Smart D8 Call for Pilots 2024 : Call Now Open

[ This Call for Pilots is Now Closed ]

Following three years of success in engaging Enterprise, Academia and a range of relevant stakeholders, the Smart D8 initiative has delivered 12 impactful and scalable pilots. In 2024 this engagement will continue with a fourth open call for pilots.

Continuing to focus on the measured health and wellbeing needs of the 45,000 strong diverse Dublin 8 population, this call will focus on three themes namely:

  • Community Health,
  • Health Literacy, and
  • Environment

Smart D8 seeks to support the development of impactful and sustainable pilots with the potential to scale that involve enterprise, academic and other relevant public and private stakeholders. The pilot proposals should be ready to deploy with end-users and should be in a position to measure impacts within a six-month timeframe. Up to six pilots will be chosen for individual project resourcing of up to €12,500.

View the press release here: https://smartd8.ie/smart-d8-opens-new-call-for-pilot-projects-following-three-years-of-success. To apply, please submit your proposals here: https://bit.ly/SmartD8_PilotApplication2024 by Friday, 29th March 2024 at 23:00

Smart D8 Pilot Call Themes

Some examples of the types of pilots which would be relevant to the Dublin 8 population are given here for illustrative purposes. Smart D8 takes a very broad perspective on population health and wellbeing. Balancing preventative approaches with the support for patients in the community and including innovation in the delivery of healthcare, the pilot call is broad in the application areas.

Community Health

  • Innovative community development projects that foster collaboration and engagement and connect to Smart D8.
  • Initiatives to reduce social isolation and enhance mental health support networks and cohesion at the community level.
  • Sustainable practices for creating inclusive and accessible community spaces that promote physical and mental wellbeing.
  • Programs that empower local residents to take an active role in shaping health-conscious communities.
  • Projects aimed at improving cultural diversity and inclusion within the community for wellbeing.
  • Creative approaches to foster intergenerational connections within neighbourhoods.

Health Literacy

  • Curriculum development incorporating mental and physical health education at various educational levels (e.g. youth, older people, disaffected youth, carers, etc.)
  • Initiatives to promote healthy lifestyle choices and preventive health measures among both citizens and non-nationals
  • Programs fostering awareness of inclusive public health issues, such as infectious and/or chronic disease as they relate to population health.
  • Education on nutrition and the importance of a balanced diet for overall wellbeing.
  • Innovative approaches to teach citizens about the social determinants of health, health equity and the role of technology.
  • Inclusion of practical skills, such as first aid and CPR training, in the educational curriculum.

Environment

  • Community-based partnerships for sustainable agriculture and local food production to improve nutrition.
  • Conservation efforts to protect biodiversity, recognizing its impact on ecological balance and human health strategy and resilience.
  • Initiatives related to the monitoring and mitigating of environmental factors affecting public health (e.g. greening, air quality, etc.)
  • Initiatives that prioritise healthy working/living environments (e.g. sustainable urban planning and design for wellbeing, etc.)
  • Environmental mapping processes that can improve policies and practices for public health outcomes (e.g. Digital Twins, stress reduction, sports/leisure facilities, work/life balance, etc.)
  • Initiatives promoting eco-friendly options to reduce pollution and enhance respiratory health (e.g. transportation, active travel, etc.)

Who Should Apply?

The pilot call is open to all Enterprise, Academic Institutions, Public and Private sector organisations, who:

  • Offer innovative and scalable solutions (products, services, content or devices).
  • Provides new practices/solutions/perspectives that address an unmet need in the community.
  • Have a solution that is ready for end-user deployment within six months.
  • Can be enabled by a co creation and collaboration with the Smart D8 partners and beyond.

Why Apply?

  • Opportunity to pilot and demonstrate the impact and scalability of your offering in a real-world community setting.
  • Access to a unique collaborative ecosystem with established clinical, academic, public and private sector engagement.
  • Funding support available for selected pilots.
  • Programme management support.
  • Marketing and promotion support.
  • Access to free workspace in Dublin 8 during the pilot period.

Why Apply?

  • Applicants must submit a completed application form through the Smart D8 website here. Applicants can apply for more than one call. If your institution cannot access Google Forms via a Google account, you can access the Pilot Application Template, with submission instructions, here.
  • Call opens: Tuesday, 27th February 2024
  • Call closes: on Friday, 29th March 2024 at 23:00
  • Evaluation of proposals: Your submission will be reviewed by an expert panel drawn from the Smart D8 partners. A shortlist of applicants will be selected and will be asked to make a presentation to the evaluation panel. An update on the call outcome will be provided to all applicants at the end of the review process, in advance of Thursday 30th May 2024.
  • Projects to start: May 2024
  • Projects to present results/interim results: October 2024

Eligibility, Evaluation & Selection Criteria

Pilot applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

  • Innovation
    A level of innovation in terms of technology/service will be required that address an unmet or underserved need. Innovation in the incremental or disruptive approach taken to advance the pilot with end-users will also be evaluated.
  • Scalability
    An evaluation will be made as to how scalable is your proposed solution after the pilot? Applications will be studied on the basis of the ambitions for scale and how they will be achieved, as well as integration with existing services.
  • Team & Resources
    The Smart D8 evaluation panel will consider what resources and people are being supplied to the pilot and what the ask is in terms of people and resources from Smart D8, including competence of team members for internal project delivery. Explicit communication of resource contribution (including budget) is also required, such as what resources are provided versus those requested of Smart D8.
  • User-Centric
    The evaluation team will look for proposals that are end-user focused. The measures of response to needs of community or service users for health and wellbeing impacts of the population of D8 will be scored.
  • Impact
    Smart D8 want to back projects which can produce and measure clear impacts on the health and wellbeing of citizens.
  • Alignment with the objectives of the Smart D8 project
    Smart D8 takes a very broad perspective on population health and wellbeing. Balancing preventative approaches with the support for patients in the community and in innovation in the delivery of healthcare, the pilot will be evaluated against these objectives as they relate to the Smart D8 programme and involvement of Smart D8 partner/s.

About Smart D8

Smart D8 is a collaborative initiative to investigate how new and innovative approaches can be used to improve citizens’ health and well-being in Dublin 8.

The Smart D8 District brings together local authorities, academia, healthcare, local community and industry in a partnership model to address real-world issues.

The Smart D8 consortium is led by The Digital Hub, St James’s Hospital, Dublin City Council and Smart Dublin, together with the Guinness Enterprise Centre, HSE Digital Transformation, Tyndall National Institute, St Patrick’s Mental Health Services, Trinity College Dublin Research & Innovation, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, National College of Art & Design, and Health Innovation Hub Ireland.

Smart D8 has engaged with the local Dublin 8 community to identify the major issues faced in terms of health and well-being and will develop an ecosystem of innovation and collaboration where solutions can be developed to address these issues. https://smartd8.ie