The 2013 International Sustainable Electronics Competition will begin in just one month (registration opens September 1 and closes November 1, 2013). In addition to the new categories, an additional new feature has been added for the benefit of this year’s participants. Entrants who submit a concept for a product or business may receive feedback on their idea from experts at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Technology Entrepreneur Center (TEC).
Part of the College of Engineering, the mission of TEC is to “provide students and faculty with the skills, resources and experiences necessary to become successful innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders who tackle grand challenges and change the world.” TEC offers courses, certificate programs, workshops, venture and product competitions, and other curricular and extra-curricular events to inspire and guide students through the processes of technology innovation and market adoption.
Feedback for International Sustainable Electronics Competition participants will be in the form of comments and possibly contacts or resources for further exploration by the participants as they see fit. Comments may discuss the feasibility of the concept, marketability, potential barriers to success, and areas for further development and research if the entrant(s) wishes to pursue their idea as a money-making venture. Please note TEC will NOT be helping individuals transfer their concepts to the marketplace, but merely providing some advice to those who may wish to pursue such a venture on their own after participation in this competition.
Participants who wish to have their entries reviewed by TEC staff must indicate this on their online submission forms, by checking the appropriate box. Only those entries that have indicated this as part of the submission form will be reviewed by TEC. Note that feedback from TEC may not be appropriate for all entries, since not every concept submitted will be for a new product or business venture. Feedback will be sent via email to the address (es) supplied on the online submission form. Because such review will take time, responses may not be sent until after the competition winners have been announced (in early December).
The Sustainable Electronics Initiative (SEI) is pleased to offer this opportunity for critique to participants. Juror comments (minus any identifying information) may also be provided to participants to help them evaluate what worked or didn’t work in their concepts. It has often been the case that attendees at the competition awards ceremonies have wished aloud that they could purchase a proposed product or service. We hope that this option inspires participants to seriously consider careers developing innovative, sustainable solutions to environmental and social issues related to technology. Our thanks to TEC, and in particular Dr. Brian Lilly and Jennifer Bechtel, for their support of this collaboration.
Questions may be directed to Joy Scrogum.