• 'Seoul Global Challenge 2021', the global contest is launching with a total Prize of 690 million KRW.
• Seoul, the capital of South Korea, which has proven itself to be a medical giant throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, has launched a project to solve urban problems worldwide.
• Seoul is openly recruiting innovative technologies and ideas to reduce particulate matters and improve air quality in subways from innovators around the world-

SEOUL, KOREA / ACCESSWIRE / October 13, 2020 / Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Business Agency (SBA, CEO Jang Young-seung), an institution that supports small and medium-sized companies in Seoul, announced the opening of the 'Seoul Global Challenge 2021', a global contest for innovative technologies and ideas to reduce particulate matters and improve air quality in subways', which will begin on October 14, 2020.

The Seoul Global Challenge 2021 is a project intended to provide solutions to urban problems and improve the quality of life of citizens in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, which emerged as a global health and medical giant through its systematic and well-organized response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Accordingly, this Challenge is attracting the interests of many innovative companies and research institutes in Korea and around the world.

Innovators of any nationality with technology and ideas related to reducing particulate matters and improving air quality in subways may apply to take part in this Challenge. The Challenge is largely divided into two tracks - the technology and academic challenges - and a total of 690 million KRW will be awarded to 25 winning teams. As for the technology challenge, the qualifiers of the preliminary evaluation will be awarded support funding of 10-200 million KRW, independent of the prize money, for prototype development.

The Seoul Global Challenge, in which organizations of many countries such as Japan, the United States, Canada, France, Finland, United Kingdom, and the Netherlands participated, was first hosted in 2019. The winning technologies and products are being exhibited for citizens to see and experience for themselves, and some are undergoing evaluation for commercial use.

Chin Dae-je, the Chief of the Seoul Global Challenge Organizing Committee said, 'We will select teams that propose innovative yet feasible ideas and technologies that can improve the quality of lives of Seoul citizens.' He added, 'In addition to the technology challenge we expanded the Challenge to the academic field so a wider range of companies and institutions have a chance to participate.'

The timeline of the Seoul Global Challenge 2021, a project addressing problems facing cities globally with a total prize money of 690 million KRW, is as follows. The application period for the technology challenge will run until December 31, 2020, and the preliminary evaluation will begin in January 2021. The qualified groups will develop prototypes from March to August, and the final evaluation will be until November. Finally, the awards ceremony will be held in December. The application period for the academic challenge will run until November 2020, and the preliminary evaluation will begin in December. The qualified groups will need to compose and submit papers by September 2021, and the evaluations will be carried out through October and November. The academic challenge awards ceremony will also take place in December 2021. This timeline is tentative and is subject to change depending on the progress of the challenge.

For more information on qualifications, applications, and evaluation methods, etc., visit the Seoul Global Challenge Website (seoulglobalchallenge.sba.kr).

Media contact:

Organization: SBA Seoul Global Challenge
Contact: Media Team
Telephone: +82-2-2222-3726
E-mail: sbatech@sba.seoul.kr
Website: http://seoulglobalchallenge.sba.kr/en/

SOURCE: SBA Seoul Global Challenge