Take the next step to victory! Meet up with your team and prepare your Brief Project Summary to enter Round 1

Are you ready to apply? With a great innovation and a ‘red-hot’ team formed  (or coming together), now is the time to plan your Pitch to enter Round 1. Here, we’ve provided three easy steps to follow in the lead up to your Challenge registration.

Step 1:  Have a roundtable or hook-up with your team to read and discuss all key requirements

• Start by discussing the area or category of bionic innovation that your project sits within (1) Bionic Mobility, (2) Bionic Senses, (3) Bionic Implants and Organs or (4) Bionics, the Brain, Neurotech and AI).
• If you are a Qld-led team (with or without national/international team members) competing for a $50k Major Category Prize or $8k Early-Stage Bionics Innovation Award, you will compete to win in a single category and you will of course be judged in that category alone, so you should consider this carefully. If you have any doubts or your innovation seems to fit into more than one category, we’d ask you to reach out to discuss this with us (robyn@bionicsqueensland.com.au or 0412 873506).
• If you live outside Queensland and will enter the National Bionics Innovation $25k Prize category only, your project will not compete in a single category of bionics innovation but we’d still like you to indicate which of the four domains is most relevant to your project.
• Check the Challenge timeline and all key dates for events to confirm the team’s availability to participate in the Orientation Day, Pitch Events and Bootcamp (preparation day) leading up to the Grand Challenge judging event (end of August).
• You will also need to be available to participate in the Bionics Deeptech Mentoring and Commercialisation Training Program for winners (a 5-week or 8-week program pending your team’s expertise). Note that participating teams cannot be enrolled in another accelerator program over the timeframe of Bionics Challenge 2021. Feel free to talk to us at any time if you need to clarify the requirements for participation.
• Collate the information needed (project and team contact details) to complete the Application Form.
• Review the full list of recommended content below for your Brief Project Summary to be uploaded with your Application Form.

Step 2: Brainstorm the content of your Project Summary to enter Round 1

• Write the Project Title (around 10 words) and your team’s Snapshot Description of the Innovation (50-100 words).
• Define the innovation and central idea driving it.
• Bullet point the prior research, ‘stand-out’ discoveries and related innovations. What is the overall importance of your innovation and what is unique about it? Tell us why you think your project is a ‘new to the world’ innovation. If you think it is a ‘moonshot’ discovery waiting in the wings, tell us why.
• What are the clinical and consumer benefits of your innovation (what are the unmet needs right now)? How will you engage and involve end users in this project?
• In broad terms, what are the distinctive attributes of your innovation…how will the design, technologies employed and overall capabilities go beyond the ‘status quo’ and what will this mean for end users?
• What regulatory issues and pathways do you foresee in taking this innovation forward?
• Is it likely that you will see industry interest and support for your proposed innovation? How will you engage and involve key stakeholders?
• What is the most likely timeframe for your innovation to be commercialised and go to market?
• Will your project deliver a genuine bionic solution (check the definition provided here). Does the team have the best possible skill sets to take this innovation forward (if not, consider how you’ll uplift that capacity).
• Bullet point the team’s insights to existing IP ownership and forward actions you’ll need to take to ensure you can go to market with ‘freedom to operate’.
• Provide a final ‘boxed’ summary of the project scope, key activities and funding needs (broad, ballpark estimates only).

Step 3: Register to enter, upload your Bionics Challenge 2021 Project Summary and check you’ve received our email response.