We recently shared the news on our social networks, an edition of RiSk Solutions will take place in Mauritius this week. Starting tomorrow, Thursday 13 April 2017 at 8am, teams will compete on the theme of cyber security for a chance to win the very tempting first prize of €10,000. This hackathon will take place at the Ebène Cybercity until Sunday, April 16 at 4:30 p.m., at which time the winners will be announced.
The innovathon will be spread over three days and one night of innovation. Thursday, the first day, will be dedicated to training candidates on cybersecurity and preparing ideas for solutions to present.
Innovathon, an innovation marathon
Risk, short for Recipes, Scripts and Kits, is an innovathon, meaning a marathon of innovation. The latter asks participants to present innovative digital solutions against IT risks according to the country’s public policy priorities. In practice, candidates will be given a kit of free and open source software tools and scripts that they will have to use in the coding of their solutions.
About fifty participants were selected to take part in this 4-day challenge. Grouped in teams of 2 to 5 participants, their profiles are varied and come from technical, business development or marketing & communication fields. The participants will have to work in symbiosis to advance their common project and try to win the competition.
Professional support for the winners
The FFIN has put the little dishes in the big for the awards of the big winners. The winning team will be awarded a prize of €10,000 and, above all, support and monitoring of the project teams for one year to improve and promote the solutions within the French-speaking world. The rest of the podium will be awarded €6,000 and €4,000 respectively for second and third place, as well as the same offer of support.
This offer of support represents an undeniable asset for this challenge. It is the perfect opportunity for participants to continue the implementation of their project, all surrounded by a team of competent professionals.
Risk, a project initiated by the Fonds Francophone pour l’Innovation Numérique (FFIN)
To realize this edition of Risk in Mauritius, the FFIN, a fund belonging to the International Organization for the Francophonie(OIF), has surrounded itself with various local associations for the organization of the contest. Among others, we can mention the Outsourcing Telecommunications Association Mauritius(OTAM), the Mauritius IT Industry Association(MITIA), or the Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry(CCIFM).
Mauritius is one of the 5 countries selected by the NFFI to carry out this pilot project for a competition on cybersecurity. The 4 other countries selected are Côte d’Ivoire, Tunisia, Vietnam and Madagascar.
A project supported by governments
The initiative for this competition is based on decisions taken by the Heads of State and Government of La Francophonie to develop the “Horizon 2020” Digital Francophonie Strategy. It is also in line with the International Conference on Strengthening Cybersecurity and Cyber Defence in the Francophone Space, held in Abidjan last February.
Yogida Sawmynaden, Minister of Technology, Communication and Innovation of Mauritius, strongly supported the programme.
Yogida Sawmynaden, Minister of ICT.
“Such a competition will help to develop future professions in the IT sector. Young people are keen on new technologies, and we must give them all our support in order to facilitate their access to these new gadgets. But it is equally important to make them aware of the potential pitfalls. That is why this competition is the ideal platform to gauge the ability of our young people to understand all the contours of cyber security,” said the Minister.
We are looking forward to this innovathon and will keep you informed of its progress on our social networks with the #RiskSolutions.
