"Santa Casa Challenge” is a digital social innovation competition launched by Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa (SCML), the biggest and most important private social institution of Portugal. 

Since its foundation, in 1498, SCML has been developing the best and most efficient responses in order to improve the life quality and welfare of the population and the social inclusion of the most vulnerable publics. It is better known for its Social Welfare intervention and for ensuring the exploitation of the National Social Games in Portugal. But it also develops important interventions in the fields of Health, Education, Scientific Research, Culture and Heritage, Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Social Economy.

SCML continues to seek new and more appropriate solutions to current social problems and needs using creative and collaborative processes, exploring the effects of information and communication technologies and the potential impact of the digital networks. 

"Santa Casa Challenge” aims to foster digital social innovations as well as fostering social and technological entrepreneurship as a means of developing modernisation instruments of the SCML and to create or improve products and services provided by the SCML to the population. 

This competition exclusively arises from the implementation areas of Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa to respond to its most demading challenges. It is aimed at individual or team entrepreneurs, non-profit entities and start ups wtih less than 3 years of activity.

Applicants must be registered at santacasachallenge.pt, by completing and submitting an application form and uploading a video of up to 3 minutes in length (their pitch) describing their innovative technological solution.

The applications will be assessed according to the following criteria:

1. Suitability of the profile and engagement of the applicants for the pursuit of the solution;
2. Degree of innovation in the proposed solution;
3. Applicability of the solution according to the scope of Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa;
4. Degree of solution replicability;
5. Impact on the target audience the solution aims to help;
6. Degree of technological sophistication of the solution.

The most innovative technological solutions will be awarded by cash, Alpha Packs to the Lisbon Web Summit, and the development of a pilot project in coordination with SCML using its equipment or services.  

The competition seeks innovative technological solutions for challenges (problems/needs) in the following implementation areas of Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa:  

• Social Welfare
• Culture
• Social Economy
• Proprety
• Health

Social Welfare promotes social cohesion acting for the prevention of situations of inequality. Culture promotes and coordinate heritage, activities, and studies. Property manage real estate and rehabilitate, in compliance with the obligations assumed with benefactors. Social Economy aims to promote and disseminate the creation and development of social innovation initiatives and social entrepreneurship, supporting acceleration and incubation programs, and the implementation of social experimentation projects. Health provides care for vulnerable people, either for preventive purposes and rehabilitation reasons, working in its hospitals, health centres, mobile units and running a medical school.

The solutions shall deliver new devices, applications, digital contents, web or communication services that will be particularly applicable in said implementation areas and these may be the result of new ideas or the application of existing ideas.  Applicable technological products and services for possible solutions that may be developed or are already under development; these products and services may not have yet been marketed or be available to the general market.