Commonwealth Unveils Innovation Awards

London, Sept. 21, GNA - Budding innovators in the 53 countries of the Commonwealth are to benefit from £30,000 in prize money made available under the Commonwealth Secretary-General's Innovation for Sustainable Development Awards that has been launched in London.

'These awards will celebrate outstanding ideas and improvisations that are helping Commonwealth countries and their people achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,' Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, said.

She said it aimed to 'inspire the next generation of Commonwealth innovators and help create an environment that will encourage and sustain investments in innovations…'

Young people are being encouraged to be involved in the process, given that out of a total of 2.4 billion people living in the member countries they constitute more than 60 per cent of the population.

There would be five categories for innovations: improving lives; promoting prosperity; protecting the planet and the natural environment; promoting peace and justice; and promoting partnerships for sustainable development.

An independent jury will select three award winners in each of the five categories and, each would be receiving prize money of £2,000.

Secretary-General Scotland said: 'Our hope is that by drawing attention to new ideas and eye-catching concepts we will encourage others to devise fresh approaches which can be catalysts to accelerate progress towards a common future that is fairer, more sustainable, more prosperous and more secure.

'We hope too that the awards encourage concepts which aid progress to be adopted more swiftly and more widely in the Commonwealth, and will help inventors and innovators to attract support in order to upscale and achieve greater impact.'

At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London in April, the Commonwealth Innovation Hub was launched.

It is a digital platform, which, according to Secretary-General Scotland is 'to tap and unleash the creative energy and the innovation potential of the Commonwealth, and share the wealth of innovations in the 53 Commonwealth countries…'

The innovation awards will go to Commonwealth citizens and Commonwealth country-based organisations, including those in public, private and civil society sectors

Nominations, including self-nominations, can be made via an online platform from now until the end of the 2018, with the awards being given next year.

http://cominnowealth.org/the-commonwealth-innovation-awards/