Umeed Mistry
ICRI is partnering with the World Economic Forum and UpLink – a digital platform to crowdsource innovations to accelerate the SDGs – to launch the second Ocean Solutions Sprint calling for solutions to restore, protect and invest in the ocean. The submission deadline is 31 October 2020.
UpLink is designed to nurture a world where anyone with high-impact ideas and solutions is empowered to address the most pressing global challenges. As a digital platform, UpLink crowdsources innovations, with the objective to identify top innovators and connect them to influential networks that can scale up these projects. UpLink is dedicated to collaborating with underrepresented communities to identify and scale up innovative ideas and solutions to crucial local and global issues. The benefits of joining the UpLink community include:
- Opportunity to gain exposure on a global platform.
- Potential access to influential networks of investors, business and government leaders and experts to gain the resources needed to scale up solutions.
- Being part of a wider impact ecosystem, interacting with others addressing similar challenges.
The second Ocean Solutions Sprint is looking for solutions related to four key challenges, one of which is “Protecting and restoring coral reefs”. The other three challenges are “Restorative aquaculture”, “Investing in nature-based solutions to climate change” and “Technology supporting Marine Protected Areas”. Submitted solutions will go through a rigorous review process led by expert committees who will seek to surface top solutions to comprise the next UpLink Ocean Cohort announced in December 2020.
This sprint is designed in partnership with an ocean community of conservation groups, scientists, funds and investors who collectively seek to support and scale ocean solutions. The final cohort will benefit from a mixture of:
- Exposure and visibility through World Economic Forum and UpLink partner public engagement channels
- Access to and capacity building through participation in events and workshops
- Facilitated expert mentoring opportunities depending on solution needs and readiness
- Consideration for investment opportunities provided by Uplink’s ocean community partners, pending further screening