitting your idea, please note the relevant guidelinesOur current calls for proposals with the City of Zurich:How could we make it more attractive for the general public to keep or give away household items and clothing than to dispose of them or buy new ones? How could we “strengthen” the existing, already promising initiatives, services and offers around sharing, passing on, reselling and repairing things?In the cycle of things, our everyday objects and clothing are used multiple times, for longer through repair and for a different purpose through upcycling. This already works on a small scale - directly mediated via neighborhood apps, chats or online marketplaces, locally via second-hand clothing exchanges, flea markets, repair cafés, etc.Sustainability can be experienced in the cycles of our everyday objects and clothing. In addition to the concrete, material conservation of resources, the cycle of things in the neighborhood and district also creates new contacts and human trust. And anyone who has ever repaired a beloved table or cup knows that less can be more: Objects can become more personally meaningful through your own efforts.As part of the “Cycle of Things” challenge, we are asking ourselves: How could we make it more attractive for the general public to keep or give away household items and clothing than to dispose of them or buy new ones? How could we “strengthen” the existing, already promising initiatives, services and offers for sharing, passing on, reselling and repairing things?What are we looking for?We are looking for radical ideas to make the most promising social innovations viable for the majority - with the involvement of civil society, business, administration and/or politics. Are you working on relevant offers, services, organizational forms, business and impact models, communication and intervention strategies or strategic experiments?We facilitate the implementation of feasibility, user or market studies or the development of models and prototypes that serve to illustrate and test potential solutions.We look forward to finding solutions that will increase and multiply the contribution of social innovations to a climate-friendly and liveable urban society of the future.Who can apply?In accordance with Innosuisse's guidelines, only mixed teams with members from at least one research and one implementation partner may apply. The events in the Challenge Stage allow individual players to find each other. If a project team lacks a research partner, we can help out with our accompanying research team. Contact matchmaking@futureurbansociety.ch for this or for other networking.We can award funding to legal entities - cooperatives, associations, foundations, companies, universities, cities, etc. - etc. The use and distribution of funds in the funded teams is carried out independently, but accountable.The research partners include university research institutes, non-commercial research centers outside the university sector, research institutes of the departments with their own research projects and federal research institutes.Implementation partners are all private and public actors who can put ideas into practice or at least have a share in doing so.How can the funds be used?The funding of up to CHF 25,000 can be used for feasibility, utilization or market studies. Where possible and appropriate, the development of models and prototypes to illustrate and test solutions is financed. The funds can be used flexibly for specific purposes, e.g. to pay salaries, purchase equipment and materials, observation and interview research, travel expenses, organization of roundtables, workshops, etc.A portion of the funds is reserved for content-related and methodological support for experts in the respective fields.What can I benefit from?Do you have ideas from practice or research and are looking for implementation and facilitation partners? All applying innovation teams can be contacted via the Jointcreate platform. We are happy to facilitate matchmaking.Are you a municipal department, a company or an NPO with a challenge in our field and interested in amplifying the impact of the best approaches? Then you have two options: For challenges that have already been announced, participation in the Booster gives you access to the most promising social innovations. You can work together in the Booster to implement the best ideas for the consolidation, further development and dissemination of these approaches. In consultation with us, you can also publish a challenge yourself and act as a “challenge sponsor”. By doing so, you start an open innovation process on the topics of your choice and work with the applying teams on the best ideas to solve your challenge. Please contact us via info@futureurbansociety.ch.We organize and carry out an open innovation process from A-Z for you, including the moderation of workshops and eventsYou will receive financial support for the development and testing of your ideas developed together with other stakeholders as part of the BoosterWhat should be submitted?A submitted project idea should answer the following questions:What systemic problem hypotheses are the starting point for the idea?How does the idea contribute to solving the problem?Who will benefit from the solution and how?How does the idea contribute to the goal of climate justice?Which people/organizations are on your team and what is their role?Has the idea already been tested (in variants)? If so, with what findings?What would you like to work on during the booster (e.g. feasibility study, development of a climate-just business model, construction of an initial prototype, test mainstreaming, etc.)? What will you deliver at the end of the booster?What do you hope to gain from the booster (e.g. finding specific partners, expert support, etc.)?Who do you need as experts to drive the idea forward?How much budget do you require from us for what? (maximum CHF 21,000 + CHF 4,000 for expert vouchers). This amount can no longer be increased in the addendum, so please calculate precisely. The sum is not included in an evaluation criterion, so it has no influence on the decision as to whether an idea is funded or not. Why we ask: If an idea requires less budget from the outset, we can support more ideas.Anyone who has participated in one of our Open Innovation events or calls is eligible for funding:Challenge Accepted - Open Innovation Workshop #1 - 27.05.2024Challenge Accepted - Open Innovation Workshop #2 - 07.06.2024Co-Creation Workshop, online - 13.6.2024, 11.00 - 12.45 a.m.Co-Creation-Workshop, online – 11.7.2024, 10.00 - 13.00 a.m. Co-Creation-Workshop, online – 21.8.2024, 09.30 - 12.30 a.m.We are planning further events and calls. They will be announced promptly on our website and by newsletter.You can find more details on how to participate on the website https://www.futureurbansociety.ch.If you have any questions, please check the FAQ first. If you still have questions after that, please contact us at info@futureurbansociety.chYou can download a template for the submission here.

Challenge Metadata

• Challenge Name: Kreislauf der Dinge – Future Urban Society Call #2
• Date: 5/6/2024 4:00:28 PM
• Administrators:
  • Mirko Fischli  | 
  • Björn Müller  | 
  • Nicola Blum

Challenge Description

The Future Urban Society Innovation Booster seeks and promotes radical ideas from research and practice to further disseminate or strengthen the impact of the most promising social innovations for climate-friendly housing, mobility and food.

