Nominations for the ISIF Award 2011 are now close.
The ISIF Award 2011 seeks to acknowledge the important contributions ICT innovators have made with creative solutions to the social and economic development of the Asia Pacific (AP) region. With this award, ISIF wants to summarize the last three years’ cycle before it launches a revised framework for small grants provision in 2012. The new framework will focus on issues pertaining to the future of the Internet in the region.
The award package comprises of a cash
prize of AUD 7,500 to support the continuation of the project or the
organization conducting the activities and a travel grant for a project representative to participate at the Internet Governance Forum. Any initiative, project, program, innovation, or research
project within the Asia Pacific region developed since 2008 that has
significantly contributed to the role of the Internet in social and economic development
may be nominated for the ISIF Award 2011. Nominations from all productivity
sectors will be accepted: private sector, civil society, government, or
academia. Former ISIF grantees are welcome to submit nominations.
Please read the
Terms and Conditions before submitting your nomination.
The awards will be given to nominated projects and initiatives, for each of the following categories:
- Innovation on access provision: ICT access is a prevalent issue in the AP region, especially for services that require broadband connectivity. ISIF wants to acknowledge the contributions made by innovators in the AP region in providing reliable ICT access - especially in marginalized areas - to support community development and vital services such as voice communication, health assistance, education, participation, among other relevant aspects of community development. Innovative solutions offering low cost deployment, low power consumption and low maintenance were eagerly accepted by different communities for their additional benefits. Past ISIF funded initiatives introduced technical innovation on many aspects of Internet development, including materials, devices, software, and content standards and the development of the semantic web.
- Localization and capacity building: ISIF wants to acknowledge the contributions made by innovators in the AP region to support the development of the skills needed to design, maintain, and manage ICT infrastructure and services in local languages, supporting local talent and creating job opportunities in rural or urban marginalized areas. Innovative approaches to local capacity building in such a diverse environment are key elements to guarantee the reliability of locally provided services. The aim is to minimize dependence on foreign experts and encourage qualified personnel to support their own communities. Applications will be evaluated based on their proven record to improve the quality of access based on issues of local capacity, accessibility, disability, and local linguistic diversity.
- Mobile services and applications: High mobile penetration in the AP region has been a catalyst in the development of mobile-based services and applications. These applications have been used to support timely and relevant information dissemination on a large scale using a range of network infrastructures through a variety of devices, even where literacy rates are lower. Mobile technologies have enabled communities to increase participation in political processes, coordinate efforts during emergency situations, receive extreme weather alerts, communicate with remote health services, and receive specialized patient referrals, among many other applications. ISIF wants to acknowledge the contributions made by innovators in the AP region to the development and adoption of useful mobile services and applications.
- Rights and freedom: ISIF wants to acknowledge the contributions made by innovators in the AP region supporting freedom of expression, freedom of association, privacy, security, consumers’ rights, gender equality, new forms of intellectual property in the digital environment, and a wider range of issues related to the Internet and human rights.
The award ceremony will take place during the upcoming Internet Governance Forum (IGF) to be held in Nairobi, Kenya from 27 to 30 September 2011. One representative from each of the awarded initiatives will be invited to attend the IGF as part of the award package. IGF offers a unique opportunity to see how local efforts are linked to the global issues to be discussed.
Nominations must be submitted using the
online application form. Please read the
Terms and Conditions before submitting your nomination.
The Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (
APNIC), the International Development Research Centre (
IDRC), the Internet Society (
ISOC) and the
Dot Asia Organisation generously support the ISIF 2011 Award.
Information Society Innovation Fund
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