May 10, 2021
Open call to innovators across London to support recovery
From tech companies to local community groups: at City Hall we’re looking for passionate people and organisations with great ideas that will really make a difference to the future of Londoners today.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has launched Designing London’s Recovery, an open innovation challenge programme that puts design-led innovation at the heart of London’s recovery from COVID-19. This aims to support the city’s big missions on Helping Londoners into Good Work (jobs & skills), Building Strong Communities (social & inclusion projects), a Green New Deal (green transition), and High Streets for All (local economy).
Innovation briefs based on the priorities of London’s Recovery Programme have been created to inspire innovators from all sectors to focus thinking and get started.
20 finalists, who must be London-based, will form multi-disciplinary Innovation Teams that will work closely with City Hall boroughs and London’s communities to co-design and test solutions with expert coaching, mentoring and support.
From these finalists, 6–8 teams will be selected to receive funding to design, test and scale up solutions with continued support from Design Council through 2022.
Innovators will have the chance to bid for funding to design, test and scale up your solutions with continued support through 2022, and:
- Benefit from access to the GLA and Design Council’s network of experts to help you understand where and how your idea might grow.
- Have an opportunity to showcase your ideas and work widely.
- Be exposed to new markets, people and organisations who will help challenge and support you to develop your thinking and work.
Ideas in response to the brief can be submitted by an Expression of Interest on our Challenge page — we’re also holding roundtables (see below).
Why apply
- This is an opportunity to make a lasting difference to the lives of Londoners now and in the future.
- Benefit from access to the GLA and Design Council’s network of experts to help you understand where and how your idea might grow.
- Receive dedicated support to develop your ideas and be provided with an opportunity to receive funding to pilot and scale your ideas throughout 2022.
- Have an opportunity to showcase your ideas and work widely.
- Be exposed to new markets, people and organisations who will help challenge and support you to develop your thinking and work.
Call is open
The Call is open from 16 March 2021 and closes at Midday (12:00 GMT) on 30 June 2021.
Roundtables
Register to attend our upcoming Roundtables, where you’ll hear from a panel of inspirational speakers that will share their experiences and insights of the missions taking part in this Challenge — Helping Londoners into Good Work, Building Strong Communities, a Green New Deal, and High Streets for All:
May 28, 10:30–12:00pm
Designing London’s Recovery Launch Event: Brief One & Two: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/151982558925
June 11, 10:30–12:00pm
Designing London’s Recovery Launch Event: Brief Three: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/153795320945
Programme Timeline
PHASE 1 — Open Call
Submit an Expression of Interest detailing your reasons for joining the Challenge and your response to the Innovation Brief.
- 16 March 2021 — Call opens
- 15 June 2021 — Call closes
PHASE 2 — Co-creating Solutions
Innovation Teams will be selected in June. Teams will participate in 4 workshops, 1 per month from July — October and receive dedicated coaching and mentoring support to help develop ideas further.
At the end of Phase 2 in November 2021, Teams will be able to submit applications for grants to fund the prototyping, testing, and scale up of the most promising solutions, with continued expert support through 2022.
- June 2021 — Innovation Teams announced
- July-November 2021 — Solution ideas testing phase and co-design support
- Mid-end December 2021 — Applications for grant funding close
- End-March 2022 — Grant funding awarded
PHASE 3 — Designing for Impact
Innovation Teams who are successful in their funding application will be supported to prototype, develop, and implement their ideas.
- April-November 2022 — Prototype and scaling support
- December 2022 — Programme findings and close
