Invent2015- NI's Biggest Tech Expo and Competition

by Startacus Admin

The portable defibrillator, the ejector seat, the Massey Ferguson tractor and even a mug of hot chocolate; yes Northern Ireland has always been at the forefront of diverse innovation. Is now your opportunity to add your name into the mix?

Following its wildly successful debut last year Northern Ireland Science Park (NISP) has announced the much anticipated return of its invention competition INVENT2015.

In its second incarnation, INVENT will give scientists, inventors, students and entrepreneurs the chance to showcase their most innovative new inventions and pitch in front of industry experts in hope of winning some fabulous prizes. 24 teams will be taken through a programme of workshops and mentorship where high profile entrepreneurs and executives will ready them and their inventions to be presented to the panel at the end of the process.

Just like last year, the competition is divided into 6 distinct categories. This year the categories are;

Creative Media and Consumer Internet including; Gaming Software, Mobile Apps, Web, Digital Animation, Social Media, Augmented Reality, E-Learning, and Content Creation.

Agri-Food including; Nutrition & Health (Animals & Humans); Food Packaging & Shelf Life, Flavour (Quality, Efficiency), Food Production (Integrity, Security, Safety), Aquaculture, and Sustainability.

Life and Health including; Medical Devices, Pharmaceuticals, Diagnostics, Biomarkers, Prevention, Stratified Medicine, Healthcare, and Home based care.

Engineering including; Advanced Materials, Built Environment, Aerospace, Transport, and Clean Energy.

Electronics including; Robotics, Machine-to-Machine, Photonics, Chips & Processors, and Telecommunications

Enterprise Software including; Analytics, Big Data, Cyber Security, Resource Management, and Storage. (Cloud Services)

The Prizes

The overall cash prize fund for Invent 2015 is £33,000 to be divided thusly; overall winner £10K, category winners £2.5K, Student winner £1K, and top 12 teams £500. But money is just one part of the prize fund, because as well as having the opportunity to showcase their inventions to Northern Ireland's most prominent entrepreneurs, each of the winners of the six categories will be given return flights to California so that they can pitch their ideas to some of the world’s most prominent figures in technology!

There is also the opportunity to be fast tracked onto NISP’s Springboard programme which delivers some tough love to high growth potential innovations.

So who are they looking for?

You can find a full list of the rules and caveats here but in a nutshell they are looking for anyone, based in Northern Ireland, who has a prototype of a product for any of the selected categories that has a high potential for future growth and commercial success.

The whole thing will kick off on the application deadline of 5th April 2015 and culminate in the awards ceremony which will be taking place on the 8th of October.

How to enter

First off, check the terms and conditions to make sure that you qualify for entry

• Register with Younoodle and set up an account

• Complete Application Form

• Wait and relax

The closing date for entries is Sunday 5th April, so why not get your application all done and dusted?

 

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Published on: 10th February 2015