Community Foundation for NI: Techies in Residence
Overview
Who can apply?
- Any VCSE (voluntary, community or social enterprise) organisation registered or operating in Northern Ireland can apply.
How does the programme work?
The programme application process is broken down into 3 phases.
1. Online Design Hops are where you will explore the challenges you are working on before deciding whether to submit an application. They would encourage you to attend the workshops to receive support in developing your idea as well as further information on the Techies in Residence programme.
2. Organisations will then be asked to submit an application via their website. Once shortlisted you will have an opportunity to receive feedback, revise, refine and resubmit your application at their workshop on 24th September.
3. Finally, you will be invited to pitch your proposal to their panel for a place on the programme. They’ll also offer you ‘pitch training’.
Once this process is complete they will put the call out for Techies and the residency will begin.
Should you apply?
- Before making an application for TiR, VCSEs should consider the time and commitment required to participate fully in this programme.
- If successful in securing a place on this programme, attendance at the residential is compulsory. The residential will take place on Wednesday 9th and Thursday 10th December. The 12-week‘ residency’ will take place from January to March 2021.
- They encourage anyone who is interested in finding out more about this programme to sign up for the CAST Design Hop to experience ‘Design Thinking’ in action and explore if TiR is suited to your organisational needs.
- Please note that TiR adopts an ‘open innovation’ approach, which centres on the belief that any new solution could have multiple applications beyond the immediate problem for which it was developed.
- This is particularly important in the resource-constrained environment of the VCSE sector. There is little sense in investing multiple times in the development of broadly similar solutions. The Foundation asks that all TiR participants adopt an open approach to intellectual property and are prepared to make the software element of their solution freely available to others working on social challenges.
More Information
For more information on this programme, contact our Innovation and Voice team:
- Paul Braithwaite, Head of Innovation and Voice – pbraithwaite@communityfoundationni.org
- Gemma McCaughley, Programme Officer – gmccaughley@communityfoundationni.org