Innovative PSI re-use proposals – GBP200K funding support
Source: Channel 4 - 4 Innovation for the Public (4iP) fund, UK
4iP teaming up with Facebook to offer £‘s, expertise and scale
London: 8 January 2010
As part of the Mayor of London’s launch of the prototype London Datastore on 7th January 2010 the Channel 4 – 4 Innovation for the public (4iP) fund announced that 4iP has teamed up with Facebook to offer financial support and expertise to UK based organisations that re-use public sector information made available via the London Datastore (200 datasets) and the forth coming launch of the UK Government initiative to open up 2000 data sets via data.gov.uk later in January 2010.
The 4iP announcement states:
“This is the second part of our announcement on Wednesday.
4iP were at City Hall with Boris and others yesterday for the GLA’s announcement about the London Datastore, and he promised to release two hundred public data sets into the wild. With the expected release of Central Government’s own open data initiative, data.gov.uk, also at the end of the month, Government and its agencies are at the start of their journey to open up their data.
With significant political and developer momentum now behind this 4iP would like to offer it’s own unique support.
4iP teaming up with Facebook to offer £‘s, expertise and scale
4iP is teaming up with Facebook to offer two individuals or companies up to £100,000 each to create Facebook apps, websites, tools, services or mobile products which people can use to understand how Britain really works - or doesn’t.
As Tom Loosemore said yesterday, while not trivial the development of applications and services is but the first part of the challenge. To be successful the products need to attract and retain a large audience. We feel that with the added support of the world’s biggest social network and a national broadcaster we should be able add significant value and expertise to ensure the public gets the most from this new opportunity.
While 4iP will provide the funding, Facebook will help us mentor companies and individuals as they build their products and, where appropriate, advise on how they can use Facebook to help develop and promote them.
For the first time, we would be happy for you to come and work here at Channel 4, alongside the 4iP team to get you started and help shape the model for sustainability and help scale.
Funding criteria
- Ideas must be ‘4’ in flavour. They must cause trouble and inspire change.
- Ideas must be high impact. We’re looking for ideas that appeal to the mainstream not to special interest groups.
- Ideas must be financially sustainable. At 4iP we think the best vessel for your product is a business. We can help with some of the thinking, but you must have the ambition.
- Ideas must use at least one of the data sources or content from data.gov.uk or the London Datastore
- This funding is only available to companies / individuals based in the UK (or willing to move to the UK)
- Ideas must come in through 4iP’s submissions system
Timeline
Submit your idea to 4iP by 28th February and the successful candidates will be notified by 26th March.”
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The 4iP web site states:
“Delivering effective, high quality public service media in an increasingly digital age is still pioneer territory and a real challenge (see Ofcom's Second Public Service Broadcasting Review).
Channel 4 has decided to take up that challenge in a radical way by forming the 4 Innovation for the Public (4iP) fund.
The 4iP Fund aims to deliver publicly valuable content and services on digital media platforms with significant impact and in sustainable ways. It represents one of the biggest and most exciting calls-to-action for new and emergent digital media companies in the UK.”
Related news topics
London datastore announcement imminent