The Center for the Development and Application of Internet of Things Technologies (CDAIT), and co-sponsors the School of Public Policy and GT VentureLab, are pleased to announce the 2024 Student IoT Innovation Challenge call for project proposals.
The Challenge is a CDAIT initiative to advance the development of innovation, applications, policy, and activities, broadly, in the area of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies and applications, computing at the edge, and cloud technologies. CDAIT seeks to stimulate projects involving rapid response innovative/exploratory research, hardware/software projects, policy and applications, and efforts to advance ideas into prototyping and early commercialization phases.
This year, we are interested in supporting projects that fall into two categories:
- Research and development (R&D), and
- Commercialization
Previously we have focused on R&D and exploratory research, which we continue to be interested in. Based on interest from industry collaborators, we are additionally looking for projects that are ready to move past the "lab bench stage" into the next phase of commercialization and development.
For the R&D category, in addition to typical IoT-based engineering and computer science-related projects, we welcome proposals from the social sciences, humanities, and multidisciplinary teams that address themes of broader social impacts, inclusion, and policy effects of IoT. For the Commercialization category, projects focused on Industrial IoT (IIoT), health and wellness, logistics, and/or enterprise applications are especially encouraged.
We are planning to have four prize categories this year:
- The Coca-Cola IoT Emerging Innovation prize for innovative technologies and applications with truly disruptive potential
- Policy/Civic Engagement prize for projects with social, civic/public sector or community impact
- The Verizon Connectivity prize focused on connectivity and edge applications
- The KORE Wireless IoT Commercial Applications prize, for projects that could deliver significant commercialization or industrial benefits
Given that the two types of competition represent different phases of innovation, this year we are establishing two parallel competition tracks. For the R&D category, we will provide up to $2,500 in research support (materials and supplies) to as many as four (4) R&D Challenge teams. For Commercialization, we will provide up to $2,000 in funds to as many as two (2) teams to support commercialization efforts.
Challenge winners – up to four teams total – will receive scholarship awards totaling $14,000, to be divided among team members as payments through the financial aid office. We anticipate that this will be awarded to 3 R&D teams and 1 Commercialization team.
For examples of previous R&D projects, view the 2021 Challenge Winning Teams, 2022 Challenge Winning Teams, and 2023 Challenge Winning Teams.
As this is the first year that we are supporting commercialization projects we do not have previous examples, but project deliverables could be, for example, a detailed business plan to bring an IoT project to market, a marketing plan covering approaches to understanding markets for an IoT project, or a proposal to conduct market research or user needs for a project that could help an industry partner explore a new direction. Winners of the commercialization prize would be eligible to work with GTVentureLab or other GT partners on subsequent commercialization activity.
CDAIT is interested in a wide range of projects and looks forward to receiving proposals addressing (but not limited to) the following topics:
- Industrial/manufacturing and productivity applications
- Enterprise and logistics applications
- AI, IoT, and smart edge devices
- #IoT and Connectivity – 5G, WiFi, Bluetooth, LPWAN, etc.
- Healthcare/Healthtech and IoT
- Policy and IoT: social benefits, social challenges
- Connected medical device/applications and use cases
- IoT, sensors, and the environment
- Inclusive IoT: Aging, People with Disabilities, and minority populations
- IoT CyberSecurity platforms and devices: technology, policy, processes
- IoT and Data: collecting and managing real-world data
- Smart Cities/Connected Communities/Transportation systems
- Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality/Mixed Reality in training/manufacturing/business settings
Rules and Eligibility
Applicant teams should be composed of up to 3 Georgia Tech students, which can be undergraduate or graduate students. The proposed projects, papers, apps, devices, or product presentations should be completed by May 1, 2024. Teams will present their work at a CDAIT industry event in late May.
How to Apply
Project teams submit a competition application on or before Feb. 16, 2024, through the online application site. Submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis.
The key component of the competition application is the research project proposal and supporting documentation.
The R&D Project Proposal should include:
- Project Title
- An overview of proposed project (abstract)
- Objectives and goals for the project, to include a brief (3-5 sentence) proposed social/economic impact statement
- Supporting literature/references and background information
- Design approaches, methods, and techniques to be employed, software to be used or developed, and types of media or resources to be utilized
- A list of team members and contact info for the team leader
- A proposed budget for materials and supplies. This could include parts, software, fees for access to needed research/databases, etc.
- Proposals should not exceed two pages in length in 10-point font (excluding references)
- Proposed deliverables could include: a working prototype, evidence of working functional design, a graphic interface, or an in-depth policy paper related to IoT development.
The Commercialization Project Proposal should include:
- Project Title
- An overview of proposed project (abstract)
- Objectives and goals for the project, including a brief (3-5 sentence) proposed commercialization or market focus for the project.
- Description of technologies to be employed, software to be used illustration of products or prototypes; types of media or resources to be used, target industry and/or market, and potential commercialization path.
- A list of team members and contact info for the team leader
- A proposed budget for materials and supplies. This could include parts, software, fees for access to needed research/databases, etc.
- Proposals should not exceed two pages in length in 10-point font (excluding references)
- Proposed Deliverables: working prototype such as a pre-minimum viable product, (MVP), with characterization data and benchmarks (chart or .xls) against the state-of-the-art solution(s) today.: 2) demonstration of product-market fit, and 3) a list of potential customers, partners or licensees.
For more information and to apply go to the Online Application Site.
Questions?
All questions should be directed to Nathan Moon (nathan.moon@gatech.edu)