Mayor's Resilience Fund

Closed

999 Londoners have responded | 15/07/2021 - 31/12/2021

Skyline of London, including the Thames and the Shard

Background

The challenge

City Hall wants to incentivise innovators to come up with their best ideas to help London emerge stronger from COVID-19 and ensure our capital is prepared for future disruptions.

The £1 million Mayor of London’s Resilience Fund calls on tech start-ups, engineers, social enterprises and others to develop solutions to some of London’s key challenges:  

  • Activating high streets 
  • Affordable workspace 
  • Air quality 
  • Bereavement services 
  • COVID-safe travel 
  • Gig economy 
  • Local food 
  • Public markets 
  • Renewable energy 
  • Smart Mobility 

The Fund is delivered in partnership with Nesta, an innovation foundation. Each challenge is sponsored by a Resilience Partner, including local authorities, public agencies, business improvement districts and charities. They will work with the innovators to test and implement their technologies and ideas. 

Our approach

From 23 February to 4 April 2021, innovators were invited to submit their proposals to solve the challenges. 

In May, up to 40 finalists were elected from the entries (up to 4 per challenge) and awarded £10k each to co-design their solutions together with the Resilience Partners over approximately 5 weeks.   

In June, 10 winners (one per challenge) were selected to implement their ideas and awarded up to £40k each to further develop their solutions between June – December 2021. 

To ensure that Londoners’ voices are heard in these challenges too, City Hall’s Opinion Research team will be working closely with the Resilience Fund. Where available, the team will share relevant polling and survey data to help inform the development of the innovations, ensuring that any new products and services brought to market are user-led.  

You will be able to have your say on some of the challenges here on Talk London too.     

Policy team

The Resilience Fund is a partnership between the Mayor of London and Nesta Challenges, an innovation foundation.  

City Hall’s Strategy and Innovation team leads on open call challenges through the Challenge LDN platform. They also support innovation across London’s economy more broadly.  

Timeline

STAGE: City Hall challenge

September-December 2020: 800 Londoners, community groups, social enterprises and local authorities submit their ideas with challenges for Lonon

Happened

February-April 2021: Open call to all innovators to help address 10 challenges, chosen from the 800 submissions

Happened
STAGE: Programme design

May 2021: 40 finalists selected and awarded £10k each to develop their solutions over 5 weeks

Happened
STAGE: Evidence gathering

COVID-safe travel challenge

Happened
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Londoners have responded 999 times

Find out more
STAGE: Programme design

July - September 2021: 10 winners (one per challenge) selected to implement their ideas and awarded up to £40k each to develop their solutions

Happened
Read more about the challenge
STAGE: Project delivery

Talk London members help test a new travel app

Happened
STAGE: Closed

December 2021: end of the challenge, all programmes are completed

Happened