WirVSVirus Implementation Programme

In March 2020, seven civil society organisations joined forces with the German government to launch the #WirVsVirus initiative. The aim of the initiative is to develop and implement solutions to the challenges of the corona crisis.

Partner

In order to be able to collect cross-sectoral solutions, the initiators organised the #WirVsVirus hackathon. It offered an organizational and technical framework to work together on functioning prototypes and new solutions for socially relevant questions regarding COVID-19.

Facts and figures of the #WirVsVirus-Hackathon:

  • 42,968 registrations
  • 2,922 Mentors
  • 1,924 Challenges
  • 28,000 participants
  • 1,500 solutions
  • 20 winning teams
  • 48 hours

The #WirVsVirus hackathon was the starting point of a joint commitment to a long-term solution to the challenges of COVID-19. KfW Stiftung is one of several funding partners of the implementation programme, which aims to ensure the rapid validation and implementation of the solutions. 

"Solution Enabler" by ProjectTogether ­– Development of Social Innovations

Solution Enabler-Program

The Solution Enabler-Programme was launched as one element of the implementation programme. With the aim of implementing solutions quickly and making them widely accessible, a total of 130 teams will be supported over a period of six months.

More than 400 initiatives have responded to the call for applications. The final projects were selected in a two-stage process by 150 mentors and a jury of 26 experts.

The Solution Enabler-Programme is divided into 6 different activities:

  • Programmatic support & individual coaching
  • Uncomplicated and needs-based support with resources
  • Rapid transfer of expertise and know-how
  • Systematic networking, clustering and exchange
  • Support during piloting and implementation
  • Financial support

online event on the occasion of the end of the second sprint / July 1, 2020 / YouTube (German)

online event on the occasion of the end of the first sprint / May 22, 2020 / YouTube (German)

12 Fields of Action

In a selection procedure for the implementation programme, the results of the #WirVsVirus Hackathon were divided into 12 relevant fields of action by over 700 experts from federal ministries, the economy, science, media and the tech sector for evaluation:

Health care

  • Test procedure and Diagnosis
  • Medical care and treatment
  • Medical equipment and supplies
  • infection chains, data and research

Everyday life in the crisis

  • Mental health
  • Public life
  • Risk groups and special needs
  • volunteers

Crisis Management

  • Workers and labour market

Projects

For a complete list of all supportet projects, please see here.

Final event „Solution Enabler“

The #WirVsVirus implementation program, including the incubator "Solution Enabler" sponsored by the KfW Foundation, ended with an all-day online event on October 1.

Representatives from politics, science, business, administration and civil society as well as the project teams and viewers of the live stream celebrated the preliminary end of this unique participation process in Germany.

In addition to Chancellor Angela Merkel, Helge Braun (Head of the Federal Chancellery), Anja Karliczek (Federal Minister of Education and Research) and Dorothee Bär (Minister of State for Digitization) also paid tribute to the great commitment and extraordinary, innovative solutions of the many volunteer participants in areas such as healthcare, education, public administration and business.

An overview of all the solutions developed, many of which are already being used in schools, administration, health authorities and companies, can be found here (only in german).

Partner

Programme Management

Sonja Alt

Photo credits:

01. Image: Source / Author / Photographer: ProjectTogether gUG
02. Image: Source: YouTube / Author: KfW Stiftung
03. Image: Source / Author / Photographer: ProjectTogether gUG
04. Image: Source: YouTube / Author: KfW Stiftung