Taking into account local context, geographies, and beneficiaries
Any practice or policy will have demonstrated an innovative and effective solution in support of removing barriers in one of the five areas of the Zero Project’s research focus. The research takes into account the local context, geographies, and groups of beneficiaries.
Solutions with proven impact (not concept or prototype stages)
The impact of a particular solution could refer to the number of beneficiaries or people using a service, the solution’s growth rate, or the influence on improved public services, among others. Any selected solution must have been deployed and have already had an impact; the selection process does not consider projects or products at a concept stage.
Potential to replicate or expand to new regions and countries
All nominations are reviewed for their potential in replicating and expanding to new geographies or growing in another way that allows a maximum number of persons with disabilities to benefit from the innovation. Scalability is multifaceted and ranges from open-source applications to the replication of effective policies, to the expansion of inclusive start-up solutions to new countries.
OPDs, Self-representatives, NGOs, Grassroots Initiatives and others
The Zero Project engages with autonomous associations independent of the state, in order to identify grassroot approaches that are inclusive, accessible, and remove barriers for all.
From self-employment to SMEs, and multinationals
The Zero Project also believes in the power and scale of startups, SME’s, and corporations that remove barriers for all.
Universities, Governments, International Organisations, and others
The Zero Project engages with cities, government, municipalities, and international organizations, underlining that permanent change can only come with full political backing and buy-in.
Any organisation developing technology-based solutions
The Zero Project acknowledges the responsibility of the ICT sector to allow the impact of technology to be one that is inclusive – not exclusive – and removes barriers for all.
This year's Call for Nominations will open in May 2025:
Each year, the Zero Project conducts research into innovations worldwide. Following a Call for Nominations (#ZeroCall) and an extensive multi-step selection process, exemplary solutions receive a Zero Project Award for their innovation, impact, and scalability.
Becoming a Zero Project Awardee opens doors, opportunities, and promotional channels: Zero Project Awardees receive support from the global Zero Project Network of 10,000+ experts, feature at the annual Zero Project Conference at the UN in Vienna, and get the opportunity to join exclusive initiatives to advance their solutions.
The vetted and peer-reviewed data generated through this research process is included in the Zero Project Database. In addition to the publicly available Zero Project Database, the Zero Project shares its findings through a variety of channels each year, such as the Zero Project Report, presentations at leading conferences, and marketing communications.
Most recently, the Zero Project has launched the development of Artificial Intelligence based tools, in order to use its unique and vast treasure trove of curated data to support decision-makers.
This year's Call for Nominations will open in May 2025:
The Zero Project's research topics are based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) definition of rights of persons with disabiltities. The research's objective is to seek innovative solutions that advance their implementation.
Across a 4-year cycle, the Zero Project's research process focuses on the following 4 topics:
In addition, the research covers the following topics every year:
Since 2020, due to the increasing significance and rapid development of ICT innovations for disability inclusion
Since 2023, the Zero Project's research also seeks to identify innovative solutions relating specifically to the Arts and Culture sector.
Zero Project Awardees 2025
In the 2024-2025 research cycle, the Zero Project's research was centered around the topics of Employment, and ICT. 77 innovative solutions from 45 countries received a Zero Project Award. Here are some of them!
United States of America
Blind Institute of Technology’s IT program in the U.S. trained 251 professionals with disabilities…
Palestine
QADER’s Q-Hub in Palestine empowers youth with disabilities with jobs and business training. From…
Japan
SoftBank Corp in Japan launched a short-time work initiative from 2021-2023, increasing…