Before submitting your idea, please note the relevant guidelines

Our current calls for proposals with the City of Zurich:

How could we make it more attractive for the general public to keep or give away household items and clothing than to dispose of them or buy new ones? How could we “strengthen” the existing, already promising initiatives, services and offers around sharing, passing on, reselling and repairing things?

In the cycle of things, our everyday objects and clothing are used multiple times, for longer through repair and for a different purpose through upcycling. This already works on a small scale - directly mediated via neighborhood apps, chats or online marketplaces, locally via second-hand clothing exchanges, flea markets, repair cafés, etc.

Sustainability can be experienced in the cycles of our everyday objects and clothing. In addition to the concrete, material conservation of resources, the cycle of things in the neighborhood and district also creates new contacts and human trust. And anyone who has ever repaired a beloved table or cup knows that less can be more: Objects can become more personally meaningful through your own efforts.

As part of the “Cycle of Things” challenge, we are asking ourselves: How could we make it more attractive for the general public to keep or give away household items and clothing than to dispose of them or buy new ones? How could we “strengthen” the existing, already promising initiatives, services and offers for sharing, passing on, reselling and repairing things?

What are we looking for?

We are looking for radical ideas to make the most promising social innovations viable for the majority - with the involvement of civil society, business, administration and/or politics. Are you working on relevant offers, services, organizational forms, business and impact models, communication and intervention strategies or strategic experiments?

We facilitate the implementation of feasibility, user or market studies or the development of models and prototypes that serve to illustrate and test potential solutions.

We look forward to finding solutions that will increase and multiply the contribution of social innovations to a climate-friendly and liveable urban society of the future.

Who can apply?

In accordance with Innosuisse's guidelines, only mixed teams with members from at least one research and one implementation partner may apply. The events in the Challenge Stage allow individual players to find each other. If a project team lacks a research partner, we can help out with our accompanying research team. Contact matchmaking@futureurbansociety.ch for this or for other networking.

We can award funding to legal entities - cooperatives, associations, foundations, companies, universities, cities, etc. - etc. The use and distribution of funds in the funded teams is carried out independently, but accountable.

The research partners include university research institutes, non-commercial research centers outside the university sector, research institutes of the departments with their own research projects and federal research institutes.

Implementation partners are all private and public actors who can put ideas into practice or at least have a share in doing so.

How can the funds be used?

The funding of up to CHF 25,000 can be used for feasibility, utilization or market studies. Where possible and appropriate, the development of models and prototypes to illustrate and test solutions is financed. The funds can be used flexibly for specific purposes, e.g. to pay salaries, purchase equipment and materials, observation and interview research, travel expenses, organization of roundtables, workshops, etc.

A portion of the funds is reserved for content-related and methodological support for experts in the respective fields.

What can I benefit from?

• Do you have ideas from practice or research and are looking for implementation and facilitation partners? All applying innovation teams can be contacted via the Jointcreate platform. We are happy to facilitate matchmaking.
• Are you a municipal department, a company or an NPO with a challenge in our field and interested in amplifying the impact of the best approaches? Then you have two options: For challenges that have already been announced, participation in the Booster gives you access to the most promising social innovations. You can work together in the Booster to implement the best ideas for the consolidation, further development and dissemination of these approaches. In consultation with us, you can also publish a challenge yourself and act as a “challenge sponsor”. By doing so, you start an open innovation process on the topics of your choice and work with the applying teams on the best ideas to solve your challenge. Please contact us via info@futureurbansociety.ch.
• We organize and carry out an open innovation process from A-Z for you, including the moderation of workshops and events
• You will receive financial support for the development and testing of your ideas developed together with other stakeholders as part of the Booster

What should be submitted?

A submitted project idea should answer the following questions:

• What systemic problem hypotheses are the starting point for the idea?
• How does the idea contribute to solving the problem?
• Who will benefit from the solution and how?
• How does the idea contribute to the goal of climate justice?
• Which people/organizations are on your team and what is their role?
• Has the idea already been tested (in variants)? If so, with what findings?
• What would you like to work on during the booster (e.g. feasibility study, development of a climate-just business model, construction of an initial prototype, test mainstreaming, etc.)? What will you deliver at the end of the booster?
• What do you hope to gain from the booster (e.g. finding specific partners, expert support, etc.)?
• Who do you need as experts to drive the idea forward?
• How much budget do you require from us for what? (maximum CHF 21,000 + CHF 4,000 for expert vouchers). This amount can no longer be increased in the addendum, so please calculate precisely. The sum is not included in an evaluation criterion, so it has no influence on the decision as to whether an idea is funded or not. Why we ask: If an idea requires less budget from the outset, we can support more ideas.

Anyone who has participated in one of our Open Innovation events or calls is eligible for funding:

Challenge Accepted - Open Innovation Workshop #1 - 27.05.2024

Challenge Accepted - Open Innovation Workshop #2 - 07.06.2024

Co-Creation Workshop, online - 13.6.2024, 11.00 - 12.45 a.m.

Co-Creation-Workshop, online – 11.7.2024, 10.00 - 13.00 a.m.

Co-Creation-Workshop, online – 21.8.2024, 09.30 - 12.30 a.m.

We are planning further events and calls. They will be announced promptly on our website and by newsletter.

You can find more details on how to participate on the website https://www.futureurbansociety.ch.

If you have any questions, please check the FAQ first. If you still have questions after that, please contact us at info@futureurbansociety.ch

You can download a template for the submission here.