City of York Council, working with Science City York, is launching an ‘Open Innovation’ scheme with help from NESTA, the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts - an organisation that promotes innovation in the UK.

If York’s scheme – called GeniUS! - takes off, NESTA could give the city £250,000 to take forward innovations and lead the way nationally.

So, whether you’re a resident, student, community group, professional body, commercial enterprise of any description, entrepreneur or budding inventor – we want to hear your most creative and innovative ideas for how we can tackle four key challenges that the city and its residents face.

The council and Science City York will use their expertise, contacts and resources to help bring your ideas to life – and together make York GeniUS!

Your ideas could be based around new products and technology or simply changes in the way we do or use things.

We’ll be posting up the four challenges, one a week from 25 January at www.geniusyork.com, and each will stay open for a three week period. You’ll find all the relevant details and background information on the challenges online and you just have to hit reply to submit your ideas.

Alternatively, you can email them to genius@york.gov.uk