After the success of the Robotics and Infotech Week, the Ministry of Technology and Communication is back with the ICT Innovative Business Idea Competition 2017! This competition is organized in collaboration with the National Computer Board.
“The goal of the government is to create a startup nation. To create small and medium enterprises in the ICT sector and develop an entrepreneurial culture among the youth,” says Yogida Sawmynaden, Minister of Technology, Communication and Innovation.
With this in mind, the latter announced the ICT Innovative Business Idea Competition 2017-2018 at a press conference held on Monday, December 4 at the headquarters of his ministry.
The competition is aimed at tertiary students with the objective of encouraging students to come up with an entrepreneurial idea and create a startup. The competition is organised by the National Computer Board (NCB), which operates under the aegis of the Ministry of Technology, Communication and Innovation, in collaboration with the University of Mauritius and the State Bank of Mauritius (SBM).
What does the competition consist of?
The competition is open to all tertiary students with a postgraduate or undergraduate degree, including those who are also in research. The theme of the first edition of this university competition is: “Gather Your Team! Create the Next Big Idea in ICT” and invites students to come up with innovative business models, which include technology to meet real life demand and thus improve it.
“The technology industry is booming and there are a lot of structures being put in place to encourage young people to develop their ideas. We often see young people leaving university with the objective of finding a job. It is true that in the field of ICT, the demand is great, but if we succeed in developing this entrepreneurial culture from university, many young people can do it. It is important to create this ‘bridge’ between the university and the world of work so that these young people can become entrepreneurs. Creativity starts today, innovation starts today. This is our objective: to allow young people to develop entrepreneurial reflexes,” the Minister emphasized.
Students wishing to participate in the competition are invited to form teams of 2 or 4 people maximum and to choose a leader for the group. Of course, this team will have to be named! Registration for the competition is done online, on the NCB website, and a registration form must be completed. Once the registration is validated, a form (IDEA form) will be sent by e-mail to the team to be filled in and thus confirm its participation.
The competition consists of three steps: the first step is to show a creative and innovative business IDEA, then the second step is to convince the jury members with a business model and the third step is to show the viability of the project with a visual presentation, again in front of the jury members.
Registration to participate in the competition is already open and will remain open until January 23, 2018. Please note: for full validation, the IDEA form must be submitted by February 7, 2018.
No participation fee is required, so hurry up dear students and let your entrepreneurial ideas shine!
