From learning what appeals to investors and increasing the public’s awareness of your products, there are huge benefits to be gained from winning competitions such as Bright SCIdea. So, how can you benefit from entering and what’s in store from this year’s shortlisted teams?

There was a fine article recently in Nature that crystallised the many benefits of entering science competitions, which extend far beyond the coveted prize money.

Winning the competition can take your product from obscurity into the eyes and minds of the public. Importantly, winning immediately gives your innovation credibility as your product (and your vision for it) will inevitably have been vetted by a team of expert judges.

You will also gain valuable publicity. Not only will the organisers promote these innovations, the new-found exposure will increase traffic to your own website and social channels.

Another really important facet of these competitions is that they help develop business sense in line with scientific innovation. In the aforementioned Nature piece, Ulrich Betz, Vice-president of Innovation at Merck, said: ‘Joining competitions can be a useful way for researcher-entrepreneurs to learn what appeals to investors and companies — training that many academic researchers lack… Participants have told me they’ve become more confident working in science and business after taking part.’

Indeed, this tallies with the experiences of last year’s BrightSCIdea winners, Metallogen. The team developed a novel nanoparticle spray that assists the natural process of phytoremediation to extract rare metals from mining. These metals can be sold on the market while decontaminating land next to mining sites at the same time.

Last year’s Bright SCIdea winners used a novel approach to boost metal recovery on old mining sites and decontaminate the land.

However, having an ingenious idea is one thing. Bringing it to market is another. And this is where the training for all the shortlisted teams helped. Metallogen’s John O’Sullivan and Rafael Hunt-Stokes said: ‘The competition has also taught us how to carry out market research and put together a cogent business plan, with the pitching training giving us the ability to convey our business idea in a compelling manner to investors and other stakeholders.’

>> Inspired by Metallogen’s success at Bright SCIdea? Read more about them in our news article.

This year’s Bright SCIdeas

So, from network building to training and advice on key areas such as intellectual property, these competitions can sharpen your innovations and bring them to that all-important next stage. That’s exactly what the shortlisted teams for this year’s BrightSCIdea plan to do.

This year’s entrants have certainly taken it upon themselves to tackle some of society’s grandest challenges. The Eolic Wall team, hailing all the way from the National University of Engineering in Peru and Universidade Estadual Paulista in Brazil, has created a wind energy system to help in our low-carbon energy transition. The Unmasked team (from the University of Durham) is also seeking to address the UK energy crisis while tackling waste by producing insulation materials from disposable face masks.

In health, the BioTech Inov (University of Coimbra, Portugal) team has entered a ‘highly efficient and versatile nanotechnological subcutaneous biomedical device with a high lifespan’, and the Hatton Cross team (from University of Warwick, QMUL, and Imperial College, London) has also submitted a wearable device that aims to enhance the wearer’s quality of life.

In an effort to address mental wellbeing, the Happy BioPatch team (from Oxford University and Manchester University) has created ‘a wearable gadget which continuously monitors cortisol levels aiming to prevent serious consequences as a result of stress’. Finally, the CardiaTec team (from the University of Cambridge) is specialising in tackling cardiovascular disease.

There’s so much to be gained from being part of competitions such as BrightSCIdea. We can’t wait to hear from the leaders of tomorrow.

Who knows? Maybe this will be the first you hear from a future Nobel prize winner?

>> Keep an eye out on Twitter for all of the wonderful innovations in this year’s BrightSCIdea competition at: @SCIupdate.

Recently, our Agri-Food Early Career Committee ran the third #agrifoodbecause Twitter competition. Today we are looking back over the best photos of the 2020 competition, including our winner and runner-up. Entrants were asked to take photos and explain why they loved their work, using the hashtag #agrifoodbecause on Twitter.

Our 2020 winner, Jordan Cuff, Cardiff University, won first prize for his fantastic shot of a ladybird. He received a free SCI student membership and an Amazon voucher.

 

For the first-time ever we also awarded a runner-up prize to Lauren Hibbert, University of Southampton, for her beautiful root photography. She also received a free SCI student membership and Amazon voucher.

 

#agrifoodbecause developing more environmentally friendly crops will help ensure the sustainability of future farming.
Photo illustrating the dawn 🌅 of root phenotyping… or some very hairy (phosphate hungry) watercress roots! @SCI_AgriFood pic.twitter.com/29u533Xyow

There were also many other fantastic entries!

 

#AgrifoodBecause My research looks at the potential biocontrol of parasitic wasps on #CSFB, major pest of #OSR! Combining field and lab work to work towards #IPM strategies 👩🏻‍🔬👩🏻‍🌾 pic.twitter.com/YqJnBM4CVf

 

#AgrifoodBecause we need to work out which tools fungi use to damage our crops. Sometimes crops are tricky to work with so models have to do pic.twitter.com/mrdk2tRgC6

 

#agrifoodbecause we need to protect the crops to feed the world while repairing and protecting a highly damaged ecosystem. There is no delete option! #foodsecurity #noplanetb #organic #earth #wildlife #insectpests #beneficialinsects pic.twitter.com/JXfycRc0tx

Once again, it was an incredibly successful online event, with fascinating topics covered.

