Pilot Real Solutions With Rally’s Innovation District Partners
Rally connects innovators with cities, corporations, and anchor institutions that are opening real-world environments to test and evaluate ideas that strengthen communities.
Current Innovation District Partners
What are District Innovation Partners?
District Innovation Partners are organizations—such as municipalities, corporate campuses, universities, and nonprofits—that are transforming their assets into real-world testbeds for innovation.
Each partner collaborates with Rally to host short-term, measurable pilots that address challenges across Central Florida’s key issue areas:
Connectivity and digital access
Energy transition and resilience
Water and natural resource management
Housing, health, and community wellbeing
Food systems and circular economy
These partnerships turn buildings, land, and infrastructure into living laboratories where innovators can test solutions that make Central Florida cleaner, safer, and more connected.
How the Pilot Process Works
Find an opportunity - Browse active pilot calls from Rally’s District Innovation Partners. Each opportunity highlights a specific community or operational challenge.
Propose a pilot - Design a focused, 90-day test that measures whether your solution moves the needle on that issue.
Collaborate and test - Selected innovators receive direct support to implement pilots on partner sites—often including access to facilities, data, or small-scale funding.
Share learning - After completion, innovators submit a short summary capturing key outcomes and recommendations for next steps.
Who Should Apply
Startups, social enterprises, nonprofits, academic teams, and public–private partnerships with solutions that are ready to be tested in the field. Rally Accelerator and Scale Up alumni receive preferred consideration when applying for partner pilots.
What We’re Looking For
Successful pilot proposals typically demonstrate:
Alignment with a partner’s challenge or issue area
Readiness to launch and conclude within ~90 days
Clear impact and learning plan
Potential to scale or replicate based on results
Commitment to collaboration and transparency
What Selected Pilots Receive
While each partnership differs, selected innovators may gain:
Pilot funding (amount varies by partner)
Access to test environments such as city assets, farms, or facilities
Stakeholder and data coordination support through Rally
Visibility through Rally’s and partner communications channels
After Your Pilot
Each team submits a brief Pilot Summary Report within 30 days of completion, outlining:
What was tested and how
Data or evidence collected
Key insights and lessons learned
Recommendations for continuation or scaling
These summaries are shared with Rally and partner teams and may be featured in the regional Living Lab Knowledge Hub to inspire future innovation.
Current Opportunities
View and download current RFP’s for pilot proposals across Rally’s District Innovation Partners.
Submit a Proposal Anytime
Have an idea that fits a partner’s focus area?