What's the Big Idea?

Inventor Competition 2014

€4,000 in Cash Prizes to be won across four Invention Categories!
Submit your entry to DIT Hothouse before 6th June for a chance to win

The Inventor Competition is open to all staff and students of Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), Institute of Technology Tallaght, Dublin (ITTD), Institute of Technology Blanchardstown (ITB), the Institute of Art, Design & Technology, Dun Laoghaire (IADT) and National College of Ireland (NCI).

This initiative is being jointly run by DIT Hothouse, ITTD Technology Transfer Office, ITB Technology Transfer Office, IADT Industry and Innovation and the NCI Commercial and Incubation Centre.

The competition, which is being co-sponsored by leading European patent attorneys, Hanna, Moore & Curley, ‌aims to promote,‌ uncover and recognise innovation and creativity across a range of  industrially focused research categories.  

There is €4,000 worth of cash prizes to be won with €1,000 being awarded to the best invention proposal submitted in each of the following commercial categories;

• Information & Communications Technology (ICT)
• Industrial & Manufacturing Technology
• Clean Technology
• Food & Life Science Technology
  

How to Enter
DIT entrants* should complete the DIT Hothouse Invention Disclosure Form and return this to hothouse@dit.ie before the competition closing date below. Applicants should make sure that their idea/invention is not already on the market.

All entries will be scored on their originality, benefits, market potential, and development/ commercialisation feasibility. Please read the 2014 Inventor Competition Terms and Conditions before submitting an entry.

Closing Date and Announcement of Winners
The closing date for all applications is Friday, 6th June 2014. Winners will be announced and presented with their awards at a Showcase event to be held later in the year.

Description of Competition Categories:

Information & Communications Technology
ICT Inventions should focus on the storage, retrieval, manipulation, transmission or receipt of digital data and how these different uses can work with each other.‌

              Themes include:    

• Cloud Computing
• Internet and Mobile Apps
• Software
• Hardware
• Storage
• Audio Visual Systems
  ‌

Industrial & Manufacturing Technology
These inventions should focus on the development, utilisation, and application of new scientific ideas, concepts and information in production and other industrial processes.   

                   Themes include;

• Production, distribution and processing tools and techniques
• Automated production processes and systems
• Efficient tools, equipment, and techniques for performing industrial tasks

Clean Technology
Inventions in this category should harness renewable materials and energy sources that reduce the use of natural resources, and cut or eliminate emissions and wastes.

   ‌              Themes include;

• Renewable energy
• Green transportation
• Energy efficient appliances
• Wastewater solutions
  
  

Food & Life Science
Inventions in this category should focus on the development, utilisation, or application of new scientific ideas, concepts, and information to living organisms, life processes or food.  

                 Themes include;

• Health ‌
• Medicine
• Pharmaceuticals
• Agriculture
• Food manufacturing, processing and preservation

Further Information
For further information, please contact Stephen Davis on 01 402 7144 or email stephen.davis@dit.ie