The Prime Minister yesterday praised eight groups of students for inventions that send people useful information straight to their mobile phones - using new government data.
At a reception in Downing Street, the entrepreneurs received prizes for bright ideas that bring “significant social and economic benefits” to the UK.
One winning invention, called SchoolHunt, allows parents to compare the difference between the quality of local schools. Another technology is A&Express, which helps people to find the nearest hospital with the shortest waiting time for emergency problems.
The 32 prize-winning students will now embark on a tour of California’s famous technology belt, known as Silicon Valley.
Among the other winners, SafeTrip shows mobile phone users the safest routes home at night, while EyeSore lets people send reports of flytipping or vandalism to their local councils.
Mr Cameron is placing his hopes on the technology industry as a sector that will create private sector jobs.
The Government is currently hoping to transform the east end of London into one of the “world’s great technology centres”.
“I am committed to making the UK the best place in the world to start, run and grow a high tech company,” the Prime Minister said yesterday.
“This type of innovation can produce new applications and services that generate significant social and economic benefits across our society.”
The data used in the projects was released by Government departments as part of a new drive to open up the inner workings of Whitehall.
Francis Maude, the Cabinet Office minister, said: “These applications prove the potential power of public data to drive entrepreneurial growth, choice and competition in public services.
“Since we came to office, we have begun to publish more government data, in a useable format, than any other country but we need entrepreneurs to start developing it.”
The young entrepreneurs are being funded by Silicon Valley Comes to the UK, a project set up by Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn, the business social networking website.
Sherry Coutu, co-chairman of the group, said the point of the project was to put students in touch with leading “entrepreneurs, angels, investors and scientists from around the world”.
Extract taken from:
http://tiny.cc/wc08b
The Government is currently hoping to transform the east end of London into one of the “world’s great technology centres”.
“I am committed to making the UK the best place in the world to start, run and grow a high tech company,” the Prime Minister said yesterday.
“This type of innovation can produce new applications and services that generate significant social and economic benefits across our society.”
The data used in the projects was released by Government departments as part of a new drive to open up the inner workings of Whitehall.
Francis Maude, the Cabinet Office minister, said: “These applications prove the potential power of public data to drive entrepreneurial growth, choice and competition in public services.
“Since we came to office, we have begun to publish more government data, in a useable format, than any other country but we need entrepreneurs to start developing it.”
The young entrepreneurs are being funded by Silicon Valley Comes to the UK, a project set up by Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn, the business social networking website.
Sherry Coutu, co-chairman of the group, said the point of the project was to put students in touch with leading “entrepreneurs, angels, investors and scientists from around the world”.
Extract taken from:
http://tiny.cc/wc08b
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