Grand Final

What is the EIBC Champion of Champions Final?

Entries for the this year's final open 1 May 2020.  The closing date is 7 September 2020.

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 winners
• 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
• One year’s IPSE Plus membership - a wide range of advice and support services for start-ups for those winners who are aiming to start their own businesses.
• The publication Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship by Dick Whittington, Honorary Visiting Professor, University of York
• 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 26 October 2020.  Details on the  judges will be announced nearer the time of the final.

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

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 link that will be sent to the university contact.  If you do not have a weblink please contact the EIBF office on  eibcompetition@eibc.org.uk.

The entry deadline is Monday 7 September 2020 - midnight.

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 Submissions: Once the entry has been submitted via the website you will receive a message confirming this. If you do not receive a message, 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 5 October 2020 and close on 25 October at midnight.

Team winners will receive a CV package from Purple CV and one copy of the publication  Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

First prize winners in each category will receive one year's business support services from IPSE.

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 Final Newsletter

As the competition progresses, entrants/finalists will receive updates via an Engineers in Business Competition Newsletter.

Awards Presentation

The Awards Presentation will be held on 26 October 2020.  Due to the COVID-19 situation, for safety EIBF has taken the decision to host this year's awards ceremony  online.  We are working hard to ensure that it is as exciting as a personal awards ceremony.   It is our intention to have a live online awards ceremony that enables the finalists to present  to the  judging panel.  Hosting the event online provides you with the opportunity of presenting your business idea to a very wide audience!

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.

The judging panel for the Awards Presentation are:

Henning von Spreckelsen, Chairman, Shere Investment

Steve Cleverley, CEO, Oxentia Ltd, Global Innovation Consultancy

Ana Avaliani, Associate Director, Enterprise, Royal Academy of Engineering

Gareth Trainer, Chair, Enterprise Educators UK

The Awards Presentation will be opened with a welcome by, President of Engineers in Business Fellowship, David Falzani MBE.