NTT DATA Announces the Result of Open Innovation Contest 11

TOKYO – February 8, 2021 – NTT DATA conducted the Grand Finale of NTT DATA Open Innovation Contest 11 on January 29, 2021. This year, the contest was hosted in 13 countries, and more than 260 applications were received from all over the world. Local NTT DATA group companies screened the applications and held regional contests from July to December 2020. The 11 winners of the regional contests participated in the Grand Finale, in which the Grand Champion and the audience's favorite were determined.

The Grand Champion Inspektlabs' proposal for NTT DATA was to create a business using their technology that can identify parts of a vehicle or damage on a vehicle from a smartphone photograph or video and create an inspection report within seconds. The technology is excellent in terms of its capability and high accuracy in damage detection. Since the technology allows for the identification of damage on other types of objects as well, it is expected to be applicable for insurance, manufacturing, and other industries.

NTT DATA continues to take initiatives for open innovation globally to further develop new businesses with venture companies and startups that have advanced technologies or business models so that we can serve our customers better and create a better world through our business.

• Result of the Grand Finale
  
• Grand Champion: Inspektlabs 
• Audience Favorite: NoTraffic

Selection process
NTT DATA set challenges based on business needs and visions of NTT DATA Group and its customers, and invited technology companies to propose solutions via the official contest website. We accepted about 260 applications, and the local companies that are hosting regional contests chose one or two winner(s) for each regional contest. From October to December, a total of six regional contests were held, covering 13 countries in the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Asia. On January 29, 2021, the Grand Finale was held to determine which of the regional winners should become the Grand Champion. This year, in response to COVID-19, the regional contests and the grand finale were held entirely online. The competition was judged by NTT DATA group business divisions and customers.

Characteristics of Open Innovation Contest 11
In Open Innovation Contest 11, "Smart City," "Digital Healthcare," and "Exponential Technology" were set as focus themes for creating new businesses. Taking advantage of online conferencing, some regional contests were jointly held by multiple NTT DATA group companies, demonstrating the synergy and wide coverage of the NTT DATA group. The Grand Finale was hosted as a part of NTT DATA Innovation Conference 2021, in order to maximize the exposure and therefore business opportunity for the regional winners and our customers.

After the contest
NTT DATA Group will pursue building a collaborative business with the Grand Champion Inspektlabs as well as other companies who have participated in the contest, whether they won or not. For the participants that we determine to be promising, we will organize specialized teams for each to promote business development, including proposals for our customers.