Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The International Organisation of Employers (IOE) and Seedstars are launching the third edition of The Migration Challenge with an open call to tech startups focused on improving regular migration, including but not limited to linking business needs with government processes. 

Interested applicants must be from Asia or Europe (Central and Eastern Europe included), and can sign up here before May 15: https://seedsta.rs/32VTl0P. 

Today’s estimated 272 million migrants are confronted with the twin challenges of the pandemic and navigating the complexities of migrating.  IOE and Seedstars are joining together to promote tech start-ups working on scalable solutions to improve regular migration processes and ease the challenges of international migration governance.

The goal of the first two editions of the Migration Challenge was to connect the tech startup scene with the leaders and participants to the Global Forum on Migration and Development. This international forum is the world’s largest gathering on the issue, bringing together governments, civil society, local authorities and business. These two editions showcased the latest tech businesses, promoting them to new audiences, and supported them in their acceleration. 

In this latest edition, the programme is particularly focusing on startups that contribute to promoting a positive public narrative on migration. This could include changing minds by highlighting how migration enriches the social and economic fabric of a country. Or the start-up could contribute to building inclusive and welcoming communities that benefit migrants and host communities.

The selected winners of the Migration Challenge will be awarded with a scholarship for a personalised mentorship designed to support entrepreneurs, especially in a post Covid-19 environment, to reduce the time and efforts needed to fundraise and scale up their businesses.

IOE Secretary General, Roberto Suárez Santos, said: "The Migration Challenge Competition is the first initiative of its kind. Rewarding innovative solutions to the information divide between employers and migrants through skills and technology is the first step towards promoting well-managed migration as a positive force for change."