To find out more about the Twitter competition, follow our SCI Agri-Food Early Careers Committee Twitter @SCI_AgriFood and look out for #agrifoodbecause.

In this second article in our ‘How to…’ series, we reflect on what we learned from Mugdha Joshi, IP & Licensing expert at Kings College London, in her training session on Intellectual Property.

What is Intellectual Property?

Intellectual Property (IP) is a term that refers to the ‘creations of the mind’ such as inventions, works of art and symbols, names and images used in commerce.

 

Types of IP

Patents - Works to prevent another person from being able to use the same invention. They cover how inventions work, how they do it, what they are made of and how they are made. A patent lasts for 20 years and it must be renewed on its fourth anniversary. It then must be renewed every year. After 20 years the patent is given to the public. To qualify for a patent, the invention needs to meet the following criteria:

- The invention needs to be undisclosed and not in the public domain before the date of filing. However, any disclosure under a non-disclosure agreement is fine.

- Your idea needs an inventive step that is not obvious to someone with knowledge of the subject.

- It must be a solution to a problem.

- It must be something that can be made and not just speculative.

Copyrights – Protects work created by their author. It must be the author’s own intellectual creation and not have been copied from somewhere else.

Designs – This refers to the aesthetic aspects of an article. It protects 3D objects, or the designs applied to them.

Trademarks – A distinctive sign that identifies certain goods or properties provided by an individual or a company.

 

Commercialisation of IP

The commercialisation process involves:

- Market analysis - What does your product solve? Why is it better than your competition? Who wants it and why? What are its limitations? What is the development time? (Click here for more on marketing).

- Due Diligence - In-depth research of your company and invention and will include schedules of patents, copyrights and trademarks

- IP protection -  Prior art search and patent attorney. You must ensure there is no evidence of your idea already being known.

- Proof of concept fund

- Marketing - Reaching out to companies and sending non-confidential flyers

- Licensing - What’s down the pipeline? Exclusive or non-exclusive licence? What obligations are there, e.g. development milestones?

- Spit-out creation - What do venture capitalists look for? They will want to see all your documentation that demonstrates that you meet various requirements. They will want to see your granted patents. It is a good idea to have a portfolio with multiple aspects of the product covered. They want to see that your product and company is professionally managed and that there are no issues of contested ownership or opposition.

 

The Bright SCIdea Challenge 2020 Final

SCI are unable to protect any intellectual property submitted as part of the competition. It is in your best interest to not disclose any information that could give away key aspects of your innovation for others to reproduce.

 

All images: Andrew Lunn/SCI

The event, organised by SCI’s Young Chemists Panel and Fine Chemicals Group, alongside RSC’s Heterocycle and Synthesis Group and Organic Division Council, saw 11 teams from across academia and industry to showcase their synthetic prowess.

At the event, the teams presented their synthetic routes for the novel sulfonated alkaloid Aconicarmisulfonine A. After their presentations, teams were questioned by the judges and audience on their synthetic route selections.

Scroll down to experience the day…

 

Chair of the Retrosynthesis Competition Organising Committee, Jason Camp, opens proceedings.

 

 

Live and Let Diene from Concept Life Sciences kick off the day’s pitches.

 

The Tryptophantastic Four from the University of Bristol followed.

 

 

Total Synthesisers from the University of Manchester deliver their synthesis model to a packed audience.

 

The Bloomsbury Group from the University of Manchester close the first session of the day.

 

During breaks, the competitors networked with senior scientists and our company exhibitors.

 

SygTeamTwo from Sygnature Discovery take to the podium.

 

 

The judges seem impressed with this year’s teams as Shawshank Reduction from the University of Oxford pitch next. 

 

Next up is In Tsuji We Trost from Evotec.

 

 

Totally Disconnected from the University of Strathclyde close the second session.

 

 

The competition gets more competitive and popular each year! SCI and RSC members discuss the teams so far.

 

Hold Me Closer Vinyl Dancer from the University of Cambridge are up.

 

Flower Power from Syngenta give an intriguing talk.

 

The second University of Oxford Team, Reflux and Chill?, finish the day’s impressive set of pitches.

 

Audience members then casted their votes for the Audience Vote winner…

 

…which went to In Tsuji We Trost!

 

Our 3rd place finalists were SygTeamTwo…

 

Oxford team Shawshank Reduction took 2nd place…

 

Congratulations to 2019 winners, Flower Power!

In the build up to our SCI Agri-Food Early Career Committee’s 2019 #agrifoodbecause Twitter competition, we are looking back over the best photos of the 2018 competition. Entrants were asked to take photos and explain why they loved their work, using the hashtag #agrifoodbecause on Twitter.

Our 2018 winner, Claire Dumenil from Rothamsted Research, won first prize for her visually striking image of a fruit fly on a raspberry. She received a free SCI student membership and an Amazon voucher.

