scientific innovation and invention competition 2013 - niherst

Scientific Innovation and Invention Competition

Copyright 2012 National Institute of Higher Education, Research, Science & Technology (NIHERST)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................3AIMS ...................................................................................................................................4DEFINITIONS ....................................................................................................................4ELIGIBILITY......................................................................................................................5RULES AND GUIDELINES ..............................................................................................6COMPETITION FORMAT.................................................................................................7SPECIFICATIONS FOR DRAWINGS...............................................................................8JUDGING CRITERIA ........................................................................................................9CRITERIA DEFINITIONS ...............................................................................................11CATEGORIES...................................................................................................................12SUBMISSION OF ENTRIES ...........................................................................................13PRIZES..............................................................................................................................14AGREEMENTS ................................................................................................................15FINAL NOTE TO ENTRANTS........................................................................................16APPENDIX .......................................................................................................................17

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY..................17MENTOR GUIDELINES..........................................................................................19

DETACHABLE FORMS:Official Registration FormCompetition Agreement Joint Ownership AgreementDeclaration of EntrantsOfficial Detailed FormMentor Guidelines

OFFICIAL 2013 REGULATIONSSCIENTIFIC INNOVATION

AND INVENTION

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“Creativity is inventing, experimenting,growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making

mistakes, and having fun”.Mary Lou Cook



INTRODUCTION

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BACKGROUND OF THE COMPETITIONThe Prime Minister’s Awards for Scientific Ingenuity is a biennial, competitive scheme that wasintroduced in 2000 to augment and highlight the intrinsic creativity of the people of Trinidad andTobago, specifically in the realm of science and technology. It recognises and rewards persons fromall walks of life who demonstrate outstanding accomplishments in this arena. The Awards scheme is an important mechanism for spurring local innovation and invention across allsectors of the national community, which is imperative in light of Government’s push to develop ahighly diversified, knowledge-based economy founded on the creative genius of our people. The humanmind is the most valuable resource for resolving the complex development issues that now threatencontinued growth and prosperity worldwide. Building creative and innovative capacity is the key toTrinidad and Tobago generating new and sustainable sources of wealth, reducing dependency on theoil and gas sector, and creating employment. CURRENT COMPETITIONPotential entrants to the Scientific Innovation & Invention Competition should give consideration tothe following when conceptualising ideas and designing the prototype:- What is the technical problem that your invention or innovation seeks to solve?- What is the state of the art regarding solutions to the technical problem?- Is your innovation/invention new? How is it differentiated from existing inventions or

innovation that may be similar?- What are the benefits of your innovation/invention to society, environment, etc?- Does your innovation/invention possess the potential for further development?- What do you propose to do with your invention/innovation?All are welcomed to experience the realm of Invention and Innovation as…“…The Creative act…Overcomes everything” George Lois. Unleash your great ideas…Think. Create. Solve!!!



The Awards scheme aims to:• help develop and sustain a culture of invention and innovation in Trinidad and Tobago starting from the primary school level;

• recognise and reward local innovators and inventors;• offer guidance and assistance to local innovators and inventors with meritorious ideas; • contribute to the attainment of the goal of global economic competitiveness and socio-economic transformation through the promotion of local innovation and invention; and

• encourage commercialisation of local innovations in products and processes.

AIMS

Invention:Any new and useful machine, manufactured product or substance, process or any improvement thereofthat satisfies the requirement of novelty, utility and operativeness. (World Intellectual PropertyOrganisation)Inventions are novel technological advances, which hold the potential for application.

Innovation:Any new model of implement or tool of any industrial product or part of the same which does notpossess the quality of invention, but which is of practical utility by reason of its form, configuration,construction or composition. (World Intellectual Property Organisation)Innovations are the commercial applications of an invention or of a new idea.Note:The definitions and parameters used are specifically for the purposes of this competition. Differentcriteria will apply if you intend to patent your idea and we have highlighted a few of these on Page 19.Your written submissions, provided they satisfy the criterion of originality, are automatically protectedunder Copyright Law. Should you intend to file an application for a patent of your invention or a utilitypatent for your innovation, you will be required to do so within one year of publication of your inventionor innovation*. Please note that publication here means disclosure to the public of your invention orinnovation. Any information by whatever means that would enable someone to reproduce yourinvention or innovation may be considered a disclosure.

*This one (1) year grace period is not applicable in some countries. For more information, pleasesearch the World Intellectual Property Organization website at http://www.wipo.int

DEFINITIONS

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1. An individual entrant must be a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago currently residing here, or a resident who has been living in Trinidad and Tobago for over three (3) years prior to the deadline of submission of the Registration Form.

