Business and charity: Moscow services receive German Innovation Award

Three Moscow online services have won the prestigious international German Innovation Award. For more than 60 years, the promising technological projects has been marked by it. According to Natalia Sergunina, Deputy Moscow Mayor, in particular, the online platform of the Moscow innovation cluster i. moscow and the charity service on the portal mos.ru had the honour of winning an award.

"Today, the living conditions improvement depends not only on the infrastructure quality, but also on the introduction of new technologies, increasing their availability. Like many modern megapolises, Moscow relies on technological development. One of the aspects of work is the creation of convenient online services for citizens and businesses that save time and help in everyday affairs. The demand for these services is the main result for us. And the high ratings of foreign experts once again show that the Moscow digital ecosystem is competitive at the global level," Natalia Sergunina said.

The platform of the Moscow Innovation Cluster won two awards at once. It was awarded in the main category IT - Services for Business and the additional category Design-Thinking (projects that meet the best practices of solving complex problems using a creative approach). The i. moscow unique digital platform unites the innovative infrastructure of the city and its users - business, industrial enterprises, scientific organizations.

It contains the necessary tools and services for innovative projects creation and development - from t he applications electronic submission for providing support measures to the selection of sites for product testing. At i. moscow, you can find the necessary production facilities, customers and business partners, join an intersectoral cluster with a certain specialization, use the patent database, look for premises for rent, register for participation in acceleration programs and technology competitions.

The Moscow Innovation cluster is supervised by the Moscow Department of Entrepreneurship and Innovative Development together with the Department of Information Technologies.

Charity service of the portal mos.ru was among the winners in the category "Information Technologies". It was the first example of direct integration of non-profit organizations into the official portal of the government authority. Today, 40 trusted funds accept donations through the service, and their number continues to grow. Partner funds provide support to severely ill children and adults, people with special needs, poor people, and help homeless animals. Once every three months, they publish expenditure reports on the ‘Warm hearted Moscow’ portal.

The project is implemented by the Department of Information Technology and the Committee of Public Relations and Youth Policy. Previously, the Moscow charity service became the laureate of the international Big Innovation Awards. It is awarded for the implementation of innovative solutions that have a great social favorable effect.

The German Innovation Award jury recognized the project aimed at reducing water consumption in Moscow as one of the best smart services for living in the city (Smart living category). Since 2012, Muscovites can transmit water meter readings via the service on mos.ru. And since 2021, it has added functions that help you to consume water more consciously. Users see individual water consumption statistics and can compare them with the average values in the city. If the readings decrease or, on the contrary, significantly increase, the service notifies you about it. In addition, a test is developed to check how carefully water is used in the house, and to get tips on how to reduce its consumption.

The German Innovation Award is awarded by the National German Design Council, which was established in 1953. Today, it consists of more than 300 commercial companies with more than three million employees worldwide. The award annually is given for promising solutions from different countries that demonstrate the potential for sustainable development and create additional value for consumers of products and services.