CivTech 7 - Challenge 7.7 - How can technology help communities and households understand their energy needs and work with local suppliers towards sustainable energy solutions?

Description

Decarbonising energy is critical to reducing carbon emissions in the South of Scotland as homes and workplaces account for around a fifth of total greenhouse gas emissions. Energy bills are rising fast and are set to rise further - collective, co-ordinated and sustained effort is needed to address these challenges. South of Scotland Enterprise wants to take action to improve information flow between individuals, communities and businesses and stimulate the supply chain. Key to this will be providing a technology solution which allows communities to understand their energy demands and options for energy efficiency / decarbonisation while supporting community collective purchase. Please visit our website for information on CivTech and how to get involved: https://www.civtech.scot/how-to-apply https://www.civtech.scot/selection-process CivTech’s mission is to drive daring and innovation in the public sector by collaboratively solving Challenges that make people’s lives better – and in doing so create generations of sustainable, high growth businesses. CivTech brings together public sector expertise and private sector innovation to solve real problems, develop new products, and deliver better, faster and easier services for everyone. Central to the approach is co-production with the citizen. Part of the Scottish Government’s Digital Directorate, CivTech’s approach is helping transform public sector engagement with tech and innovation, delivering significant benefits to public services, producing genuine uplifts for the Scottish economy - and along the way, making lives better. Across the country there are problems public sector organisations would like to solve and in the current environment the need for smart, efficient and effective products has never been greater. The Scottish Government is aware innovation is a good way to create them and is committed to ensuring a large part of its tech spend goes to smaller, innovative businesses. This is where CivTech comes in. The CivTech Innovation Flow is designed to create products as quickly and effectively as possible, and uses a true Accelerator model at the heart of its Innovation Flow model. For you – whether you’re an individual, team or company – it’s an opportunity to take on a Challenge , solve it, and win contracts with a blue-chip public sector organisation. You’ll build a product, and a business to take it as far as possible. Because here’s the kicker: the Challenges we issue aren’t ‘single organisation’ problems – most exist worldwide. In short: Open Challenges are set. Any organisation, team or individual can respond. Applications are assessed, and shortlisted proposals go into an Exploration Stage which runs from the 15th of August to the 2nd of September 2022, where they are then developed further [and for which participating applicants are paid]. The best go through to the Accelerator – a period of intensive work to create the solution, and through CivTech’s unique business workshop system, a business capable of taking the product to the world. The Accelerator Stage will run from the 3rd of October 2022 to the 28th of January 2023. Please visit our website for information on CivTech and how to get involved: https://www.civtech.scot/how-to-apply https://www.civtech.scot/selection-process