2. Teams of up to four persons can enter the competition. At least half of the team members must be Trinidad and Tobago citizens.

3. Entrants must be at least thirteen (13) years of age. The age of an individual is determined as of DECEMBER 31ST 2013. Entrants in the Junior age brackets must work under the guidance of a teacher, parent or adult mentor/supervisor (see Mentor Guidelines, pg 21). A team will be classified according to the age of the eldest member on December 31st 2013.

4. Judging and prize giving will be divided into the following age groups:Juniors13 – 17 yearsSeniors18 years and over

5. Previous entries to this Awards Scheme will not be eligible unless significant changes/improvements have been made to function and application of their invention or innovation, as will be determined by the judges. Entrants will be required to declare in their forms whether the entry was previously submitted, and the year in which this was done.

6. An entry is eligible if it fits the definitions of Invention OR Innovation outlined in DEFINITIONS, and the entrant is the creator.

7. Members of the organising committee, judges and their family members are not eligible to enter this competition.

8. Entrants must sign the relevant agreement forms to be considered for judging.

ELIGIBILITY

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Inventions and innovations must be the original creation of the entrant. By your submissions, yourepresent and warrant that they are your own original creation; you own all the rights to the submittedmaterials; you have acquired permission from all other persons who may appear in the submittedmaterials; they do not infringe public health, safety and morality; are not for illegal, dangerous, orunsafe purposes/activities; do not involve illegal substances; and have not been copied in whole or inpart from any other work and do not violate or infringe any copyright, trademark or other proprietaryright of any person or entity (including any rights of privacy or publicity). Entries may be disqualified by the judges if they are found to violate any of the above conditions. Late, illegible or incomplete entries will not be eligible for consideration.An individual or a team can submit more than one entry but in relation to different inventions orinnovations and on separate entry forms.Applicants should note that entries in the fields of Culinary Arts and Creative Arts will not be consideredas scientific or technological inventions/innovations unless there is a clear scientific or technologicalcomponent. In no event shall NIHERST or any of its employees, or representatives or any member of the organisingcommittee or the judges be liable to any entrant for any direct or consequential damages whatsoeverarising out of or in connection with this Awards Scheme.

NIHERST IS NOT A PART OF THE FINAL JUDGING OF THIS COMPETITION AND IS IN NOWAY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RESULTS THAT HAVE BEEN DETERMINED BY THEJUDGING PANEL. THE RESULTS OF THE JUDGES SHALL BE FINAL AND NOT SUBJECT TO REVIEW ORAPPEAL.

RULES AND GUIDELINES

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The Scientific Innovation & Invention Competition encourages participants to develop their creativeideas into working prototypes. If an entrant wishes to submit technical drawings with the proposal,please see the Specifications for drawings on page 8. The following shows the competition’s format and schedule:

COMPETITION FORMAT

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Stage 1:Registration Form to be

submitted by March 5, 2013for preliminary judging.

Entrants requiring clarification or assistance areasked to call our offices by: March 4, 2013.

Entrants whose proposals meet the minimumcriteria will be contacted by April 5, 2013.

Impractical proposals will be eliminated by judges.

Impractical proposals will be eliminated by judges.

Technical Drawings to be handed in at: Stage 2Stage 2:Detailed Form & Report tobe prepared and submittedby May 17, 2013 for 2nd

stage of judging.

Stage 3:Interviews to be conducted

with finalists from July 15, 2013 to August 30, 2013.

Selection of PrizeWinners will takeplace after all

interviews have beenconducted.

AWARDS CEREMONYand PRIZE GIVING

End of October 2013.

Entrants whose proposals meet the minimumcriteria will be contacted by June 28, 2013 in

order to make appointments for interviews frommid-July to the end of August, 2013. Interviews

must be accompanied by prototypepresentations. Thus by this time the results from

prototype trials must be available. The deadline for prototype completion is

July 12 2013.



Specifications for Drawings to be submitted should adhere to the following guidelines:Technical Drawings:Paper specifications:• Paper Size: Maximum usable surface area of 26.2cm x 17cm• Minimum Margins as follows:

Top - 2.5cmLeft side - 2.5cmRight side - 1.5cmBottom - 1.0cm

• NO frames/borders are to be placed on the paperDrawing specifications:• Black and White diagrams ONLY. Thick, uniformed and well-defined lines (for ease of satisfactory

reproduction).• Cross sections to be indicated by shading, but this must not impede the reading of the written text.• The scale of the drawing must be accurately defined, in relation to its actual size.• All text must be clearly written for ease of identification.• If drawings will require more than one page, all pages must be sequentially numbered to ensure

accuracy of assembly. Assembly of the pages must not result in the concealment of any part of the drawing. (Must use the format: Page 1 of 10, Page 2 of 10, etc.)

