THINKTECH, a €1 million project to grow ideas for a better Ireland, have today announced the 11 finalists who will compete for access to an award fund of up to €750,000 in grants as well as support and mentoring to further develop their social innovations.
The finalists will take part in a development programme devised by Social Innovation Fund Ireland and supported by Google.org & the Department of Housing, Planning, Community & Local Government. The overall award recipients will be announced in December at an Awards ceremony at Google’s EMEA Head Quarters in Dublin.
THINKTECH was recently launched by Simon Coveney, the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community & Local Government which has granted matched funding of €500,000 to a €500,000 donation by Google.org. The initiative is a collaboration between Social Innovation Fund Ireland and Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google which invests in teams with bold ideas that create lasting Global impact.
The short-listed finalists will now present their proposals to an interview panel made-up of business and social sector leaders in Dublin this week.
Director of Google.org, Jacquelline Fuller said, "We see great potential for these ideas to make a lasting impact and they also demonstrate Google’s view that technology has the power to make a real difference and create positive change in society."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
