‘Grand Challenges — Karnataka’, an initiative under the innovative Start-up Policy of the Karnataka government, has launched its ‘Grand Challenge Call 5 and Call 6’, to unearth innovative solutions to reduce traffic congestion in Bengaluru city as well as tackle the perennial water shortage.

The cherry-picked ideas will get access to funding and go through prototyping, testing and scaling up in Bengaluru. The last date to apply for ‘Grand Challenge Call 5 and Call 6’ is October 15.

Any discipline in India — from individuals, researchers and faculty in colleges/ universities/government laboratories/ institutions to start-ups, and not-for-profit organisations — can apply for the Grand Challenge by logging onto www.call5.impact-karnataka.org.

‘Grand Challenge Call 5’ will focus primarily on technology innovations involving last-mile connectivity, real-time info on public transport, ease of transition from one mode of transport to the other and innovative parking solutions.

More than three-quarters of Bengalureans commuting to work each day drive by themselves. That’s a lot of empty seats on the road — and all that traffic and congestion has a large financial, environmental, and emotional cost.

“When we think of the future of transport, we have a tendency to picture a world in which people fly around on personal jetpacks and cars levitating down streets. In reality, the way we get around, in the short and medium term at least, will be a little less sci-fi than that. But it will still involve some truly revolutionary changes,” said Priyank Kharge, Karnataka’s IT, BT & Tourism Minister.

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