Grand Final

What is the EIBC Champion of Champions Final?

The Engineers in Business Competition Champion of Champions Final enables EIB-supported universities that ran an enterprise competition in the previous 12 months to enter teams into the final.

Entrants are invited to present an innovative idea that solves a problem in society.  This can be the idea entered into the university competition, or a new idea.

As with the university level competitions, teams entering the final must comprise engineers or be multi-disciplinary teams that include engineers.  Individual entrants must be engineering students/engineers (computer sciences and biomedical engineers are included).

Competitors have the chance to win the following prizes

• A share of a £10,000 prize pot (the distribution of the prize fund is in the column on the right)
• Mentoring by a Sainsbury Management Fellow for the first prize winning teams
• A CV package from Purple CV for all winners in the final.  This will include a tailored CV, a cover letter to introduce the candidate to prospective employers and a LinkedIn profile
• Each winning team recieves a  copy of  Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship by Professor Dick Whittington
• Promotional support

Entries will be judged by the following criteria:

• Originality of the idea

• How the idea addresses a need in society

• Clearly defined target audiences and the benefits of the innovation

• Viability of the idea and how well this is communicated

• How effectively the business idea is presented in the entry materials and then at the Awards Ceremony if short-listed

Judging

The judges will select 10 entries to go forward to the Awards Presentation on 22 October 2021.

We are pleased to announce the judges for this year's Champion of Champions Final:

SMF David Falzani, President of Engineers in Business Fellowship,  CEO at  Polaris Associates and Professor at Nottingham University.

Dr Jeroen Bergmann, Associate Professor of Engineering Science, University of Oxford

Ana Avaliani, Director of Enterprise and Sustainable Development, Royal Academy of Engineering

SMF Serge Taborin, Government Digital Transformation, Amazon Web Services

SMF Dr Andy Phillipps, Entrepreneur and early-stage tech investor and venture partner

SMF Hersh Shah, M&A and Corporate Development Director, Halma Plc

Public Voting on Finalists' Videos

The 10 finalists' videos will be displayed on this website.

The public can vote for their favourite innovation; each person may cast one vote.  Anyone can vote, so don’t forget to let friends at and outside your university and your families know that they can vote too!

How to Enter

Entries can be submitted between 1 July 2021 and 6 September 2021.

The Champion of Champions Final is open to all teams and individuals who participated in their university business innovation competition, not just the university winners.

Entry Submission Requirements

a)     Video explaining the innovation – maximum length is 4 minutes

b)    Business Model  Canvas (BMC) setting out the business model  If the BMC is not taught on your course you can find examples, such as this one and this one, on YouTube.  The BMC should be presented landscape format for output as an A2 document.

c)    A2 poster promoting the innovation.

Whilst not mandatory, entrants are welcome to use prototypes or images of their innovation in their submission and at the Awards Presentation if short-listed.

All three components of the entry must be submitted via this website using a dedicated weblink.  To get your link, please email the EIBF office at eibcompetition@eibc.org.uk.

Entry deadline is 6 September 2021 (by midnight latest).

The three items that make up the entry  (video, poster, Business Model Canvas) must be labelled as follows:

Computer file names for all items: University name, business idea/name

Labelling Poster and BMC: Include your university name, business idea/name, team leader’s name and email on these items.

The videos, Business Model Canvas and posters will be judged and 10 finalists will be short-listed.

Entry Category:  State clearly on your BMC which category of the competition you are entering - Big Ideas or Startup Business.

Entry Submissions: Once the entry has been submitted via the website you will see a green tick indicating that your submission has been received. If there are any problems, please email eibcompetition@eibc.org.uk

Prizes

Five awards will be made at the final:

• Start-Up Business - Winner:  £3,000 + a Sainsbury Management Fellow as a mentor

• Start-Up Business - Runner-Up: £1,500

• Big Ideas - Winner: £3,000 + a Sainsbury Management Fellow as a mentor

• Big Ideas - Runner-Up: £1,500

• People's Vote - £1,000.   This prize is awarded in two stages: there will be a pre-awards presentation prize of £500 for to the team (or individual innovator) that generates the most votes for their innovation on this website.   A further £500 will be awarded to the team (or individual innovator) that gains the most votes for their innovation during the online awards presentations.  Competitors, get your supporters, far and wide, to vote for you!  Voting will open on the website from early October 2021  (date to be confirmed) and close on 21 October at midnight.

Team winners will receive a CV package from Purple CV.

Questions

FAQs on the Champion of Champions Final can be found on this website.  If you have a question that is not covered, please email  eibcompetition@eibc.org.uk and we will assist.

Champion of Champions Newsletter

As the competition progresses, entrants/finalists will receive updates via an Engineers in Business Competition Newsletter.  If you think you are not on the newsletter database email the EIBF office at eibcompetition@eibc.org.uk

Awards Presentation -

The Awards Presentation will be held on Friday 22 October 2021 and will be hosted online.  While lockdown restrictions are being lifted, venue safety restrictions mean it is impossible to host an in-person grand final with a large number of people in attendance.

Each team will have six minutes to present their innovation and answer the judges' questions.  After the presentations, the judges will confer and announce the winners at the end of the event.  Full details on how the event will be orchestrated and managed will be shared direct with the finalists.

To watch the Awards Presentation register at this link before 5.30pm on 22 October 2021.