University of Newcastle’s

Grand Challenge 2021

Rules & Guidelines

Proposals due by Monday 25 October 2021 16:00PM AEDT.

I.        Overview

The University of Newcastle’s (the University) Grand Challenge (GC) supports teams developing early-stage projects, including untested ideas and innovations, for a novel trap design that can improve adult mosquito surveillance in the following ways:

• practicality
• sampling efficiency
• cost; and
• safety.

The proposed innovative trap design must provide:

• continuous CO2 attractant over a 12-hour sampling period (dry ice is not a requirement)
• contain an attractant light and a trapping mechanism that collects adult mosquitos keeping them alive.

Temporary (12hr), semi-permanent, or permanent trapping solutions will be considered.

II.      Eligibility

·         All Teams members must be registered via the Grand Challenge Devpost site by Monday 25 October 2020 16:00PM AEDT.

·         Teams must consist of a minimum of two to maximum of five members.

·         At least one team member must be a University of Newcastle student, staff or alumni based in Australia.

III. Participation

·         Participants agree to take part in the Grand Challenge in an open and respectful manner and agree to comply with the University’s Code of Conduct.

·         A Team can submit only one application. An individual Team Lead may lead the submission of only one application but be a member of other Teams also making an application.

IV. Project Applications

Schedule

Project Submission

All Teams must be registered with Devpost and submit their proposal to the University of Newcastle Grand Challenge Devpost page by Monday 25 October 2021 at 16:00PM (AEDT). The Devpost team page must include the following:

·       Team name

·       Team member’s full names and email addresses

·       Team Lead’s name

·       Name of Project with a one sentence description

·       A longer description of what your Project is about, including these headings (no more than 1,000 words in total):

1.       Project Title

2.       Description of multidisciplinary team members (biographies)

3.       Describe and illustrate the proposed solution including:

• Graphical depictions of the trap design
• Outline of how the proposed trap works
• Outline of how the proposed trap improves on what is currently available
• Outline of what is novel and creative about the trap design

4.       Describe the top three critical hypothesis you want to explore, including:

o    How you will test them;

o    Describe your experimental plan, including any new technologies or tools to be developed; and

o    If your experiment/s in the testing phase are successful what are the next steps?

5.       Describe how would use funding to progress your hypotheses, including:

o    How will the work described be performed within the budget (up to AU$5,000) and period (6 months) allocated for the testing phase (resources, capability etc)?

o    What essential outcomes will you generate during your testing phase?

o    Include a brief breakdown of allowable costs.

·       Create a link from YouTube to a video of no more than 3-minutes duration that outlines your project and its proposed outcomes.

V. Judging

·       All Hackathon entries will be judged by the Hackathon Judging Panel against the following assessment criteria:

o   Potential to increased practicality, sampling efficiency, cost, and safety as compared to current options.

o   Potential to improve mosquito sample integrity, with a preference for dry, live mosquitoes with minimal by-catch (unwanted other species).

o   Potential to increase the total number of mosquitoes and the largest ratio of Aedes vigilax caught over a sampling period.

• Preliminary discovery: Demonstrated understanding of the problem the team has achieved during the application window.
• Clarity of Problem: Ability to describe well the part of the problem the team is looking solve.
• Vision / Solution:  Exciting, innovative and unique aspects of the proposal.
• Testability: Shows a clear, logical, and thoughtful description of up to three hypotheses to be tested and potential results that will be produced.
• Outcomes: Describes with clarity what the expected minimum viable product will look like or how the minimum viable experiment will be performed within budget and the 6-month timeframe allocated, including what value and/or learnings are planned to be achieved.
• Action plan: Clearly articulates next steps and how the funding will be used.
• Team: Demonstrates the uniqueness of the team to tackle the challenge and their commitment to their proposal.

·       The Grand Challenge Project Application Judging Panel will determine all recipients and will consist of a mix of Organiser representatives and industry supporters.

·       All submission elements detailed in ‘Project Submission’ section of this document must be completed by the required time. No requests for extensions will be considered.

