On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, GIZ launched the international open innovation competition #Innovate2030, focused on SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. The challenge, hosted in collaboration with the innovation platform ekipa, set out to identify scalable solutions already making an impact in one community – and connect them with the right partners to amplify their reach globally.

The goal? To create meaningful connections between grassroots innovators, policy makers, corporate collaborators, and development experts to accelerate urban sustainability and resilience worldwide.

By creating a platform for knowledge sharing, cross-sectoral partnerships, and funding pathways, #Innovate2030 became a catalyst for real-world change – helping cities grow smarter, greener, and more inclusive.

#Innovate2030 – Scaling solutions for Sustainable Cities (SDG 11)

Project Overview

Client: GIZ – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit

On behalf of: NEW STANDARD.S

My role: Project Assistant

Timeline: January – April 2022

My Role

As an external assistant to the GIZ project lead, I contributed across multiple touchpoints that shaped the project’s success:

  • Strategic partner management & acquisition: Identified and coordinated new partners and collaborators, ensuring a strong and diverse ecosystem of support for participants.

  • Program development: Co-created the format and agenda of the digital bootcamp, curating a program that blended masterclasses, keynotes, and cross-border exchange.

  • Content creation: Developed internal and external comms materials, participant resources, and digital event content to support an engaging experience.

  • Partner coordination: Facilitated and supported smooth collaboration between GIZ and global partners including Fraunhofer Venture, UNICEF, UNDP, Phineo, Data Natives, and others.

Project Impact

  • 27 partnerships supported from challenge phase through to project elaboration1,000+ innovators from 65+ countries submitted ideas addressing SDG 11 

  • ~100 finalists were invited to join the global digital bootcamp, a 360° learning and matchmaking experience

  • Built bridges between public sector, private sector, and civil society to unlock future collaborations and scale proven urban innovations

Main Takeaways

  • When tackling global challenges, success depends on local insights. One of the most difficult – and important – tasks was to identify community-rooted organizations with deep trust and access in their local ecosystems to spread the word about the challenge and support innovators from underserved regions.

  • The project’s tech stack was largely predetermined and at times didn’t align with the needs of the international, multilingual target audience. We often found ourselves working around the tech rather than with it – a reminder that digital architecture should follow the user’s needs, not the other way around.

  • Innovation doesn’t happen in a vacuum. By aligning institutions like GIZ with tech players, development agencies, and grassroots changemakers, we created the conditions for meaningful partnerships with long-term potential.

Sustainability in action

#Innovate2030 connected grassroots innovation with global impact, accelerating solutions for more sustainable, inclusive cities (SDG11). The initiative brought together 1,000+ innovators from 65+ countries, creating a vibrant platform for cross-sector collaboration, knowledge exchange, and real-world scale. (SDG17)