• Subsequent drawings must be representative of the original drawings submitted.Simple Drawings:For persons submitting simple diagrams, please ensure that all details are accurate and clearly definedfor judging purposes. For simple illustrations please use the following guide:Paper size: Letter size sheet (21.59 x 27.94cm)Margins: As stated aboveAdditional sheets: Must be numerically ordered for easy assemblyDrawing:- Even thickness of lines- Clear labelling of parts- Size of drawing must be directly related to its actual/intended size (define scale of drawing)- Drawing must be submitted to show an overall sketch and four (4) detailed views:(i) Top (ii) Bottom (iii) Left Lateral (iv) Right LateralComputer generated drawings will also be accepted.

SPECIFICATIONS FOR DRAWINGS

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An independent panel of distinguished educators and professionals will be appointed to evaluate allentries.

Stage 1:REGISTRATION FORMS together with AGREEMENT FORMS must be submitted by MARCH 5,2013 to be considered for prelimiary judging.This takes the form of a review which will produce oneof the following outcomes:1. Reviewers will assess the submissions based on the following criteria and may offerrecommendations for further development:- Originality (40%)- Functionality (40%) - Ingenuity (15%)- Presentation (5%)(See definitions on Pg 11)2. Qualifying entrants will advance to the second stage and will be contacted by April 5, 2013.

Stage 2:On completion of Stage 1 of the judging, qualifiying entrants have until APRIL 5, 2013 to submit theDETAILED FORMS, FINAL REPORTS and ALL RELEVANT MATERIAL to be considered for the2nd stage of judging. Guidelines for completion of this report will be sent with notification ofqualification status.Note: Submit ONLY the COPIES of supporting documents (e.g. patent certificates).DO NOT SUBMIT ORIGINALS.Written submissions will constitute 30% of the FINAL SCORE and will be evaluated and assessed byjudges on the following: - Originality (25%)- Functionality (25%) - Sustainability (10%)- Methodology (10%)- Creativity (of the idea’s development) (10%)- Usefulness (15%)- Presentation (5%)(See definitions on Pg 11)

JUDGING CRITERIA

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The judges will not consider any previous assessment (from Stage 1) in this stage of judging. Entrantscan expect to be contacted by JUNE 18 2013 with the results of their qualification into Stage 3, withthe date and time of their interview.If assistance is needed for the creation of the prototype, please contact NIHERST for guidance in this process.

Stage 3:On the completion of Stage 2 of judging, qualifying entrants will be scheduled for the Interview segmentby June 28, 2013. At this interview, a presentation on the prototype and trial results will be expected.Interviews will take place from mid-July to the end of August, 2013. All prototypes must thereforebe completed by July 12, 2013.Prototype scores constitute 70% of total score.Prototypes will be judged on the follwing criteria:- Originality (15%)- Functionality (15%) - Ingenuity (10%)- Sustainability (10%) - Creativity (of the idea’s development) (5%)- Usefulness (10%)- Simplicity (10%) - Methodology (10%)- Presentation (5%)- Commercial potential (10%)(See definitions on Pg 11)FOLLOWING THIS SEGMENT, THE FINAL PANEL OF JUDGES WILL DETERMINE THEWINNERS OF THE SCIENTIFIC INNOVATION AND INVENTION COMPETITION. NIHERST IS NOT A PART OF THE FINAL JUDGING OF THIS COMPETITION AND IS NOTRESPONSIBLE FOR THE RESULTS OF THE FINAL JUDGING PANEL.

JUDGING CRITERIA

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A brief definition of each criterion is given below:Creativity (of the idea’s development): Is defined by the amount of imagination which theinvention/innovation displays.Functionality: Is defined by the capacity of innovations/inventions of serving the proposed purposewell.Ingenuity: Is defined by the skill utilised in devising or contriving the invention/innovation.Methodology: Is defined as the system of methods and principles employed in the development of theinnovation/invention.Originality (of the idea): Is defined by the invention/innovation being new in character, design orapplication/use (must demonstrate appreciable novelty).Presentation: Is defined by the written, oral and visual presentation of the forms, reports, supportingdocuments, animations, simulations or drawings, and protoype that have been submitted by the entrant.Simplicity: Is defined by the uncomplicated mechanisms used; the ease with which materials can beacquired, and the steps involved in the manufacturing or process of development.Sustainability: Is defined by the capacity for inventions to be maintained for a considerable period oftime (including and not limited to long term market/economic potential as well as ecological sustenance,that is, without exhausting natural resources or causing ecological damage).Usefulness: Is defined by the benefits to society (social, socio-cultural or economic).Commercial Potential: Is defined by the prospect of sales and profit on a large enough scale to makethe risk generated from the invention/innovation worth undertaking. It involves undertaking marketresearch to indentify the markets, the products, the market need and the market competition.

