Today we’re launching TESTING 123: The Global Integrity Innovation Fund, a call for brand-new,
half-crazy, never tried before ways of addressing the challenges of
transparency and accountability. We’ll
invest in 10 to 15 innovative ideas with up to $10,000 each, giving innovators
from any country around the world the opportunity to test their ideas. The
application period starts now and we’ll be accepting applications
until November 16, 2012 at 5pm EST.
A small team of us at Global Integrity will be evaluating
applications as guided by our selection criteria
to determine finalists, with external expert advice on a case-by-case basis to
assist in the process. Innovators whose ideas are selected for the final round will
be offered a chance to explain the uniqueness of their idea, the strength of
their testing model, and their own capability to try it out, through a phone or
web interview with the Global Integrity team. Final investment decisions will
be made by Global Integrity and will consider both written applications as well
as final interviews. Throughout the selection process, we will be posting a
brief description of each submitted idea on our website for public discussion.
We realize that while ideas may be a dime a dozen, thinking
up an unheard of approach can be difficult, and proposing it can feel risky. To convince you that it is worth it, we will
try to lower the barrier to entry as much as possible. To start, here are our top six tips for applying to our
innovation fund:
1.
Do your research
– Your hypothesis should be grounded in a concrete understanding of what would
work in theory and why, as well as what has worked or not in practice in the
past.
2.
Disruptive
is key – We are not looking for ways of doing things that have already
worked (or failed). We won’t fund ideas
that simply apply an existing model to a new context, but we will invest in a
method that is a clear departure from what has been tried and has the potential
to shake things up if it works.
3.
Get
inspired – Take a peek at some of the ideas that
we consider ‘innovative.’ We are not
asking you to duplicate these efforts - on the contrary, we want you to consider
how these approaches, methods, and tools have been able to disrupt our usual
thinking and then apply this lens to your own idea.
4.
Consider
the testing timeline – Propose an idea that can be tested quickly. We want to invest in trials that take no more
than two to six months. Why? We believe
that a lot can be learned in a short period of time, and lessons learned can
fuel quick iteration - a recipe that we believe leads to success.
5.
Convince us
that you can do it – We need to know that you have the skills, know-how,
motivation, and resources (given our capital) to test out your idea. Give us examples
of your competencies to demonstrate to us that you are the right innovator to
bet on.
6.
Present
an informed story – Perhaps of chief importance to us is the articulation
of your Theory of Change. We need to
know that you have thought about your end goal, the steps
required to reach it, and the assumptions that inform these processes that imply
certain effects.
Moreinfo: http://innovation.globalintegrity.org
