UM-SMART Mobiprize: Rethinking Transportation One Disruptive Venture at a Time
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Transportation has reached a tipping point as the world urbanizes and becomes more complex. According to the World Health Organization, by 2030, 6 out of every 10 people will live in a city or city region. But the good thing is that a entrepreneurs world-wide are stepping up to the plate with some of the most exciting and sustainable solutions – technologies, products, modes, services, infrastructures – all to tackle the most wicked transportation challenges of our time. In response SMART at University of Michigan is crowd sourcing and honoring these myriad enterprises that are making the world a better place through sustainable transportation enterprise.
The next generation of transportation is all about having a portfolio of transportation options to meet our varying needs. The new mobility space is exploding with opportunities for innovation through new information technologies, new shared service models, and new attitudes, particularly among youth. This is not only helping advance the livability and sustainability of communities worldwide, it is also supporting our local and global economies.
How MobiPrize began
The Mobi PRIZE was created by UM-SMART with the generous support of the Rockefeller Foundation in 2012 as part of a project called “Catalyzing the New Mobility in Cities.” The idea was to crowd source and advance the emerging entrepreneurial space in New Mobility globally by bringing to the forefront what was happening and where, and how it could be enhanced and accelerated.
In 2012 we received a flurry of great submissions and presented three prizes to three great winners from different continents on a global stage at Rio +20 in Brazil. Our successful start has encouraged us to return with MobiPrize 2014.
MobiPrize 2014: Deadline to apply July 07, 2014
This year we have three awards;
- The Grand Mobi: This is a $15,000 award for the innovative business venture that has the greatest impact through sustainable transportation/New Mobility. (Sponsored to Takata and Ford Motor Company).
- Michigan Mobi (NEW!): This is a $5,000 cash award for Michigan-based entrepreneurs who, through their innovative venture are contributing to the Michigan region and economy. (Sponsored by NextEnergy)
- Enterprising City/State Mobi (NEW!): For 2014, SMART MobiPrize has partnered with ICLEI Ecomobility to create an award of recognition for City/State governments that have demonstrated active efforts to build a culture of innovation and encourage entrepreneurship in sustainable transportation
Winners of all the three 2014 MobiPrizes will be recognized at the21st World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems,happening September 7-11, 2014, in Detroit, Michigan. The event brings together more than 10,000 transportation and business professionals, innovators and engineers, investors, researchers, elected officials, and public agency representatives from the U.S. and around the world to showcase the latest transportation technologies and share ideas and strategies for reinventing transportation in our connected world.
The Mobi Platform
The MobiPlatform has been created to help promote New Mobility enterprise, to support shared learning and collaboration, and to increase exposure to customers, investors and resources.
It helps promote, connect, and support entrepreneurs, investors, and accelerators in the New Mobility space. It helps entrepreneurs, investors, city leaders, policy makers, big business, academics, and interested citizens stay up to date on trends and needs in the New Mobility enterprise space.
All entrepreneurs (anywhere in the world) addressing sustainable transportation challenges and opportunities with innovative and sustainable solutions and business models are encouraged to apply. Deadline to apply is July 7, 2014.
To learn more: www.mobiprize.com; www.mobi-platform.com
To apply for MobiPrize (very easy application form): http://mobiprize.com/?page_id=5121
To Join M.O.D.E. and receive regular updates from the Mobi Platform: http://mobi-platform.com/2014-mobinet/
To learn more about SMART: www.um-smart.org/blog
About SMART
SMART’s mission is to catalyze and undertake collaborative research, on the ground projects (living labs), education, and global learning exchange in a range of areas related to the sustainable future of transportation systems in an urbanizing world, and to the emerging industry and economy that will supply them. SMART is cross-university, multi-stakeholder, global project of University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute and Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning.
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