Started in 2018, The Liveability Challenge is a global call for viable, groundbreaking solutions to some of the greatest problems facing cities in the tropics in the 21st century. Finalists stand the chance to secure up to S$1 million to support their game-changing work. Hot on the heels of three successful editions of The Liveability Challenge, Temasek Foundation and Eco-Business will once again deliver a highly-anticipated initiative in 2021 to accelerate urban transformation and deliver measurable impact.
From 15 January to 15 April 2021, The Liveability Challenge is accepting proposals with the most disruptive, game-changing ideas that will help cities accelerate decarbonisation and address its resource challenges.
Finalists will pitch their solutions to some of Asia’s most sought-after investors at The Liveability Challenge Grand Finale sometime in June or July for the chance to secure up to S$1 million in grant funding, and other exclusive opportunities.
Decarbonisation
With the global race for net zero cities underway, we are looking for the most innovative ideas that will dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our atmosphere.
Key sectors with huge potential for decarbonisation solutions include energy generation, urban infrastructure, and transportand logistics systems.
We are also seeking revolutionary carbon capture, utilisation and storage solutions toremove carbon emissions from the atmosphere at scale. Submitted solutions should:
• Significantly reduce the carbon emissions produced by industries; or effectively capture, and convert carbon emissions into useful products such as food protein, building materials, reclamation sand or synthetic fuels
• Be either technology-based solutions (e.g. physical, chemical) ornature-based solutions(e.g. biological capture and sequestration)
• Integrate into existing infrastructures or systems
• Be carbon negative in the overall lifecycle and have zero/minimal externalities
• Be commercially viable and scalable
Re-imagining Resources
With rising constraints on land, energy and water, urban centres need to find pathways to achieve a circular economy where waste is eliminated and business models are regenerative by design. We are looking for breakthrough technologies or materials that will reinvent waste streams into valuable resources or replace or reduce packaging in key sectors such as food and e-commerce.
These solutions should significantly reduce the input of resources required in the production process and help achieve responsible consumption and production at scale.
Submitted solutions should:
• Replace/reduce plastic, or virgin/hard-to-recycle paper packaging; utilise/convert food waste, plastic waste, or e-waste into valuable products/materials
• Drastically reduce land, water, energy and major resources required for the production of goods and services, such as food and materials
• Keep reclaimed products in circulation at their highest value possible
• Exceed the performance of conventional materials and be cost-competitive
• Be closed-loop, commercially viable and scalable