That is why we have developed the Smart Cities Council Challenge Grants, which will help five U.S. cities jumpstart their smart cities initiatives through custom Readiness Workshops and services from our partners. We welcome the chance to help the winning cities gain a competitive edge through the creation of a robust digital infrastructure.
The application process opens October 31. Learn more now. —Jesse Berst
Why is the federal government investing another $80 million in smart cities initiatives?
So many cities are struggling with many of the same challenges today, a senior White House advisor for innovation policy explained at a Wednesday Connected Cities event hosted by the Washington Post and Qualcomm.
The federal government, suggested Dan Correa of the White House of Science and Technology, can play a leading role as an intervener, supporting cities as they increasingly become centers of innovation.
One way to do that, he suggested, is through competitions like the Transportation Department’s Smart Cities Challenge grant that awarded $50 million to Columbus, Ohio in June and the Department of Energy’s recent announcement of $7 million to help utilities develop distributed energy.
Another is helping develop standards for smart cities, as the National Institute for Standards and Technology is doing with its new international coalition working on an Internet of Things-Enabled Smart Cities Framework.
The Smart Cities Council is jumping in as well, joining the White House commitment to smart cities by announcing the Smart Cities Council Challenge Grants, which will help five cities make more effective use of smart cities technologies. The application process opens October 31, 2016. Learn about the criteria and awards process now.
