Tackle UN Sustainable Development Goals in Tech Corridor Innovation Challenge

The inaugural Tech Corridor Sustainable Development Goals Innovation Challenge takes place on Tuesday, October 8 as part of the West Suffolk Business Festival.

It will bring together experts from across the region in a one-day ‘hackathon’ to conceptualise solutions that will address real business challenges and opportunities and help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Linn Clabburn, programme director of the Cambridge Norwich Tech Corridor, explained: “The purpose of the Innovation Challenge is to bring together people from different backgrounds and perspectives such as businesses, entrepreneurs, topic experts, researchers and students to encourage new ideas, products and concepts to form.

“Participants will be divided into small teams and work together with an experienced facilitator to encourage fast paced thinking and collaborative innovation. Each team are given their challenge ahead of time to give participants time to research and develop their thoughts.

“The day will finish with a short presentation to a judging panel who will choose the most innovative and viable solution or concept is selected by a small jury.”

Global mega-trends such as population growth, urbanisation and economic progress in emerging and frontier markets are putting increasing pressure on Earth’s scarce resources and contributing to climate change.

In 2015, the global community agreed on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are 17 goals that aim to achieve peace and prosperity for everyone, while respecting and conserving the planet, by 2030. I order to achieve the SDGs – Governments, businesses and consumers all need to work together to find and implement solutions that make a positive contribution to people and planet.

Contributing to a sustainable future will mean changing the way we currently live our lives – changes that bring with them a range of new opportunities for science, businesses and individuals to come up with new ideas and products to shape our future.

According to the Business and Sustainable Development Commission (2017), the global demand for sustainable products and services is increasing rapidly. Governments, businesses and consumers all over the world are looking for sustainable solutions, and the 60 fastest growing SDG hotspots are expected to create new market opportunities worth USD 7-12 trillion a year by 2030.

Event details

The hackathon will take place at West Suffolk College, Bury St Edmunds. The agenda for the all-day event will be as follows:

8.30 Breakfast and Networking

9.00 Keynote – setting the scene for the sustainability opportunity

9.30 Team Challenge starts

12.30 Lunch

16.30 Team Challenge finishes

17.00 Presentation and Judging

18.00 Networking

Set a challenge

Are you a regional business looking for new ideas for your businesses, are you interested in developing new products or services, reach new markets, be more inclusive or perhaps improve the way you currently operate to become more sustainable?

We are looking for forward-thinking businesses who would like to get involved with our innovation challenge and share some of your challenges with our teams. Not only will you most likely get new and fresh ideas you might also meet your next employee, customer or value chain partner.

Join a team

Do you love a challenge, feel passionately about sustainability or just love networking and learning new things? Join one of our teams!

We are looking for participants from all backgrounds to join our teams to help come up with ideas and solutions to address some of the biggest challenges facing humanity. Not only will you get the chance to get out of your comfort zone and spend a day working in a fast-paced environment, learn about business needs, you might also meet your next employer, customer or collaborator.

To set a challenge, join a team or find out more, fill in the form below, or contact Linn Clabburn on linn.clabburn@newanglia.co.uk