Call for Best HT Entrepreneurship Idea - demo&poster Competition

This call is devoted to young Start ups (TRL 3-5) and entrepreneurs to showcase innovative and successful entrepreneurship ideas in the field of interest of IEEE (Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers https://www.ieee.org/) with reference to humanitarian technologies.

The competitors shall prepare a poster to present, in the most convincing and attractive way, their innovative entrepreneurship idea and activity in the field of humanitarian technologies – with pictures, photos, graphics – describing achievements, field of application, skills of the entrepreneurial group, market opportunity and competitor analysis. Moreover, the competitors will have the opportunity to present a demo of their products and to illustrate their ideas, systems, software, prototypes to IEEE IHTC 2024 participants.

Each competitor will be given a table, a poster holder and a power outlet. Startup presenters are expected to bring with them everything that is needed for their demo (hardware, laptops, sensors, PCs, etc.). The audience present at the IEEE IHTC 2024 will be able to vote their favourite Entrepreneurship idea (instructions on the voting procedure will be provided on site).

The public vote will be taken into consideration by the evaluation committee which will select the best entrepreneurship idea according to these criteria: degree of novelty and innovation, skills of the entrepreneurial group, market opportunity, project with humanitarian applications.

The competition will take place during IEEE IHTC 2024 on November 29th 2024 (time to be defined). For more details on the poster/demo room and other updates refer to the conference website:  https://2024.ieee-ihtc.org/

One representative for each startup can participate free to the event to answer the questions of the audience. More than one presenter is admitted but only one has free admission to the demo competition, the others must register for the conference. One day registration will be available for them.

All startups (max 10) selected for participating in the competition will receive a participation certificate. The best entrepreneurship idea with humanitarian application will be awarded with a customized IEEE certificate and a prize of 1000 Euro. The award ceremony will take place on November 30th during lunch time.

Please note that the IEEE thematic areas, with reference to humanitarian technologies, in which you can participate are the following three:

Thematic area 1: Clean and affordable energy

Application Sectors: Energy and environment; services for industries and organizations;

Context: the area includes items referred to the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) of the UN:
• 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy.
• 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities.
• 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production.

Innovation needs: 1) Reliable and efficient power systems in emerging markets and developing economies; 2) Renewable energy application for sustainable development; 3) Energy links as means for sustainability, cooperation and development:

Specific addressable problems: 1) strategies for economic and safe operation of power systems; models for coordination between operators; business models for energy access, optimization and planning; 2) multi-carrier energy systems; RES for decentralized use and for integration in insular/rural systems; strategies for EV and hydrogen management; 3) energy interconnectors; energy hubs;

Thematic area 2: Critical Events and adverse living conditions

Application Sectors: Energy and environment; social inclusion; Smart industry; mobility and transport;

Context: the area includes items referred to the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) of the UN
• 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy.
• 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities.
• 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production.

Innovation needs: 1) Supply chain and logistics in support of emergency scenarios; 2) Technologies for refugees management, settlement, reintegration; 3) Technologies to assist in disaster mitigation, management, relief, recovery

Specific addressable problems: 1) new methodologies to optimize supply chain in the humanitarian context; 2) solutions to empower displaced people with technology; sustainable housing and logistics management for migrants; castaways research and recovery systems; 3) innovative protection systems and devices; monitoring systems for natural disasters; solutions for urban security and safety; ideas for preserving the integrity of the territory;

Thematic area 3: Life quality improvement

Application Sectors: Health and care; Social inclusion; Territory monitoring and safety; Telecommunications; Smart industry;

Context: the area includes items referred to the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) of the UN:
• 3 – Good Health and Well-Being.
• 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation.
• 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities.

Innovation needs: 1) Information and communication technologies for development; 2) More inclusive, resilient, sustainable cities and settlements; 3) Poverty alleviation, food security, sustainable agriculture; 4) Technologies to combat climate change and its impacts; 5) Available and sustainable water and sanitation management;

Specific addressable problems: 1) ICT solutions to ensure equitable access to communication technologies and bridging the digital divide; 2) smart cities and smart buildings; systems for the care and protection of citizens; transport route restoration and consolidation; cultural heritage preservation and use; 3) food safety and quality control; crop and livestock health monitoring; human disease monitoring; resources for agricultural efficiency; 4) weather monitoring systems; solutions for waste treatment and strategies for pollution reduction; climate-proofing systems 5) water quality measurements; smart water management for losses reduction; hydraulic infrastructures sustainability; Water Energy Food nexus; equipment for water supply, distribution and purification.

Startups willing to participate in this competition shall send an e-mail to this address:
ihtc2024-startup@ieeesezioneitalia.it no later than October 15th 2024.

In the Object of the e-mail the participant in this competition should write:
Best Entrepreneurship Idea – Name of the startup – name surname

In the text of the e-mail the participant shall include the following info:

• Name of the startup
• title of the entrepreneurship idea, with application in the humanitarian field
• description of the idea (300 words max)
• name, affiliation and email of the representative
• name, affiliation and email of other presenter/s, if any

A special commission will select the best ideas (maximum 10) that will be presented at the event. The announcement of the selected startups will be given to proposers by 30 October 2024.

All accepted posters will be uploaded on IEEE Italy Section web and media and the winner will be advertised on the IEEE Italy Section and IEEE Region 8 (Europe, Africa, Middle East) media (with authors permission).

The winner will be able to participate in the Region 8 pitch competitions (see https://entrepreneurship.ieeer8.org/) and details below.

• Region 8 Pitch competition criteria
• Startup team should have at least one IEEE member (encouraged, but not required)
• Startup should showcase traction, i.e., have an MVP (Minimum Viable Product), dummy / demo app, business plan, initial market interest or any source of traction and commitment to their venture

When applying to your pitch competition, startups should submit a pitch video in English.

The Top 10 startups from local IEEE Region 8 Section competitions are selected for semi-finals by panel of judges and “People’s choice” social media competition. Semi-finalists compete in an online event.

Finalists are awarded a trip to an Entrepreneurship Summit/Techncial showcase (e.g., Web Summit, Techne, Slush, Gitex Global) where the Final Pitch will take place and startups will present their business to the summit attendees.