The Ministry of Digital Transformation is launching a national competition for IT projects and ideas to help ease the lives of citizens and businesses during the coronavirus pandemic.

Worldwide experience has shown that there is ample opportunity to combat the spread of COVID-19 through innovative IT solutions. In South Korea, a mobile notification app has been created if an infected person is nearby. Italy has launched a digital solidarity campaign. Singapore has developed a disease map and Israel has introduced remote monitoring of the movement of infected citizens by geolocation. Ukraine also needs innovative ideas to stop the spread of the virus.

“Despite all the initiatives already being implemented by the Ministry of Digital Transformation, we announce the online #HackCorona in Ukraine Challenge to enable as many good ideas as possible to be launched. These days, we need a collective mind more than ever. At such a difficult time, it is crucial to pool efforts and do everything possible to fight the epidemic. The country needs new ideas and IT solutions,” said Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov.

To participate in the competition are invited campaigners for social benefit: developers, owners of start-ups, marketers, researchers and community activists.

Participants can submit projects in the following areas:

• Coronavirus countermeasure.
• Electronic services aimed at counteracting the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic.
• E-services for citizens.
• Social, educational, administrative and other public services for citizens that are especially relevant during the quarantine.
• Social entrepreneurship.
• Innovative ideas for the development of digital social entrepreneurship under conditions of quarantine, which can be implemented through the distant involvement of vulnerable citizens.
• Mutual assistance.
• Services aimed at supporting and ensuring the livelihood of the most vulnerable population groups under quarantine conditions.

These can be both brand new products and improved existing solutions.

The best ideas will get funding for implementation. The total prize fund for the winners is UAH 4 million. Participants will also receive mentoring support and the opportunity to implement their project over the next month.

Applications are accepted until April 6. And on April 9 jury members will select the winners.

Ideas will be judged by the following criteria:

• Innovative solution
• Social influence
• Development prospects

Projects must demonstrate real social impact for citizens or businesses, in line with the objectives of the competition. The team must have a clear understanding of the target audience and sphere of influence, demonstrate specific development opportunities and scalability across the country.

The Challenge jury will include Mykhailo Fedorov, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Digital Transformation and Deputy Minister Oleksandr Borniakov. Business representatives Andrii Fedorov, founder of FEDORIV marketing company, Oleh Horokhovsky, co-founder of Monobank, and Yaroslav Azhniuk, CEO of Ukrainian Petcube company.

Apart from that, the jury members have become Viktor Liakh, President of the East Europe Foundation, Ilona Postemska of the Swiss Embassy in Ukraine and UNDP Resident Representative in Ukraine Dafina Gercheva.

You can submit your idea at https://hack-corona.gov.ua/ 

Partners of the National IT Project Competition #HackCorona in Ukraine are the EGAP program, funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and implemented by the East Europe Foundation, Innovabridge Foundation and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).