AT ALL THE LEVELS OF THE COMPETITION THE JUDGES’ DELIBERATIONS, INCLUDINGTHEIR EVALUATIONS AND REPORTS SHALL BE CONFIDENTIAL AND THEIR DECISIONSARE FINAL.

CRITERIA DEFINITIONS

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All entries to the Scientific Invention & Innovation Competition will be broadly classified under the following:

AgricultureEnergy/Renewable EnergyEmergency/Disaster PreparednessAppliances/DevicesGames, Toys, Sporting DevicesEducationBuilding/ConstructionChemicalsSafety

Information TechnologyElectrical Applications/EquipmentManufacturing TransportationWater Conservation/PurificationUse of Indigenous/Waste MaterialsMedicine/Health/WellnessOther

CATEGORIES

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Competition Forms (Registration Form, Detailed Form and Agreements) must be delivered on or beforethe stipulated deadlines to any of the following locations, to be considered for the competition:NIHERST Secretariat for PM Awards for Scientific Ingenuity#77 Eastern Main RoadST AUGUSTINENIHERST/NGC Science CentreChurchill Roosevelt HighwayD’ABADIEDIVISION OF EDUCATIONTobago House of AssemblyDutch Fort BuildingDutch Fort RoadSCARBOROUGH

Your submissions should be rendered in sealed envelopes addressed to “PMA for SI : Scientific I&ICompetition” and clearly labelled “CONFIDENTIAL” to ensure that it is viewed only by approvedNIHERST personnel. All additional pages must be numbered.

SUBMISSION OF ENTRIES

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Winners will be advised of prizes and the prize-distribution dates at the end of the competition. TheScientific Innovation and Invention Competition carries a total of TT$1,000,000 in prizes to bedistributed among winners in the Junior and Senior age groups in the following categories:- 1st place Winner- 2nd place Winner- 3rd place WinnerSpecial prizes may also be awarded at the discretion of the organisers.NIHERST and the organising committee reserve the right to refuse awarding prizes where the requiredstandards are not met and will not be liable to any entrant for the loss of opportunity, or under anyother grounds.

PRIZES

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1. Persons who submit a joint entry must sign an agreement to that effect, specifying the percentage of ownership and benefits per member.

2. An entry by Junior entrants (persons under the age of 18) must be signed by the parent/guardian of such person(s).

3. Entrants who have used the facilities of, or are/were attached to laboratories, universities, institutes/ companies, must enquire about the body’s policy on Intellectual Property and come to a written agreement with the institution before entering the Scientific Innovation & Invention Competition. A copy of this agreement must be forwarded to NIHERST. NIHERST has the option of making contact to determine the degree of independence or financial support.

4. Should entrants from primary and secondary schools under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education decide on legal protection for their innovations/inventions, they must consult the Ministry of Education on this matter.

5. Entrants are required to sign an agreement which states that they agree to and understand the rules of the Awards scheme. This agreement must be signed and submitted with the Registration Form before the entry can be entertained.

6. Where there is an intention to seek Intellectual Property (IP) rights in respect of the innovation/invention, the entrant will have to enter into a legally binding agreement with NIHERST that neither party will make any disclosure regarding the innovation/invention. (For more information on Intellectual Property, see page 17.)

7. The entrant must certify that:• He / she is the original creator of the innovation/invention.• He / she is not aware of any one else having interest on ownership of the entry.In the event of breach of IPRs or IP Laws, the entrant would defend and hold harmless the interestsof NIHERST and the organisers of the competition.

AGREEMENTS

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1. NIHERST, the organizing committee and the judges reserve the right to make reasonable enquiries to satisfy themselves that the rules of the competition are adhered to and that representations and claims made by entrants are accurate.

2. Entrants wishing to apply for a patent or utility patent for their inventions should direct all their enquiries to the Intellectual Property Office.

3. If a creation is considered to have good commercial prospects, and is without patent protection, NIHERST may provide administrative and technical support toward obtaining this protection. This would require the entrant entering into a signed agreement with NIHERST.

4. To protect intellectual property, a non-disclosure agreement is signed by all personnel involved in the administration of the competition and the judging or evaluation process.

