Getting started

To begin, each community will need to define its Challenge Statement. The Challenge Statement is a single sentence that defines the outcome or outcomes a community aims to achieve by implementing its smart cities proposal. The Challenge Statement must be measurable, ambitious, and achievable through the proposed use of data and connected technology.

Applicants will need to begin the Smart Cities Challenge process by engaging with residents about the most pressing issues their community faces. These consultations will help applicants define their Challenge Statements. With their Challenge Statements established, applicants will develop the ideas and activities that will make up their preliminary Smart Cities Challenge proposal.

Once applications are screened for eligibility, Infrastructure Canada will post the summaries on a public website. Applicants will be required to post the full versions online. Eligible applications will be reviewed by experts from inside and outside government and will then be evaluated by an independent Jury. The Jury will select finalists by summer 2018. Each of these finalists will receive a $250,000 grant to develop their final proposal.