Amsterdam Challenges
During the third round of CommuniCity Open Calls, there are a total of seven challenges running in Amsterdam. These challenges are presented by the Municipality of Amsterdam, Levvel, and the Rainbow Group. The Municipality of Amsterdam will award grants of up to 12,500 Euros to up to two applicants. The remaining applicants will receive grants awarded by OASC. The open call documents from both grant awarding entities are very similar, with only some minor variations due to national laws.
Below are all the Amsterdam challenges, along with their evaluation criteria, pilot hosts, and any additional information. If you have any questions, please join the Info Events, check the Q&A section. Furthermore, before submitting your application, review the tips for a successful application on the “Read this first” page.
Amsterdam Challenge 1: Wildcard - How can an AI solution solve a challenge faced by a marginalised group?
The Amsterdam municipality is dedicated to tackling social issues that are important to the city’s residents. However, the overview is not exhaustive. Much of this valuable knowledge resides in society, especially among residents and civil society organisations supporting vulnerable groups. To tap into this expertise, the municipality has launched a non-specific, open ‘wildcard’ challenge.
The municipality of Amsterdam is looking for AI solutions to any challenge faced by marginalised communities, to be used by associations or directly by the target group. In the proposal It is essential to highlight the significance of the problem faced by the target community and the potential impact of the proposed AI solution.
Applicants need to demonstrate collaboration with a social organisation familiar with the target group, unless the social organisation already has the necessary technical capacity in-house. Co-creation in the language of the target group is essential, and applicants should arrange these sessions with the organisation’s support on location in Amsterdam. This challenge scheme operates as a contest, and if the pilot is successful, the city may procure or further develop the solution without initiating a new tender.
Amsterdam will host up to three pilots.
Minimum scores and weightings:
1. Impact
Minimum score: 2 | Weighting:30%
2. Implementation quality and efficiency
Minimum score: 1 | Weighting: 15%
3. Excellence
Minimum score: 1 | Weighting: 10%
4. Co-creation
Minimum score: 2 | Weighting: 30%
5. Technology
Minimum score: 1 | Weighting: 15%
Amsterdam Challenge 2: How to support residents facing domestic violence?
Safe Home (Veilig Thuis) is an organisation dedicated to supporting people affected by domestic violence and/or child abuse. The organisation performs safety assessments, provides advice and offers appropriate support to anyone experiencing or witnessing such situations. Since Safe Home offers services to individuals from all backgrounds, communication challenges arise when individuals do not speak Dutch or English. This is a big issue, as clear communication is extremely important.
Safe Home is looking for an AI solution that can function as a real time interpreter for both phone calls and home visits. The solution should include a way to fully document the conversations in both languages. At the end of the pilot phase there should be a clear view of all relevant privacy aspects. This supports decision making regarding the potential of the AI solution for further investment and development.
Given the sensitive nature of the conversations, privacy is crucial in storing them and using the translation model. Key languages for Safe Home include Arabic (Moroccan and Syrian dialects), Spanish, Afghan, Turkish, and Ukrainian. The proposal should specify the language(s) to be used. The piloting team should organise Dutch co-creation sessions in Amsterdam, with Safe Home employees participating in role-playing and interviews. This challenge scheme operates as a contest and if the pilot is successful, the city may procure or further develop the solution without initiating a new tender.
Amsterdam Healthcare department, team Safe Home, will host one pilot.
Minimum scores and weightings:
1. Impact
Minimum score: 2 | Weighting: 30%
2. Implementation quality and efficiency
Minimum score: 2 | Weighting: 25%
3. Excellence
Minimum score: 1 | Weighting: 10%
4. Co-creation
Minimum score: 2 | Weighting: 30%
5. Technology
Minimum score: 1 | Weighting: 5%
Amsterdam Challenge 3: How can migrants with dementia stay fit and learn to train their memory?
With the aging population, dementia rates will rise dramatically in the Netherlands, especially among migrants due to higher diabetes and cardiovascular disease rates. Lifestyle changes like healthy eating, socialising, and memory training can help delay dementia. Elderly Clinic Amsterdam, in partnership with Alzheimer Nederland and Amsterdam UMC, aims to address this by creating tailored digital tools to raise awareness of healthy lifestyles in migrant communities.
Elderly Clinic Amsterdam is looking for a technological solution for first generation Moroccan migrants with early stage or mild dementia encouraging them to stay active and train their memory. The aim of this challenge is to increase their chances to live independently longer. Existing tools are aimed at people with roots in Dutch culture. However, this does not match the experience of first-generation Moroccan migrants, who are more often illiterate and not digitally adept.
The proposed solution should be user-friendly and align with the target group’s expectations. Co-creation in Darija is essential. If the applicant does not speak Darija, the project manager can provide translation assistance. The pilot team must organise these sessions with the organisation’s support in Amsterdam. This challenge scheme operates as a contest and if the pilot is successful, the city may procure or further develop the solution without initiating a new tender.
Elderly Clinic Amsterdam, Ouderenkliniek Amsterdam, in collaboration with Alzheimer Nederland and Amsterdam UMC will host one pilot.
Minimum scores and weightings:
1. Impact
Minimum score: 2 | Weighting: 40%
2. Implementation quality and efficiency
Minimum score: 1 | Weighting: 20%
3. Excellence
Minimum score: 1 | Weighting: 10%
4. Co-creation
Minimum score: 2 | Weighting: 30%
Amsterdam Challenge 4: How to help residents to overcome poverty and debt?
