Cisco Systems, Inc. : Cisco Launches BIG Awards to Celebrate and Reward Innovative Start-ups and SMEs Within the UK
02/02/2012| 03:00pm US/Eastern
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London 2 February 2012 - In its quest to discover and
help develop emerging and early stage technology based
start-ups, Cisco has launched the next stage in its British
Innovation Gateway (BIG) initiative - The Big Awards -
Powered By Cisco I-PRIZE™.
With support from JP Morgan and other partners, the BIG
Awards will take the form of an annual open innovation
competition to discover and reward the finest examples of the
UK's most innovative start-up digital businesses and
SMEs. The overall winner will receive a total prize package
of approximately $200k, made up of $100k cash, 12 months of
mentoring from Cisco and a 12- month support package covering
PR, marketing and legal services.
Runners-up and semi-finalists will also receive cash
and technology prizes to support and accelerate the
development of their brands and businesses.
The BIG Awards is the latest development in Cisco's
British Innovation Gateway (BIG) initiative, a significant
five-year investment of cash, technology and human resources,
which aims to develop Britain's innovation eco-system and
create an environment in which start-up digital businesses
and their ideas can flourish. The Awards are held in
partnership with JP
Morgan, Bird &
Bird, DNXand Octopus
Communicationsand will take place annually
throughout the five year duration to help create a community
of innovative industry leaders.
The competition will run from 1 February 2012 until
September 2012 and involves a four stage judging process. The
final of the Awards will take place at a special event on 12
September 2012, where the six finalists will present their
business plans live to a judging panel before the winner is
chosen.
Open to individuals, groups of individuals and legal
entities in the UK, applicants can enter their technology
concept or prototype idea into one of five categories which
represent some of the most relevant technology challenges and
mega trends we are seeing across the globe today. For each
category, the entry should showcase how the concept can
benefit the public and private sector, utilising the network
as the platform to deliver economic, social and environmental
sustainability.
The categories are:
-
BIG Data inc. Datacentre/Virtualisation
-
Collaboration inc. Video and Social Media
-
Future Cities
-
Internet of Things
-
Mobility
For more information on each category and competition entry
requirements, visit the BIG Awards website at www.thebigawards.co.uk
. Registration is now open and entrants will be able to
submit their initialbusiness or technology ideas from 1
February 2012. Entries will close on the 31 March
2012.
A public event to launch the Awards took place at
Ravensbourne in Greenwich, London, on 1 February 2012.
Ravensbourne is a founding member of Cisco's National
Virtual incubator (NVI) - a sustainable public technology
network which promises to stimulate entrepreneurship by
connecting physical sites through IT infrastructure.
Cisco's CTO, Padmasree Warrior, was in attendance and
delivered a keynote address about the importance of
innovation.
Supporting Quotes
-
Phil Smith, CEO, Cisco UK and Ireland, said:
"The BIG Awards are a key component of our British
Innovation Gateway initiative to encourage UK growth
through entrepreneurship and the advancement of STEM
(Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) skills. There
are many high potential technology based start-ups and SMEs
within the UK and the BIG Awards provide a great
opportunity to showcase, celebrate and reward them. This is
a fantastic opportunity for businesses to get the help and
support they need. By nurturing the growing businesses of
tomorrow, we are helping to build a brilliant future for
technology innovation in the UK."
-
Guy Chiarello, CIO, JP Morgan Chasesaid "At
JPMorgan Chase we focus on creating a culture of innovation
and we are very proud of our heritage of breathing life
into new technology companies by consuming their products
and services in real life scenarios. This programme extends
that mission with an opportunity to help guide, coach and
invest in technology companies and ideas of the future. We
are looking forward to the partnership this programme will
bring."
About the British Innovation Gateway (BIG)
Cisco's main focus as the Official Network Infrastructure
supporter to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games is
to create programs that will have a long term contribution to
the growth of Hi Tech industries and the economic health of
the UK. The British Innovation Gateway (BIG) initiative is
part of that economic legacy and is a framework of programs
that is designed to help drive innovation and support
technology start-ups across London and the rest of the UK and
Ireland.
Launched in January 2011 by Prime Minister David
Cameron and Cisco's chairman and CEO, John Chambers, BIG
is underpinned by Cisco's significant five-year
investment of cash, technology and human resources. The
initiative aims to develop Britain's innovation
eco-system and create an environment in which start-up
digital businesses and their ideas can flourish.
Cisco's long-term vision is to help build a brilliant
future for Britain. BIG will discover and develop the
entrepreneurs of today, helping to establish Britain as a
leader in innovation, whilst Cisco's other Olympic Legacy
programs such as key educational initiatives like STEMNet and
the extension of Cisco's Network Academy® programs in
East London, will help to uncover the skills of tomorrow.
Information about BIG can be found at http://ciscobig.co.uk
.
About Cisco
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking
that transforms how people connect, communicate and
collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com.
For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com
. Cisco equipment in Europe is provided by Cisco Systems
International B.V. and Cisco International Limited, wholly
owned subsidiaries of Cisco Systems, Inc.
# # #
Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered
trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and
other countries. A listing of Cisco's trademarks can be
found at www.cisco.com/go/trademarks
. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their
respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply
a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other
company.
About Ravensbourne
Ravensbourne is a world-class digital destination
located at Greenwich Peninsula developing talented
individuals and leading-edge businesses through learning,
skills, applied research, enterprise and innovation.
Ravensbourne's new building, in Penrose Way next to The
O2, opened to students at the end of October 2010 following a
£70 million investment including £3.5 million from the London
Development Agency (LDA), £5.5 million from the Department
for Communities and Local Government and further investment
from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), Greenwich
Council, Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE)
and the Skills Funding Agency. The European Development Fund
also provided £1.5 million to create low carbon incubator
space, incorporating new technologies and a suite of
environmentally sustainable features. Ravensbourne had been
based in Chislehurst in Bromley since 1976.
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