Cities and societies

Innovations that help people and communities thrive

Building inclusive and resilient cities and societies

At Challenge Works, our cities & societies priority area is driven by the belief that where we live deeply impacts our quality of life, and that innovation can help shape stronger, more inclusive communities. We care about how places are designed and how communities change and grow and reinvent themselves. We know that cities are complex places that require creative and people-centred approaches to create more connected societies. Rather than waiting for solutions, we actively partner with local governments, philanthropies, and place-based leaders globally to design and deliver challenge prizes that uncover transformative ideas tailored to local contexts. By taking a collaborative approach, we harness the power of open innovation to ensure breakthroughs happen faster to create healthier, more resilient places where everyone has a chance to thrive.

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Take a look at some of the prizes we’ve run in this area

Good Start Challenge

The Good Start Challenge is a global challenge prize to accelerate innvation to promote the wellbeing of parents of children aged 0-6 years old.

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Tackling health inequalities: the West Yorkshire Mayor’s big ideas challenge

The Mayor’s big ideas challenge is a £1 million initiative launched by West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin to accelerate innovative solutions, products, or services that address health inequalities among communities across West Yorkshire.

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view over the water of the city of venice during sunset

Sustainable Cities Challenge

The $9 million Sustainable Cities Challenge aims to harness the power, creativity and energy of innovation to improve access to safe, equitable and sustainable mobility solutions for all.

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Discuss your prize idea with the team

Our impact

£1 million deployed across 10 urban resilience challenges

Partnering with the Mayor of London and City Hall, the Mayor’s Resilience Fund awarded grants to tech innovators working alongside local councils, BIDs, and charities to address pressing municipal issues, from supporting gig-economy workers to bolstering local food security.

1 million people supported through economic recovery

Launched in partnership with J.P. Morgan and the Department for Work and Pensions, the £3 million Rapid Recovery Challenge scaled 14 digital solutions (such as Beam and Evenbreak) to help over 1,000,000 vulnerable individuals navigate job loss and personal finance crises in cities across the UK.

150+ municipal authorities engaged on urban mobility

The Sustainable Cities Challenge united city leaders across six continents – from Detroit and Venice to Medellín and Bengaluru – using open-innovation frameworks to accelerate zero-emission transit, lower logistics emissions, and enhance road safety.

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Pontus Westerberg, Programme Management Officer

Climate Smart Cities Challenge

“Challenge Works have been an excellent challenge partner in the delivery of the competition phase of the Climate Smart Cities Challenge. They planned and delivered processes for selecting cities and innovators, coordinated the innovator selection process and led communications and outreach activities. We look forward to continuing to working with them in future innovation challenges”

Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London

Mayor’s Resilience Fund

"The challenges we face affect every area of our lives and the economy. But I know our city is home to a wealth of innovation… The Mayor's Resilience Fund brings together the capital's talent and helps build a more resilient city."

Bayo Adelaja, CEO, Do It Now Now

Rapid Recovery Challenge

"The COVID crisis pushed Black-led charities and social enterprises to their limits. Challenge Works' support enabled us to extend outreach and digital economic recovery tools to over 100,000 vulnerable individuals across the UK."