 

#agrifoodbecause invasive pests threaten food production and food security, worldwide! #SWD #drosophilasuzukii #Rothamsted #cardiffuni – Claire Dumenil (@CnfDumenil)

 

#agrifoodbecause I work on reducing aphid infestations on wheat. From the lab to the field – Amma Simon (@amma_simon)

 

#agrifoodbecause I’m working on innovative food&feed solutions to tackle malnutrition @SCIupdate @SCIAgrisciences #ento #cricketprotein – Darja Dobermann (@darjadobermann)

 

With their fluffy body bumblebees are fantastic pollinators! Work with them can improve crop pollination !! #agrifoodbecause – Sandrine Chaillout (@100chillout)

 

#agrifoodbecause I can develop drought tolerant wheat varieties –  Samer Mohamed (@samer313)

 

#agrifoodbecause My Research looks at wild pollinators and how we can build a sustainable farming future with them and us in mind! – Laura James (@JamJamLaura)

 

#agrifoodbecause our improving understanding of the devastating pest, whitefly Bemisia tabaci s.l., will help farmers to increase yields and feed their children <3 – Sona Vyskocilova (@VyskocilovaS)

University students from across the UK came to SCI HQ in London on Friday 7 December 2018 for a day of face-to-face business and innovation and entrepreneurship training, which was exclusively available to entrants to the Bright SCIdea Challenge 2019.

The students heard from experts in their fields on topics such as ‘Managing the Money’, ‘Defining the Market’, Intellectual Property (IP) and ‘How to Pitch’.

 

 

Sharon Todd, SCI’s Executive Director, introduces the students to SCI and the Bright SCIdea Challenge.  

 

 

David Prest, from our corporate supporter Drochaid Research Services, talks to delegates about defining the market and taking their product from lab to the market.

 

 

 

Our Bright SCIdea applicants learnt about IP from Charlotte Crowhurst, a patent lawyer and partner from Potter Clarkson.

 

 

Martin Curry from our sponsor STEM Healthcare teaches the audience about managing the money of a business.

 

 

Libby Linfied – one-third of our 2018 UCL winners Team Glucoguard – spoke about her experience and journey to last year’s final. 

 

Victor Christou, CEO of Cambridge Innovation Capital and 2018 Head Judge, ran an interactive session on how to pitch. 

 

 

Groups were given everyday objects to pitch to Victor.

 

 

 

 

The students made compelling arguments for a plug adapter, hi-vis vest, ‘phone pillow’ and lunchbox.

 

 

 

 

Delegates and trainers mingled at a wine reception in the evening.

The Bright SCIdea Challenge 2019 final will take place on Tuesday 19 March 2019 at SCI HQ in London. Teams will compete for a chance to win £5,000!

💡In 2018, we launched the #BrightSCIdea Challenge – an opportunity for students with a science-based innovation to gain expert training in developing an idea into a business. 💡

💡The response was incredible, and we invited six fantastic teams to pitch their innovation at the very first final. The winning team walked away with £1,000… 💡

💡Now, we’re taking entries for 2019, and we’re offering the winners not double, not treble, but five times the prize! To find out more and register your interest for the 2019 #BrightSCIdea Challenge, visit www.soci.org/brightscidea 💡

💡Show us you mean business!💡

💡 bit.ly/SCIdea2018 💡 Bright SCIdea Challenge – show us you mean business. Watch to find out about our competition, for students with a bright idea for a science-based business. There’s a £1,000 prize! 💡

Bright SCIdea Challenge – pitch your business plan to our expert panel! from SCI on Vimeo.

Are you a UK or ROI-based student with a bright idea for a science-based innovation? Want to gain experience in developing that idea into a business plan? Put together a team and join SCI’s Bright SCIdea Challenge for a series of training videos from science-based industry experts and you could be selected to pitch your business to our expert panel, with the winning team walking away with £1,000! For full details, visit bit.ly/SCIdea2018

 

What do a smartphone, a tub of moisturiser, a car tyre, and a paracetamol have in common?… 

– they all exist thanks to science… but not science alone! 

A scientist who cross-links rubber’s polymeric chains with sulphur will end up with some durable vulcanised rubber, but not a tyre. And even when he or she does have a tyre, it’s not much good on its own. 

That’s why it’s essential that science meets business – from our food to our clothes, our gadgets to our cosmetics, all of the science we take for granted in every product we use had to get out of the lab and into people’s hands somehow. 

Here at SCI, we’ve been supporting science-based innovation since 1881 for this very reason – fostering the links between science and business to ensure that what happens in the lab gets out into the world and provides benefit to society. 

 

That’s why we’re running the very first Bright SCIdea Challenge! It’s a competition for UK and Republic of Ireland science students (under- or post-grad), and we’re asking students with a great science-based idea for a product or service to put together a team and develop a business plan. 

We’re offering all entrants a free series of training videos from experts in their fields, the first of which is due for release this week! We’ll be giving the teams tips on putting their business plan together, as well as how to pitch the plan – the chosen finalists will deliver their pitch to our judging panel at SCI in London… and the winning team will win £1,000, courtesy of our competition sponsor, Synthomer. 

For more information and to sign up for the challenge, visit bit.ly/SCIdea2018 now! You can join the conversation on Twitter by following @SCIupdate and using the hashtag #BrightSCIdea, and by joining the Bright SCIdea Challenge Facebook group.