Brazilian government to pay $1.9m to app and game developers
The Brazilian government has launched a public tender to launch a competition which will give a total of R$4.5m ($1.9m) to selected apps and games that focus on public services.
Launched by the Ministry of Communications, the competition INOVApps is aimed at fostering the development of applications and serious games for mobile devices and smart TVs.
The content of the projects must be focused on nine key areas specified by the tender which include health, education, consumer rights, tourism and major events, public mobility and open policy making.
According to the tender, 25 projects of applications will be chosen, with rewards of up to R$80,000 ($35,150), as well as 25 game projects which will get up to R$100,000 ($43,937) each. Participation is restricted to Brazilian citizens and companies.
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The projects of games and apps for mobile devices and smartTVs entering the competition must be compatible with at least one of the following platforms: Android, Blackberry, iOS, HTML5, Windows Phone and Ginga, the middleware for the Brazilian digital TV system.
The INOVApps initiative is the result of a partnership between the Communications Ministry and the Center for Scientific and Technological Development (CDT) at the University of Brasilia. It is part of the National Policy of Digital Creative Content, created by the Ministry to foster small and medium enterprises in the country by bridging audiovisual and technological innovation.
"Currently, Brazil has a minimal representation in the international market for of digital creative content. The development of games and apps has not matched the demand of the Brazilian market - which ranks fourth in the world within this consumer segment. Our main objective is to put the country on the global map of output within this sector," says Communications Minister Paulo Bernardo.