WILDLABS Open Call: Tech to end wildlife crime

Digital Catapult is proud to be working to end wildlife crime in collaboration with WILDLABS and some of the biggest experts in the space. The Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, the Satellite Applications Catapult, and six international conservation partners are partnering on this open call to provide a three month programme to companies with technology solutions.

Illegal wildlife trade threatens the very existence of species such as tigers, rhino, and the pangolin. Poaching threatens not just animals, but the livelihoods of local people and generations to come. It devastates local communities, with hundreds of rangers dying in the line of duty, and a network of corruption undermining the rule of law.

Technology offers hope in the battle against the illegal wildlife trade. Open hardware, the internet of things, and advances in artificial intelligence are just some of the areas that are opening new doors to help protect species. But while there are no shortages of technology innovations, the realities of deploying long-lived solutions to the field have limited the possible impact.

The WILDLABS Tech Hub programme starting in March seeks to address this problem and provide solutions to end wildlife crime.

Who should apply?

You have a technology solution on the cusp of reality. You’ve built prototypes and run tests, maybe even implemented in the field. Now your eyes are set to the future. You need the infrastructure to run your solution long term. You need support creating a sustainable business model. You need access to opportunities and partnerships that will help you scale and get new funding opportunities.

Why should you get involved?

Joining the programme will connect you with experts from Digital Catapult and Satellite Applications Catapult and big technology companies, and it will allow you to tap into FCO connections and resources to help you scale your solution. The programme will offer benefits such as joining government networks and gaining support from international conservation organisations, access to AWS Cloud credits and Azure cloud credits, and professional services and training including machine learning, compute and analytics as well as access to the IWT open data registry.

Additional info

• Applicants do not have to be based in London to take part, but will need to travel to attend three workshops happening between April and May. Participants will be expected to provide updates on their progress via a monthly call for the three-month programme.
• No monetary funding is currently available at the end of the three months programme. During the programme, partners will be working to seek funding opportunities for participating solutions and match donors with solution needs and culminating with an investor event.

Programme timings

• 24th February 2019 – Application deadline
• March – Notification to winning solutions
• March – June – Three-month support programme

Next steps

To apply please fill in the application questionnaire here by Sunday 24th of February.