The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has kicked off activities for the third edition of its Talent Hunt Research through Hackathon as part of giving expression to its Strategic Vision Plan 2023-2025, which is to encourage the development of new technologies and indigenous content through cutting-edge research. The goal of this initiative is to stimulate sustainable economic growth and development in Nigeria.
Therefore, the Commission has invited Tech Hubs and Innovation-Driven Enterprises (IDEs) in Nigeria to enroll their start-ups and their solutions in the Talent Hunt Research through a Hackathon organized by the NCC. The Hackathon focuses on Blockchain-enabled Data Protection Solutions for Enhancing Regulatory compliance, Assistive Technology Solutions for the Elderly and People with disabilities, and Technology Solutions for Renewable Energy in Rural Areas.
The NCC Talent Hunt Research Through Hackathon leverages Emerging Digital Technologies to facilitate the development of home-grown innovative solutions and local content development in the telecommunications sector while fostering economic growth and social advancement in Nigeria.
The competition enables the translation of novel ideas into the development of hardware and software solutions that address industry and societal challenges. The best three solutions, one from each of the three areas listed above, will receive grants of N10 million each for the development of the solutions.
The Commission has set out eligibility criteria for those seeking to participate in the competition, which include that the Enterprise must provide a certificate of registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), the Enterprise must not have previously received support from the Commission, the project should have clear relevance to one of the three thematic areas above, and it must provide a clear problem statement, proposed solution, and roadmap to deployment.
Other requirements include a proof of concept (which may also include technical feasibility of the idea with a diagram, algorithm, existing models, or case studies); the solution must be novel with the applicant making a declarative statement on ownership of the intellectual property; the solution, including prototype development, shall be concluded within 6 months of receipt of the grant; and it must propose a detailed commercialization plan for the prototype.
The Entry Submission format indicated that the proposal must include ideation,
Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and Solution, Current Sweat Equity Investment, Product-Market Fit Status, Verifiable Go-to-Market Status, Growth Feasibility Assurances, Maturity Model and Timeliness, and Existing Time: Disaster Recovery, where applicable
All applications should be made online and must follow the stipulated entry format. There is no financial cost to participating in the competition, while full control and ownership of the intellectual property of the developed solutions remain with the Commission.
The entries must be made by a Tech Hub or Innovation-Driven Enterprise that must show evidence of the relationship with the Start-up or solution being entered, a 4-page Executive summary of the project concept, a 3-5 minute video of the pilot project, the names, age, contact details, passport photos, and profiles of all team members, the website (if available), as well as an E-mail address of the applicant.
All interested and qualified enterprises should submit requested documents in a zip folder to https://ncc.gov.ng/talenthuntresearchhackathon2023 with the subject of the mail titled “Submission from
The Commission has run an advertisement on the Hackathon for 3 weeks and hereby requests that those in the startup ecosystem note that the application closes by Friday, September 22, 2023.
