Vote in the Global Water Challenge

The Global Water Challenge, a competition put on by Ashoka Changemakers, is taking votes right now on their selected finalists. Titled “Tapping Local Innovation: Unclogging the Water and Sanitation Crisis,” voting for the projects is open until Sunday, May 11.
Ashoka’s Changemakers and Global Water Challenge have partnered to open a worldwide search for ideas and [...]

[TC-I Call to Action]: Our weekly review of opportunities

TC-I Call to Action is our weekly segment highlighting opportunities for our readers to get involved in the Social Entrepreneurship movement. Check this space for job and internship opportunities, fellowships and grants. If you have any jobs / opportunities to be featured in this segment, drop us a word at info@thinkchangeindia.org
Opportunity to write for TC-I!!

At [...]

TC-I Tidbits

Your daily dose of headlines:

Can India meet the MDGs on access to safe drinking water? Keya Acharya has this interesting analysis [via OneWorld South Asia]
Thai fruit wine, responsible outsourcing and organic cotton - some of the interesting ideas competing in the finals of the Global Social Venture Competition happening today
Sierra Club, one of the oldest [...]

Reliance Rural Mobile Application Contest 2007 - 08 Deadline April 30th

From now own, competitions like these will be included in a once a week post on Thursdays that compile any opportunities relevant to our readers in an easy to find post. However, given that the Reliance Rural Mobile Application Contest’s deadline will have passed before we had the opportunity to post on it, we wanted [...]

Upcoming Competitions, Awards and Challenges

Here is a summary of some interesting opportunities for our readers:
1.The Great Indian Developer Award: “The Great Indian Developer Awards 2008 recognizes trailblazing individuals, technologies, and organizations contributing to the evangelism, productivity and innovation excellence of the Indian developer ecosystem.” [Source: PluGGd.in] Go here to vote.
2. TIE-Canaan Entrepreneurial Challenge 2008: “Canaan Partners and TIE, today [...]

TC-I Tidbits

In 65 days, 70% of Gujarat’s villages will be linked with Broadband connectivity, promised Chief Minister Narendra Modi[via iGovernment]. Lets see if he comes through. He cant fool us here at TC-I, our correspondent Prerna is in Ahmedabad as we speak. Staying with promises, the Chhattisgarh government proposed to electrify 79 villages using Solar Energy [...]

ISTE Conference and Student Essay Competition on Rural Technology

From Let Me Know, here is a conference and essay competition on “Technology For Rural India: Challenges and Perspectives.” The conference will focus on the following:
In celebration of the ISTE Day 2008, the Delhi Section of the Indian Society of Technical Education (ISTE) is hosting a conference on “Technology for Rural India: Challenges and Perspectives”. [...]

UNIFAD Seeks Innovative Remittance Proposals

The UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development is looking for innovative remittance schemes to invest $13 million into. The initiative is labeled the Financing Facility for Remittances (FFR) 2008 and the proposals need should focus on “[p]romoting innovative remittance systems and investment channels for migrants.” The objectives are the following:
* Improve remittance transmission and [...]

World Challenge 2008 Nominees due by May 31st

Here is a fantastic opportunity for funding and support for social businesses:
World Challenge 08 is organized by BBC World and Newsweek, in association with Shell, and is about championing and rewarding projects and business which really make a difference. The winner will receive a grant of USD $20,000 to put back into their project/business, and [...]

UNDP Equator Prize Opens Nominations

The Equator Initiative has recently opened nominations for the biennial Equator Prize, which “recognizes outstanding local efforts to reduce poverty through the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.”  According to iGovernment, the prize “showcases some of the most innovative community work of the present generation and is critical in emphasizing the strong connection between local solutions and international [...]

Manthan Awards 2008: Solutions for the Digital Divide

The 5th annual Manthan Awards, which aim to encourage usage of ICT for the empowerment of rural communities in India, are underway.  The mission of the competition is as follows:
To create an information rich society where everyone, irrespective of caste, religion, race, region, gender etc., is empowered to create, receive, share and utilize information and [...]

Competition: Essay on climate change and health

Update: Please go here to submit your essays.
From Let Me Know:
The Global Forum for Health Research and The Lancet are holding their third joint essay competition for the under-30s on the theme- “Climate change and health: research challenges for the health of vulnerable populations”.
Details after the jump.

Can academic institutions help build entrepreneurs?

I picked up this video from Guy Kawasaki’s blog. This is how he describes it:
This is a video of the winner of Stanford’s Entrepreneurship Week innovation tournament. The challenge for the tournament was to use an everyday object to create as much value as possible. The “RubberBandTogether” team’s goal is to sell the ball and [...]

World Habitat Awards 2008: Innovation, Sustainability, Transfer

The World Habitat Awards are accepting applications for Stage I of the application process, deadline June 1st.  Find out more below:
The World Habitat Awards were established in 1985 by the Building and Social Housing Foundation as part of its contribution to the United Nations International Year of Shelter for the Homeless.  Two awards are given [...]

South Asia Region Development Marketplace Finalists Announced

The South Asia Region Development Marketplace recently accounced 75 finalists (out of a total of approximately 1000) for their HIV/AIDS themed competition for this year.  What exactly is the South Asia Development Marketplace, and what purpose does it serve?  Here is a brief description from their website:

The Development Marketplace (DM) is a competitive grant program that identifies [...]