Rising debt is leaving more people unable to afford basic living costs, impacting their overall well-being. In Amsterdam North, co-creation with residents in poverty led to MokumMatch, an open-source prototype that guides users to local helpers through simple questions. Though not yet fully developed, the tool is tailored to Amsterdam North. Now, De Tussenruimte (Interspace) consortium in Amsterdam East aims to adapt and expand this prototype to meet the needs of their community. They also aim to introduce a new feature to improve collaboration within the local (informal) care network.
De Tussenruimte in the Indische buurt is looking for a party that can further develop MokumMatch tailored to the needs of residents in poverty in their neighbourhood.
MokumMatch is an existing open-source tool and the team is expected to build on this to enhance its capabilities (Github Mokummatch). Co-creation in the group’s language, Dutch, is essential. Piloting team must organise these sessions with the organisation’s support in Amsterdam East. This challenge scheme operates as a contest and if the pilot is successful, the city may procure or further develop the solution without initiating a new tender.
De Tussenruimte (network of official and community organisations) will host one pilot.
Minimum scores and weightings:
1. Impact
Minimum score: 3 | Weighting: 25%
2. Implementation quality and efficiency
Minimum score: 3 | Weighting: 25%
3. Excellence
Minimum score: 2 | Weighting: 20%
4. Co-creation
Minimum score: 2 | Weighting: 30%
Regenbooggroep Challenge 1: How to keep the volunteers and participants of the Rainbow Group better connected?
Through buddy projects, the Rainbow Group (Regenboog Groep) in Amsterdam matches numerous volunteers with people who are homeless, in debt, addicted or otherwise in social isolation. Being a buddy requires a time commitment that not every volunteer can afford, and not all participants need regular in-person interaction.
The Rainbow Group is looking for an accessible solution that connects participants and volunteers in a simple way. The goal is to prevent relapse into loneliness and old habits. The solution must be user-friendly for participants with low digital literacy and no smartphones. Even with limited communication, participants and buddies should at least be able to signal they are thinking of each other and want to connect, especially during personal challenges.
The hardware should be presented in the proposal. The exact features will need to be defined in co-creation with the participants and buddies. Co-creation is expected to take place in person and in the language of the people of the target group, Dutch. The solution may also be suitable for other target groups like informal caregivers and the people in their care.
The Rainbow Group will host one pilot in collaboration with its participants and buddies.
Minimum scores and weightings:
1. Impact
Minimum score: 2 | Weighting: 35%
2. Implementation quality and efficiency
Minimum score: 1 | Weighting: 20%
3. Excellence
Minimum score: 1 | Weighting: 10%
4. Co-creation
Minimum score: 2 | Weighting: 35%
Regenbooggroep Challenge 2: How to support the “joint journey” of the volunteers and participants of the Rainbow Group?
The Rainbow Group (Regenboog Groep) in Amsterdam matches volunteers as “buddies” with people experiencing homelessness, debt, or addiction or otherwise in social isolation. Together they develop a so-called roadmap of activities to support the participant’s progress and plan their joint journey.
The Rainbow Group is seeking a technological solution to facilitate the creation of the roadmaps, potentially through gamification. The goal is to create a shared, visually appealing itinerary that both participant and buddy can contribute to. The Rainbow Group frames this collaboration as an adventurous journey, where participants explore new places, meet new people, and try new activities, requiring courage to face the unfamiliar.
Since many participants lack digital proficiency and do not own smartphones, the solution must be user-friendly and affordable. The hardware should be presented in the proposal. The exact features will need to be defined in co-creation with the participants and buddies. Co-creation is expected to take place in person and in the language of the people of the target group, Dutch. The solution may also be suitable for other target groups like informal caregivers and the people in their care.
The Rainbow Group will host one pilot in collaboration with its participants and buddies.
Minimum scores and weightings:
1. Impact
Minimum score: 2| Weighting: 35%
2. Implementation quality and efficiency
Minimum score: 1 | Weighting: 20%
3. Excellence
Minimum score: 1 | Weighting: 10%
4. Co-creation
Minimum score: 2 | Weighting: 35%
Levvel Challenge 1: How can a chatbot support parents navigating a high-conflict divorce?
Levvel is a specialised organisation supporting youth and families, with a focus on helping parents in high-conflict divorces. They aim to empower parents to make the best decisions for their children in a constructive and positive way. A key challenge is the urgent need for support, which often exceeds traditional counseling capacity. Levvel seeks innovative solutions to bridge this gap.
Levvel is looking for a 24/7 chatbot service capable of providing immediate guidance to parents navigating high-conflict divorce situations involving their children and ex-partner. The chatbot should adapt to each parent’s situation, aiming to reduce the frequency and intensity of their arguments. Conflicts are generally about co-parenting, making joint decisions such as attending birthdays, changing schools or joining a sports club.
The pilot serves as an exploratory phase to identify the potential, limitations, and risks associated with such a chatbot. To assess the feasibility of full-scale development, it is essential to determine the minimum accuracy requirements and corresponding resource allocation. Given the sensitive nature of the topic, privacy and liability considerations are of critical importance. Examples to feed the chatbot with will be provided by Levvel employees. They will act primarily as co-creation partners. Co-creation in the group’s native language, Dutch, and on-site in Amsterdam is essential.
Level is hosting one pilot.
Minimum scores and weightings:
1. Impact
Minimum score: 2 | Weighting: 35%
2. Implementation quality and efficiency
Minimum score: 1 | Weighting: 15%
3. Excellence
Minimum score: 1 | Weighting: 10%
4. Co-creation
Minimum score: 2 | Weighting: 30 %
5. Technology
Minimum score: 1 | Weighting: 10%