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FORECAST 3rd Grand Innovation Challenge 2024

“ Resilience and Transformation: Innovating Connected Caribbean Communities”

The 3rd Student Grand Innovation Challenge

Attractive cash prizes to be awarded as well as an opportunity to present your innovation to leading scientists and industry experts for guidance and potential investment. There will be special awards for Best Overall Innovation, Best Innovation (High School), among others.
The FORECAST Grand Innovation Challenge 2024 is to develop a feasible community-based innovation (prototype/product/concept) consistent with the theme “Resilience and Transformation: Innovating Connected Caribbean Communities.”

COMPETITION DETAILS

The theme of the 3rd Grand Innovation Challenge underscores the critical importance of building resilience and driving transformation within Caribbean communities. This challenge seeks innovative solutions that align with key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those that support the resilience and sustainable development of these communities against environmental, economic, and societal challenges.

GIC CHALLENGE PRIZES

Prizes up to $5000 USD in cash and awards, with special recognitions for Best Secondary School Award and People’s Choice Award.

ENTRY GUIDELINE

  • Open to CARICOM students (high school, undergraduate, graduate).
  • Teams of 2-5 members.
  • A mentor is required for guidance, but presentations must be exclusively student-led.
  • Innovations must be original.

CHALLENGE CRITERIA AND OBJECTIVES

The FORECAST Grand Innovation Challenge 2024 calls for innovations that encapsulate resilience and transformative capacity in Caribbean communities. Winning innovations should:
  • Address a significant challenge relevant to Caribbean communities.
  • Be scalable, sustainable, and demonstrate resilience.
  • Exhibit cost-effectiveness.
  • Provide benefits to a diverse range of social groups.
  • Show a marked improvement over existing solutions in similar contexts

ALIGNMENT WITH SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGs)

Innovations should contribute to one or more of the following SDGs:
  • SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation): Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
  • SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure): Develop resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation, and foster innovation.
  • SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities): Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
  • SDG 13 (Climate Action): Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
  • SDG 14 (Life Below Water):Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources.
  • SDG 15 (Life on Land): Protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, manage forests sustainably, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.

Grand Innovation Challenge Format

Information Session – To offer insights into criteria, submission guidelines, thematic alignment with SDGs and clarify queries on May 21, 2024, at 4:00 pm Jamaican Time (5:00 pm ECT).
Use the Button below to joing Zoom Meeting | Meeting ID: 934 0499 0786
Information Session Meeting Link
First Round – Submission of GIC Entry Form available online under Grand Innovation Challenge by May 24, 2024.
The initial round of judging will be augmented with AI assistance to ensure a comprehensive and objective evaluation of submissions. Qualified teams will be notified through the Team’s Contact Person via email by May 31, 2024.

Second Round – Qualified teams must craft and submit a comprehensive video presentation that not only showcases their innovation but also demonstrates its practical application and effectiveness in a real-world scenario by June 7, 2024.
The finalists will be notified through the Team’s Contact Person via email by June 21, 2024.

Final Round – The finalists will deliver an engaging presentation of their innovation to a panel of judges at the FORECAST 2024 Conference on July 12, 2024, highlighting its potential impact and practicality within Caribbean communities.

Key Dates
  • Information Session: May 21, 2024
  • Entry Form Submission: May 24, 2024
  • First Round Notification: May 31, 2024
  • Video Presentation Deadline: June 7, 2024
  • Finalist Notification: June 21, 2024
  • Final Pitch at FORECAST 2024: July 12, 2024
Contact Information
Conference Email: [email protected]
Subject: Attention GIC

GRAND INNOVATION CHALLENGE ONLINE ENTRY FORM

This form is due by May 24, 2024.
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The University of Technology, Jamaica, Science Faculties of The University of the West Indies (Cave Hill, Mona and St Augustine), The University of Guyana and The University of Trinidad and Tobago. The theme of the conference is “Advancing Science & Technology Innovation for National and Regional Development​”

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