Deadline: July 1, 2018

MIT Solve Global Challenges are now open for application. Solve challenges are a unique opportunity to bring your ideas and talent to a growing global community tackling the most important challenges facing the world today. Each year, Solve announces new challenges for which it seeks solutions.

Solve at MIT is our flagship annual event held on the MIT campus in Cambridge, MA, bringing together over 300 leaders from the tech industry, business, philanthropy, government, and civil society. Solvers and their solutions will be featured on stage, in online and written materials, and through dedicated challenge workshops. Solve staff will continue supporting the Solver class to match-make partnerships with our community members who will help make Solver solutions a reality.

About

The first round of judging takes place once solutions close. After an initial screening by Solve staff, our experts and industry leaders select finalists for each challenge from all of the solutions submitted on the platform. Those finalists will be invited to a live pitch event where the most promising solutions are selected to make up that year’s Solver class.*

Once selected, the Solver class then gains access to Solve’s community. The Solve staff helps match-make between the Solver class and leaders from the tech industry, business, philanthropy, government, and civil society who are seeking partnerships and opportunities to implement innovative, scalable ideas. Partnerships between our Solver class and members will be announced at our flagship event Solve at MIT.

The Challenges

1. Coastal Communities: How can coastal communities mitigate and adapt to climate change while developing and prospering?
2. Frontlines of Health: How can communities invest in frontline health workers and services to improve their access to effective and affordable care?
3. Teachers & Educators: How can teachers and educators provide accessible, personalized, and creative learning experiences for all?
4. Work of the Future: How can those left behind by the technology-driven transformations of work create meaningful and prosperous livelihoods for themselves?

Awards

Finalists will be invited to Solve Challenge Finals on September 23, 2018 in New York City during the UN General Assembly Week for the chance to become part of the 2018 Solver class.

If your solution is selected, they will work with you to provide:

• Partnerships: Solve Staff help match-make between Solvers and leaders from the tech industry, business, philanthropy, government, and civil society who are seeking partnerships to implement innovative, scalable ideas.
• Events: Solvers receive exclusive access to Solve’s year-round events including Solve at MIT, panel discussions, ideation and design thinking workshops, and more.
• Hot Desks: Solve provides “hot desk” office space on the MIT campus for Solvers to work from while they foster partnerships across the MIT campus and Boston area.
• Portfolios: Solve staff works with selected Solvers to create industry-standard profiles ready to be disseminated to potential investors, advisors, distributors, and more.
• Peer-to-Peer Networking: Solvers can connect with other social entrepreneurs across the Solve community to get peer-to-peer feedback on accomplishments, roadblocks, best practices, and lessons learned.

Eligibility

• Solve’s Challenges are open to anyone the world-over.
• Whether you’ve just started building your solution and your team, you’re running a pilot, or you’re ready to scale, they’re looking for innovators and entrepreneurs with the best solutions to these global challenges.

Solve considers solutions at all stages of development:

• Idea: We welcome you to submit your solution to participate in the discussion, but please note that solutions that are still only at the concept stage are unlikely to be selected. You have until the submission deadline to prototype and experiment with your idea!
• Prototype: A venture building and testing its product, service, or business model. Typically described as “Pre-Seed” if For Profit.
• Pilot: An enterprise deploying a tested product, service, or business model in at least one community. Hybrids and For Profits would typically be in a “Seed” round and generating revenue (whether or not they are cash flow positive).
• Growth: An enterprise with an established product, service, or business model rolled out, which is poised for further growth in multiple communities or countries. Organizations at this stage should have a clear path to sustainability. For Profits at this stage would be “Seed” or “Series A.”
• Scale: A sustainable enterprise working in several communities or countries and that is looking to scale significantly, focusing on increased efficiency. For Profits in this stage would be “Series A” or “Series B.”

The most important thing is that your solution will solve the Challenge posed. And, we’re MIT! So, every solution must include technology — whether new or existing — as a key component.

Evaluation Criteria

Here are the criteria the judges will use to score the applications on the website:

• Alignment: The solution addresses the challenge that has been set forth using technology.
• Potential for Impact: The planned implementation of the solution has the potential to impact lives.
• Scalability: The solution can be grown and scaled to affect the lives of more people.
• Feasibility: It is feasible to implement the solution, and the team has a plan for the solution to sustain itself financially.
• Innovative Approach: This is a new technology, a new application of a technology, a new business model, or a new process for solving the challenge

In the second round, each finalist will pitch before the challenge judges and a live audience. The judges will determine which solutions are the most promising. This new Solver class will receive support and partnership from the Solve community.*

Application

Submit your solutions here.

For more information, visit MIT Solve Global Challenges.