We’ve heard of 7/11 and 24/7 before, but what about the 18-hour challenge?

No, it isn’t a fast, and it’s nothing to do with undertaking grueling marathons, either.

Organised by Irish/Welsh partnership Inventorium, the Open Data 18-Hour Challenge – which takes place in Dublin July 4th/5th – is all about asking important, socially conscious questions (for example, what level of support for senior citizens is there in your area? Is there a safe cycle route to school for your children?) and trying to come up with the right answers.

The development of solutions to questions such as these (or, indeed, even an interest in the development of solutions) is what the Open Data 18-Hour Challenge constitutes. Just in case you’re not certain about what ‘Open Data’ is, it’s part of a new global wave of transparent governance whereby governments are presenting themselves as more accountable and responsive to the needs (and questions) of their citizens.

There is a neat twist to this event, though: during Ireland’s inaugural Open Data 18-Hour Challenge, there is an emphasis on practically demonstrating how Open Data can be used to develop viable businesses. Participants will work in mixed teams of Inventorium facilitators, graphic designers, commercial developers and local council experts to not only brainstorm but also generate and prototype new ideas based on Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council open data sets.

The event takes place on July 4th/5th at NDRC, Crane Street, Digital Hub, Dublin 8, and you can register for it here.

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The Irish Software Association (ISA), in association with the ISA Software Skillnet, recently launched a new two day training programme entitled ‘Public Sector Sales Enablement’. The programme is aimed at assisting software SME’s access the lucrative public contracts market, which is worth in the region of €16 billion per annum.

Revolving around a series of training courses and themed workshops, the programme will help participants gain knowledge of public sector contract bidding. The primary elements of the programme include imparting a proven sales process that presents insight on the intricacies of public sector selling, providing access to key technical architects in the public sector, and featuring a case study by a winner, a loser and a decision maker of a recent public sector tender.

The ISA has worked with a number of Government departments to assess which technologies they may be utilising within the next five years. The information gained from these meetings will only be provided at the training programme. These themed workshops thereafter will aim to introduce companies to the key architects in the departments. This information can then be utilised by software companies, who can begin to put the resources in place for future tenders.

The two day course will be held in the IBEC offices, Confederation House, 84-86 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2, March 9th/10th. The first day of the training is aimed at assisting software companies develop their own sales process for those that are not particularly sales aware. The second day adapts the process and focuses specifically on Government selling.

The cost of the course is €475 per participant for the two days for private enterprises. Non members of the ISA can also avail of this price. For more detailed information on the course please click here. To book a place, please contact Susan Kelly, susan@isa-skillnet.com.

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