Innovation and accessibility

I find it fascinating to think about how society can address grand challenges. One common approach appears to be to have a competition. 

In USA, challenge.gov is asking students or others to contribute to different challenges. It's conducted as a competition, and in some cases this also includes accessibility issues.

In Sweden we have a similar approach for accessibility: "Innovation for all" is a competiton where the Swedish Post and Telecom (PTS) authority fund projects that can produce innovations in the area of Accessibility in Information communicaation technology (ICT) and related areas.

We are currently funded by PTS and is contributing to Innovation for all. We are working on a service that will support webdesigners to understand accessibility challenges, and how to work with tools such as Web Content Accessability Guidelines (WCAG). PTS is supporting participants with various workshops to address business modelling and launch of services. Thay also have insight in the design process.

• On which levels are the solutions that students and others come up with with limited funding?
• How can we raise the effect that a certain solution gives?
• How can governments or other stakeholder successfully gather the right competence to solve grand challenges?
• How are ideas taken up on? Do they become working services?