The Zero Project, the flagship programme of the Essl Foundation, is committed to supporting the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) by researching, identifying, communicating, and supporting Innovative Practices and Innovative Policies globally and across all sectors of society.

As such, the Zero Project 2022 research was centred around Article 9 of the UN CRPD, which is dedicated to the theme of “accessibility” – one of the four main areas of research within the Zero Project, along with employment, education, and independent living. ICT-related innovations are specifically covered each year and receive dedicated attention within Zero Project programmes.

The Zero Project’s research process is marked by its commitment to a thorough peer-review process. Thanks to its vast global network, each year the Zero Project organizes a multi-step nomination, evaluation, and selection process, which culminates in the announcement of the annual Awardees. The Awardees of 2022, among others, will receive the opportunity to showcase their innovative work at the annual Zero Project Conference and will receive dedicated space in the annual Zero Project Report, which will be shared online and in print with disability inclusion experts throughout the world.

Global representation

Out of 381 nominations (from 86 countries), 160 nominations (from 54 countries) made it to the Shortlist, based on an extensive peer-review process and the three main criteria: innovation, impact, and scalability. Following the peer-review process, the voting process gathered more than 2,000 votes, which determined the final selection of 76 Awardees.

Where they come from

The Innovative Practices and Policies come from all sectors of society – civil society, the public sector, and the private sector. It is to be noted that a high percentage of the 2022 Awardees use ICT-based approaches to create or improve accessibility for all.

A broad range of topics and solutions

From public transport systems to online training; from urban planning to health systems in rural areas; from workplace adaption to playgrounds and games; from web-browsers to video-based sign language; from corporate strategies to national action plans; from online libraries to orientation systems – the 2022 Innovative Practices and Policies cover a wide range of solutions for a more accessible and inclusive environment for all. In sum, all Practices and Policies of the Zero Project Awardees of 2022 are distinguished by their exceptional commitment to inclusion, accessibility, and Universal Design.

Facts and figures

The 76 Awardees come from 35 countries and all six continents, with the largest number from Europe (31 Awardees), followed by Asia & Pacific (22), Latin America & Caribbean (10), North America (7), Africa (4), and Australia & Oceania (2).

This year the countries with the highest number of Awardees are Spain and the United Kingdom (7 each), the United States (6), India and Israel (5 each), and Brazil, France, and Indonesia (4 each).

Of the 76 Awardees, 31 come from civil society, 16 from the business sector, 9 from the public sector, and 20 are mainly ICT-based approaches.

Congratulations to our member Mass Factor, one of the Zero Project 2022 Awardees and their innovative platform App&Town Companion!

App&Town Compagnon is the alternative to adapted transport, easing the social inclusion of people with cognitive disabilities while using the regular public transport system, and freeing resources for other users

Zero Project Conference 2022, Report, and new search portal

After the announcement of the Awardees, the Zero Project will present and promote these during the Zero Project Conference 2022 (#ZeroCon22) at the United Nations Office at Vienna. This global gathering will be broadcast live and for free from 12 to 25 February. All relevant livestreams can be accessed during and after the Conference at: zeroproject.org/zerocon22.

To celebrate its Awardees of 2022, the Zero Project will for the first time dedicate an entire day of media activities to each “Awardee of the Day.” Stay tuned for the campaign launch on 4 December; follow along with the hashtag #CountdownToZeroCon; and visit www.zeroproject.org and its video portal to watch all videos and to keep track of #CountdownToZeroCon.

Ultimately, the Awardees of 2022 will join an illustrious group of 700+ Awardees that for the first time will become fully digitized with the new Zero Project search portal. Starting in mid-January 2022, the Zero Project will launch its new (and free!) online search portal, with useful search filters that open up the entire innovation universe of the Zero Project to everyone worldwide.

Find the full list of Awardees here: https://zeroproject.org/awardees2022/