Idea contest - Civic Innovation Platform

The Idea contest - from the idea to the concept

With our CIP idea contest" AI is what we make it!", we support both financially and ideally the collaborative (further) development of promising ideas for providing benefits for the common good based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) into viable concepts.

At a glance

Each round, up to thirty drafts are awarded prize money of up to 20,000 euros. Funds are paid in three instalments and are subject to specific conditions – such as participation an interim presentation.
The idea contest is open to a wide range of actors. This includes
- the development side (developers, start-ups),
- the user side (municipal authorities, SMEs, administrative bodies) as well as
- parties who are directly or indirectly affected (trade unions, socio-political organisations/associations, private individuals).
Project ideas must have a clearly identifiable link to the activities of the German Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. This includes aspects such as the future of work, occupational safety and work quality, vocational training and further education, reintegration in the labour market, integration, inclusion, diversity and equal participation. Interdisciplinary and/or cross-sector partnerships are also a prerequisite for participation. What we mean by this, when the next round of the competition will take place and everything else you need to know can be found in our FAQ.

What kind of ideas are we looking for?

No matter how good an idea is, looking at it from just one single perspective is never enough - what is required instead are multiple perspectives coming together. Project ideas can be extremely diverse and can have a wide range of starting points. Here are some examples:

How can AI-based solutions help to solve existing challenges in society?
How can existing solutions be put to the most effective use for social questions?
How can existing data pools help organise structures in a completely new way?

Inspire and be inspired

In the previous rounds of the idea contest, we received many promising submissions covering a wide range of different aspects, such as ideas for simplifying language, lifelong learning, applications for more and improved social exchange and supporting administrative authorities. A total of 64 ideas received fund awards so far. Here, you can find an overview of all prizewinning ideas.

Your idea is already much further along and you want to work on its implementation? Apply with your project network for our funding. This way for more information about funding programme!

Become part of the Civic Coding community!

True to the CIP motto "Together it becomes AI", CIP is a central component of Civic Coding - a joint initiative of the BMAS, the BMFSFJ and the BMUV. Civic Coding is the place for cross-thematic networking across sectors, industries and even departments. Do you also have an idea for AI providing benefits for the common good and benefit from a lively innovation network? Then become part of the Civic Coding community now!

Register now!