ABOUT IDEA INCUBATOR
IDea Incubator is a “Shark Tank”-style competition designed to encourage early-stage ventures of original inventions, products or concepts for improving ID care. Finalists share their concepts with the ID community and judges in the fields of business, medicine, technology and the pharmaceutical industry each year during IDWeek.
Competition Rules:
- IDea Incubator is open to both IDSA members and nonmembers.
- Any group, company or organization that applies must have at least one IDWeek 2024 attendee. This attendee must be the primary submitter and may be a scientific attendee, exhibitor, invited speaker or guest.
- All applications will be reviewed by committee to choose the category winners.
- Category winners will be asked to create a pitch video for the People’s Choice award-winning idea and to present their innovation at the IDea Incubator live event at IDWeek 2024.
Awards:
- Each individual category winner will receive a cash prize of $10,000. This award is determined by the IDea Incubator review panel.
- The Innovator of the Year award winner will receive a cash prize of $5,000 as well as an accelerator package with access to startup coaching that will provide guidance for launching or scaling the innovation, setting up legal protections, budgeting and marketing. This award is determined by the judging panel at the live IDea Incubator award event at IDWeek 2024.
- The People’s Choice award will be awarded to the video with the most popular votes; this award winner will receive an award as well as additional promotion of the award through IDSA communication channels. This award is determined by the most votes received for the pitch videos.
The IDea Incubator provides the opportunity for all applicants to receive feedback from judges in the business, technology and medicine industries and gives category winners the opportunity to present their idea in front of the ID community at IDWeek 2024.
The IDSA Foundation and its affiliates are not responsible for any intellectual property submitted and/or presented through the IDea Incubator. Any individual, group, organization or company is solely responsible for securing intellectual property protection.
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Important Dates
- June 30, 2024: Applications close
- July 15, 2024: All applicants are notified of award decisions
- Aug. 1-Sept. 1, 2024: Pitch video development
- Oct. 16-19, 2024: IDWeek in Los Angeles, CA
SECURING YOUR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
The following articles may assist with securing intellectual property. Many other sources are available on the internet:
- “How to Protect Your Product or Idea When Pitching It to a Company.” The Wall Street Journal, 3 September 2008, http://guides.wsj.com/small-business/running-a-business/how-to-protect-your-product-or-idea-when-pitching-it-to-a-company/
- Fitzsimmons, Kelly. “10 Ways to Protect Your Intellectual Property.” Inc., 19 September 2012, https://www.inc.com/kelly-fitzsimmons/ten-ways-to-protect-your-intellectual-property.html