Finding solutions for climate change, disrupting the financial sector. Determine the way we live, work, eat and get around in the upcoming decades. Adapting to an increasingly connected world, while keeping data safe and secure. These are some of the massive challenges of the 21st century. Too big to go at it alone. That is why the Blue Tulip Awards has selected the top 25 best ideas in eight different themes: Climate, Education, Finance, Health, Living & Working, Mobility, Nutrition and Security.
After the initial call for the innovation contest, over 600 innovators, creators, trendsetters and entrepreneurs signed up their ideas, hoping to be selected for a Blue Tulip Award. The judges had access to a custom made online voting tool to sift through the ideas and narrow down the list of concepts to the absolute best. Find out below which ideas are selected for the top 25 innovation in the eight themes.
Top 25 innovations in the Blue Tulip Awards
- Climate: by now there’s no doubt we humans are the main cause for climate change. It is also up to us to find the solution. By accelerating the energy transition, promoting a circular economy and fostering change in human behaviour, these top 25 innovators aim to do exactly that.
- Education: the technological advancements move quickly and the workforce needs to keep up. New skills are constantly required and children that start school today will end up in jobs that don’t even exist right now. How can we adapt the way we educate ourselves and others? These 25 top trendsetters might teach you a thing or two.
- Finance: the new era of finance has arrived, where new FinTech, InsurTech and RegTech concepts disrupt the way we do business with banks, insurers and financial institutions. Organisations need innovative ideas to stay relevant in these exciting times, and these 25 innovators can help.
- Health: How can we change human behaviour so a more healthy lifestyle can keep healthcare costs down? Can we effectively employ AI to personalize care? Which apps can help healthcare consumers? Innovations in healthcare not only aim to make us live a healthier life, they can also use clever ideas to keep healthcare effective, accessible and affordable for everyone. Check out which ideas are selected to achieve that.
- Living & working: in the future we might live and work in smart cities, full of smart homes and smart offices. But how do we shape this society in times of hyper-connectivity and make sure our digital well-being is looked after? These creators have a smart answer.
- Mobility: How do we get around? Not only the short trips with a shared vehicle, but also the longer distances in a green, sustainable mode of transport. And with the rise of e-vehicles, is the electric grid up to par? There’s big challenges, but also 25 bright ideas.
- Nutrition: Feeding the world is a challenge that gets increasingly bigger. What does the world of food production look like in 2050, when there might be billions of extra mouths to feed? And how do we do so in a sustainable, viable way? Can we keep having the same on our plate, or do we need something radically different? The Blue Tulip Awards has selected these innovations, because they might just have the answer.
- Security: We are all connected. And it is not just us. It’s also our devices, our bank accounts, our social security numbers, our homes cars and fridges. It offers us fantastic new possibilities, but comes with a price: keeping everything secure from cyberattacks, malware, hacking or simply from weak passwords is an increasing challenge. These pioneers are up to it.
On to the quarter-finals
After this initial selection, the top 25 innovators per theme are invited to the quarter-finals. These will take place in Amsterdam on February the 13th. There, all top 25 innovators will have speed-dating sessions and have the opportunity to join debates on different innovation topics, after which a top 10 per theme will be selected for the next round.
The Blue Tulip Awards are an ecosystem-driven program that has four main events throughout the year, with prizes awarded to winners at each of the different stages of the event. Prizes include feedback from partners and other innovators, personal coaching from one of the judges, the opportunity to pitch your innovation at the Blue Tulip Awards, or an acceleration package designed for your business. The finals will take place during the Accenture Innovation Summit on April 17th 2020.
This article is produced in collaboration with Accenture. Read more about our partnering opportunities.
