Sponsor: The Center on Knowledge Translation for Technology Transfer, University at Buffalo (SUNY), USA, is sponsoring this third annual competition to promote the thoughtful consideration and planning necessary to transform student projects into useful new devices and services with beneficial impacts.

Here is what Steve Pong (PhD student, Home & Community Team) said about winning in 2014: “Participating in the TechnoVation Competition was a fantastic opportunity to think beyond what happens in the lab and more about how to get our results into the hands of the people that can benefit from them most. The feedback received on the application and presentation was invaluable and helped direct how the generous prize was utilized.” 

Eligibility: Participants must be trainees (graduate student or postdoctoral fellow) affiliated with one of TRI’s 11 Research Teams and presenting at TRI Research Day 2015.

Judging Criteria: Prepare a maximum one page supplement to your 2015 TRI Research Day submission addressing the following three additional topics, each in one bulleted paragraph. You may include photos and drawings on one additional page. Do not repeat any content from your Research Day abstract.

• Paragraph 1: Present evidence that your project: a) is addressing an important need within a target beneficiary population; and b) represents a novel solution to that need. This evidence should NOT duplicate material in your Research Day proposal but instead speak from a business/market perspective.
• Paragraph 2: If your team has generated a conceptual-level discovery, list the three key barriers that must be overcome to generate a functional prototype invention; or if you already have a prototype, list the three key barriers that must be overcome to reach the clinical or community marketplace. In either case, clearly and concisely explain your plan for overcoming each barrier listed.
• Paragraph 3: Summarize your provisional business plan for either: a) Transferring the technology to an external partner, or b) Independently moving the resulting device or service to the marketplace. In either case, provide a sound rationale for why your chosen path is appropriate and feasible.

Additional information for completing proposal: See http://kt4tt.buffalo.edu/TechnoVation2015.pdf

Confidentiality Note: All entries will be treated as confidential and reviewed only by University at Buffalo and Toronto Rehab personnel authorized under existing non-disclosure agreements. A select set of finalists will be asked to present a non-proprietary summary of their entry during the Research Day conference.