ROCHESTER — The city of Rochester has been selected by IBM for its "Smarter Cities Challenge," which will focus on reducing poverty.
The pro-bono initiative offers assistance with a range of issues facing cities, from job creation, transportation and public safety to health care and social services, according to information from city officials.
Rochester is one of 16 cities chosen from more than 100 cities internationally that competed for the 2015-16, grant with each grant worth $500,000.
The funds provide for six IBM experts to spend three weeks working with each city’s officials to analyze data about an issue critical to each city. The team also seeks input from city residents and business and community organizations, as well as considers best practices utilized in other cities. A plan with specifically tailored recommendations is then presented to each city.
In a statement, Mayor Lovely Warren said that the company has produced quantifiable results in other cities, so she looks forward to see what IBM recommends to address the challenge of concentrated poverty in Rochester.
For more information on how the IBM grant has worked in other cities, visit www.smartercitieschallenge.org.
