Foxconn Kicks Off Year Two of Smart Cities Smart Futures Competition

Milwaukee, WI – Foxconn Technology Group (Foxconn) today announced year two of the three-year “Smart Cities-Smart Futures” competition before academic partners at UW-Milwaukee’s Lubar Entrepreneurship Center. Dr. Alan Yeung, President, Foxconn’s Director of U.S. Strategic Initiatives, announced the second year of the “Smart Cities-Smart Futures” competition on the heels of the initial first year that drew 325 submissions from students, faculty, and staff representing 24 universities and colleges across Wisconsin – resulting in 12 final round winners.

“Foxconn is excited to partner with higher education in Wisconsin as the ‘Smart Cities-Smart Futures’ competition continues to create the opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to present their ideas that will improve our communities across Wisconsin,” said Dr. Alan Yeung. “The company’s commitment to this three-year initiative, providing up to $1 million in cash and in-kind technical support to winners, reflects Foxconn’s desire to encourage innovation and critical thinking among young people who represent the workforce of the future.”

Year two of the competition brings many new and exciting changes including new submission categories with a primary program focus on smart manufacturing. Anchored by a competitive focus on “Smart Manufacturing,” new submission categories include agri-tech, healthcare, safety, mobility, and energy sustainability. In addition, this year’s competition will include a data challenge whereby contestants can utilize advanced manufacturing data to develop predictive and analytic solutions.

Foxconn has partnered with the University of Wisconsin System, the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities and the Wisconsin Technical College System on the “Smart Cities—Smart Futures” competition. Throughout the coming months, Foxconn will be visiting colleges and universities across Wisconsin as part of a “Smart Cities Smart Futures Campus Tour” to promote the competition and encourage innovative thinkers to put forth their ideas and apply.

In addition to the academic partners, the competition is also supported by several groups, including the League of Wisconsin Municipalities, the Wisconsin Technology Council, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, the WiSys Technology Foundation, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, and the UW-Milwaukee Research Foundation.

Year two first-round competition submissions will be due on October 20, 2019. For more information about the competition and for more information about the open submission period, please visit: https://wismartcities-smartfutures.com/

About Foxconn Technology Group

Established in 1974, Foxconn Technology Group (“Foxconn”), is the global leader in manufacturing services for the computer, communication, and consumer electronics (3C) industry. A multinational company headquartered in Taiwan, Foxconn offers many of the leading U.S. and international companies in electronics a one-stop integrated manufacturing solution. Foxconn generated total annual revenue of $158 billion in 2017 and was ranked No. 24 on the 2018 Fortune magazine Global 500. The company has facilities in Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

Foxconn is leveraging the potential of cloud computing, mobile devices, the Internet of Things, Big Data, artificial intelligence, networks, and robotics and automation, in its transformation as a leading high-tech enterprise and industrial Internet company. The company has research centers and testing laboratories internationally and has received more than 83,500 patents worldwide. In addition to maximizing value creation for customers, Foxconn is also dedicated to enhancing the concept of environmental sustainability in the manufacturing process and serving as a best-practices model for global enterprises.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.