Seeking Creative Proposals from Public

The Administration for Digital Industries, Ministry of Digital Affairs （ADI） is seeking creative proposals from the public on the use of information and communications technology （ICT） and non-personal data to create a public good and deliver services of high social value, with the goal of appropriately applying increasingly innovative ICT to current social issues.

During the two-month call for proposals from November 10, 2022, to January 9, 2023, a total of 970 proposals were submitted, and the enthusiastic response from all sectors exceeded expectations.

Selecting 100 Innovative ICT Proposals

ADI gathered experts from industry and academia to select potentially viable proposals. Thirty experts from various fields were divided into groups to review the 970 proposals submitted, and a general review session was convened to select 100 winning teams. Finally, on March 29, ADI held a press conference to award the prizes and inform the public about the results of the “Innovations Benefit Society – Call for 100 Proposals” initiative.

Of the 100 proposals selected, 49 focus on social welfare, particularly health care, education for the disadvantaged, and the needs of the elderly; 20 on the industrial economy, including special education, food safety, tourist markets, and innovative mobile public welfare; 13 on public administration, in particular optimizing traffic and transportation; and 18 on the sustainable environment, especially energy conservation, carbon emissions reduction, and resource sharing.

At the press conference, Mr. Cheng Sheng-Tzong, member of the selection committee, shared some of the valuable proposals he had seen during the selection process. In the field of social welfare, he mentioned proposals to solve the problem of leftover food and to implement precise distribution of supplies in remote areas through a shared transport platform. In the field of industrial economy, he highlighted a proposal to use 3D technology to build a digital library system for textiles to achieve digital equality and establish digital sustainable fashion. In the field of sustainable environment, Mr. Cheng mentioned a proposal to integrate information and provide searchable public toilet management services using IoT and low-power wide-area network technologies. Ms. Urda Yan shared another proposal from the social welfare field, in which the use of peer-to-peer financial technology can provide a detailed and accurate comprehensive donation system for charities and process cash flows from donations in real time. In the area of public administration, she highlighted a proposal to use web-based interactive knowledge programs to provide expertise on public issues.

Assisting Winning Teams by Implementing Innovative Consulting Mechanisms

In the future, ADI will offer various incentives and consulting services to the winning teams, including technical and application consulting as well as mentoring. Good proposals for ICT services that benefit society will be supported by the public and implemented and operated in a sustainable manner. In addition, ADI plans to organize relevant business matchmaking sessions, namely in telecommunications and other fields, as well as workshops to help the winning teams collaborate with interested companies and provide them with technical and application advice according to their needs.

Introducing Quadratic Funding for First Time and Promoting ICT Applications and Investment

ADI will continue to promote innovative applications that leverage digital ICT for the public good. This is the first time ADI has adopted a quadratic funding mechanism to determine the level of public support. ADI hopes that more people will participate in innovative activities for public service. In addition, ADI aspires to promote application services that people can relate to and produce more cases of sustainable operation and services that benefit society.