LOWELL, Mass. – UMass Lowell’s Innovation Hub in Haverhill, together with innovators and organizations throughout the community, seek contestants with ideas and projects that will expand digital access, tools and learning opportunities for all Essex County residents.

In the county, one in five homes lacks a basic computer, and 59,000 households – representing 160,000 people – live without fixed broadband, according to a report by the Essex County Community Foundation.

In response, the foundation, together with the UMass Lowell iHub Haverhill, the UMass Lowell student entrepreneurship DifferenceMaker program and EforAll, a community entrepreneurship initiative, have created the Digital Equity Challenge – Advancing Collaboration for a Full Engaged Digital Community. The mission of the challenge is to identify outstanding projects that can level the playing field to ensure digital access for every member of the Essex County community.

The contest invites applicants of all ages, including college and high school students, along with professionals working in the business and nonprofit sectors, to submit their ideas and projects by Wednesday, March 23. Individuals with the top innovations will be invited to pitch them at an in-person event on Wednesday, April 27 for a chance to earn seed funding and additional support to continue to develop and ultimately implement their ideas.

“The Digital Equity Challenge is a creative opportunity to bring forward new ideas and give those ideas the resources to flourish,” said Stephanie Guyotte, associate director of the UMass Lowell Innovation Hub Haverhill. “Through this collaboration between the UMass Lowell Innovation Hub Haverhill and the Essex County Community Foundation, with support from partners like UMass Lowell’s DifferenceMaker program and EforAll, we can tap our collective expertise to expand digital equity for our region. We’re excited to launch this challenge and we are eager to see the ideas and solutions that come from our students, professionals, and organizations.”

A panel of expert judges will determine the contest’s winners, who will receive startup programming assistance and access to UMass Lowell’s faculty and research resources, along with opportunities to collaborate with mentors and sponsors to support their projects.

“Innovation will play a critical role in closing the digital divide, both in Essex County and beyond,” said Stratton Lloyd, ECCF’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. “We’re really excited to partner with the UMass Lowell Innovation Hub Haverhill, and to collaborate with UML DifferenceMaker and EforAll to help bridge that space between concept and solution and breathe life into ideas that will ultimately better the quality of life for people in our region.”

“EforAll Lowell truly believes in strong collaborations and partnering with great organizations to support our community and entrepreneurs,” said EforAll Lowell Director Sophan Smith. “The Digital Equity Challenge is an opportunity to address digital challenges in many households and to hear ideas and solutions from community members. It is also an opportunity to learn the kinds of projects communities should implement to remove barriers to access internet resources.”

“With 10 years of experience helping students create solutions that have a social impact, DifferenceMaker is excited to be part of the Digital Equity Challenge,” said Holly Lalos, director of UMass Lowell’s Rist DifferenceMaker Institute. “This is an important initiative and DifferenceMaker is eager to help close this divide while collaborating with the community.”

To learn more and apply for the Digital Equity Challenge, please contact Stephanie Guyotte at 978-934-5560, Stephanie_Guyotte@uml.edu or visit www.uml.edu/digitalequity.

•••

Presenting sponsors

The Essex Community Foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of life in the 34 towns and cities of Essex County. Inspiring philanthropy that manages charitable assets, strengthens and supports nonprofits, and engages in strategic community leadership initiatives.

UMass Lowell Innovation Hub is a business incubator and co-working space driving economic development through entrepreneurship. The iHub, with locations in Haverhill and Lowell, supports early-stage startup companies and entrepreneurs with communities, premier facilities and programming. Entrepreneurship for All (EforAll) has been on a mission to help under-represented individuals get the training and support they need to start and grow their own businesses.

EforAll’s mission is accelerating economic and social impact in communities nationwide through inclusive entrepreneurship. In the last 10 years, they have been able to help well over 700 businesses launch; 72% of which were women-owned and 70% BIPOC owned. In 2020, these businesses generated over $43M in revenue and provided 1,329 local jobs.

University of Massachusetts Lowell Rist DifferenceMaker® Institute is a campuswide program that engages UMass Lowell students in creative problem solving, innovation and entrepreneurship. The program helps students define problems that matter and create solutions that will have a social impact. Since its inception, DifferenceMaker has reached over 60,000 students. Forty teams have incorporated into legal business entities, raised over $5 million in funding and received patents.

UMass Lowell is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its students bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be leaders in their communities and around the globe. www.uml.edu.

Newsletter