FINAL NOTE TO ENTRANTS

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What is Intellectual Property? “Intellectual property (or "IP" as it is often referred to) is the output of intellectual activity. IP is aform of property and as with any other form of property, it can be bought, sold or licensed. Under theterms of the convention establishing the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), intellectualproperty was defined as:-

literary, artistic and scientific works, performances of performing artists,broadcasts, inventions in all fields of human endeavour, scientificdiscoveries, industrial designs, trade marks, service marks, commercialnames and designations and all other rights resulting from intellectualactivity in the industrial, scientific, literary and artistic fields.

“If intellectual property is the output of intellectual activity then "intellectual property rights" (oftenreferred to as "IPRs") are the rights granted under the law to the owner of the intellectual property. Theterms, intellectual property and intellectual property rights, are often used interchangeably. However,strictly speaking the term "intellectual property" defines the actual results of the intellectual endeavour,whilst the term "intellectual property rights" relates to the concept of legal protection and ownershipwhich the law grants to the legal owner of the intellectual property”.There are six main types of intellectual property rights namely: a) patents;b) confidential information and know-how/trade secrets;c) copyright;d) trade marks;e) design rights; andf) plant variety rights. Certain types of IPRs can arise almost automatically; however, other forms only arise through a formalregistration process. In addition, more than one form of IPR can apply to one creation. For example, a vacuum cleaner could be protected by many different forms of IPRs:a) The novel aspects of the cleaner could be protected by Patents. b) The actual "look" of the cleaner could be protected by Design rights. c) The knowledge that the company producing the cleaner has of the product and how it is produced

could be protected by Know-how. d) The trade name of the cleaner could be protected by Trade marks e) The user manual relating to it could be protected by Copyright. Therefore, one single product could be protected by nearly all the main forms of intellectual propertyrights.(Information extracted from the Lord Society of Scotland’s website www.lawscot.org.uk/intprop)The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has a service that is not offered by our localIntellectual Property Office called the Provisional Application.

APPENDIXGENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

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About the Provisional Application“The provisional application only establishes the filing date and automatically becomes abandonedafter one year. You may file a provisional application when you are not ready to enter your applicationinto the regular examination process. A provisional application establishes a filing date at a lower costfor a first patent application filing in the United States and allows the term "Patent Pending" to beapplied to the invention. Claims are not required in a provisional application. The USPTO does notexamine a provisional application and such an application cannot become a patent. You must submitthe non-provisional application within one year of submitting your provisional application, in order topossibly receive the benefit of the provisional application's filing date. You do not have to file aprovisional application before filing a non-provisional application”.(Information extracted from the United States Patent and Trademark Office website www.uspto.gov) What is Copyright?“Copyright is a legal term used to describe rights given to creators for their works. Copyright is not aright to use the work. Rather it is a right to exclude others from the use of work”. (IPO)For more information, please check the US Library of Congress: http://www.copyright.gov/ALL COPIES OF ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS BEING SUBMITTED FOR CONSIDERATION INTHE INNOVATORS AND INVENTORS COMPETITION MUST BEAR THE COPYRIGHTSYMBOL AND YEAR ON EACH PAGE SUBMITTED.For further information on matters related to Intellectual Property please contact:The Intellectual Property OfficeOffice of the Attorney General and Ministry of Legal AffairsRegistration House72-74 South QuayPort of Spain Republic of Trinidad and Tobago

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MENTORS MUST ENSURE THAT THE IDEAS AND WORK ARE THE CREATIONS OF THEYOUNGSTERS.• Read the regulations booklet thoroughly. Make a note of all the important deadlines.

Encourage teams/individuals to do the same.• Work with the entrants to develop their ideas, ensuring that they launch into projects which are

feasible in terms of time, resources and finances. • Look at the work plan for the solution and critically assess it.• For entries into the Scientific Innovation and Invention Competition, ensure that a log is upkept to

document the development of the entry.• Ensure that the entrant(s) attend workshops where necessary or where helpful to the project’s

development.• Remind the entrant(s) of the need for photographic and written records as well as the requirements

of data to support claims being made.• Ensure that team effort is exercised in this project. All members must participate and no member

should be excluded.• Guide entrant(s) to complete all tasks on time and also to submit documents on time.• For entries into the Scientific Innovation and Invention Competition, confer with the administrators

on the extent and nature of the testing needed for the Competition. In some cases, testing of the prototype may be too difficult or beyond the nature of the competition.

• Ensure that the registration and entry forms are accurate and that all relevant agreements are signed. • Encourage entrant(s) to enjoy this experience, and in so doing, encourage non-participants to

become interested also!Keep track of ideas for improvement on this competition. We are always open for new suggestions onways in which it can be improved.

MENTOR GUIDELINES

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scientific innovation and invention competition 2013 - niherst

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