• Final arbiter is the Grand Challenge Project Application Judging Panel whose decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into. This is a competition of skill. Chance plays no part in this competition.

·     All Teams selected to receive funding will require the Team Lead to liaise with and provide their details to the Organisers following funding announcements. They will be responsible for ensuring that all spending of funds is reported as required.

VI. Use of Funds

·       The Funds provided may only be used for the purpose of delivering on the Project outlined in the Application. Grant funds cannot be used to reimburse any expenses incurred prior to the awarding of the Grant.

·       Funds can be used for the purchase of equipment so long as the assets are used exclusively for the Project during the term of the grant and the cost of any single item does not exceed $5,000 ex GST.

·       Funds may not be used to pay for indirect costs. Indirect costs are defined as (1) overhead expenses incurred as a result of the Project, but that are not easily identifiable with the Project and (2) administrative expenses that are related to overall general operations and are shared among projects and/or functions. Examples of indirect costs include:

o   Salaries / wages and related benefits

o   General office supplies (pens, paper etc)

o   Phone plans

·       Grant funds cannot be used for the following activities:

o   Salaries/wages and related benefits of team members working directly or indirectly on the Project

o   Trainee / participant costs, such as stipends, tuition & fees, travel

o   Travel costs (airfares, meals, lodging, conference fees)

VII. Intellectual Property

·     The University of Newcastle makes no claim over the intellectual property (IP) generated by you as part of the University of Newcastle’s Grand Challenge (subject to the University’s IP Policy and Procedure) provided your use of the IP acknowledges that the IP was developed as part of the University of Newcastle Grand Challenge (unless it is unreasonable to do so).

·     If you are employee or student of the University of Newcastle, you agree and acknowledge that ownership of the IP will be in accordance with the University IP Policy and Procedure, as amended from time to time. IP Policy found here. IP Procedure found here.

·     Teams may request the assistance of University to commercialise the IP noting that the University is entitled to recover the costs of any assistance.

VIII. Photography and Video

Participants acknowledge that the University will be recording the Challenge events on video, photographs, audio recording and other media, and therefore agree that:

• The Organisers have the unrestricted right to use your likeness, image, voice, opinions, and appearance, and also any images of your projects, developments, materials and belongings made at or brought to the Hackathon, captured through video, photographs or other media during the Hackathon for the express purpose of creating promotional material (the “Images”), for the purposes of use in websites, promotional materials, publications and other media of any of the Organizers, whether in print or electronically (the “Materials”). The foregoing right includes permission to copyright, use, re-use, publish, and republish Images in which you may be included, intact or in part, composite or distorted in character or form, without restriction as to changes or transformations, in conjunction with your own or a fictitious name, reproduction in colour or otherwise, made through any and all media now or hereafter known;
• The Organisers shall solely own the Materials in which you or your Images, in whole or in part, may appear, including copyright interests, and you have no ownership rights therein;
• You give all clearances, copyright and otherwise, for use of your Images, and waive any moral rights that you may have in the Materials in which you or your Images may appear. The rights granted to the Organisers herein are perpetual and worldwide. For greater certainty, my Images may continue to be used after the completion of the Hackathon;
• You relinquish any right that you may have to examine or approve the Materials in which you or your Images may appear or the use to which they may be applied; and
• You hereby release, discharge and agree to save harmless each and all of the Organisers from any liability by virtue of any blurring, distortion, alteration, optical illusion, or use in composite form of the Images whether intentional or otherwise, that may occur or be produced in the recording of the Images or in any subsequent processing thereof, as well as any publication thereof, including without limitation any claims for libel or invasion of privacy.

IX. Privacy

We advise that the information you provide is collected by the University and its contracted service providers and may be used to make you aware of future University events and opportunities. The University and its contracted service providers may use your personal information to invite you to participate in surveys or market research activities. The University abides by the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (NSW), under which you have the right to access your personal information held by the University. The University’s Web Privacy Statement and Privacy and Information Access Policy provide further detail.