USAID/MIT The Innovation MarketPlace 2016 Closing 31st May.

The Innovation Marketplace, hosted by USAID and MIT, is a competition showcasing the talent of students and young innovators who are using science, ence, technology, innovation and partnerships to tackle global challenges .

Teams or individuals can compete in one of two categories: “products & services” and “research.”

Products & services are approaches, technologies, devices, or systems with at least an existing prototype by the time of submission.

Research includes projects or methodologies that have collected preliminary data by the time of submission.

The Innovation Marketplace will take place in mid-November on MIT’s campus, which is located in the Boston area, as a feature of HESN’s TechCon 2016. Throughout the course of the competition, individuals or teams of young innovators such as students, young professionals, or postdoctoral researchers will have the opportunity to gain exposure, build support for their innovative product or research, receive technical feedback, and practice their pitching skills. Although all accepted applicants will be able to attend TechCon, the final round of winners from each category will receive financial and/or mentorship support.

Eligibility:

All young innovators (18 – 30) may compete, although exceptions may be made for current doctoral students and post-doctoral fellows. You do not have to be a student from a Higher Education Solutions Network (HESN) university to apply. Individuals and teams may apply, and they will not be evaluated differently.

Teams competing in the “product & services” category must have an existing prototype or model at the application time, while teams in the “research” category must have preliminary data sufficient to generate a meaningful abstract.

For questions about the Innovation Marketplace, please email techcon@usaid.gov.

All applications are due by May 31.

Apply here