Biobased Innovation Student Challenge Europe (BISC-E) Student Challenge

Do you want to design a creative bio-based solution as a multidisciplinary student team? The Bio-based Innovation Student Challenge Europe (BISC-E), organized by GREEN-CHEM and RE-SOURCE.bio, encourages students to explore innovation and business development in the emerging bio-economy while developing a new biobased product or process. Are you up for the challenge? Register now!

The Challenge

All teams develop a bio-based innovation (product or process) and present their ideas via a participation file and a presentation to a jury of experts from industry and science. The presentation has to be accompanied by a few supporting documents explaining sustainability, technical feasibility and economic viability of your innovation.  

The jury will assess these teams via an online preselection. The 3 best teams will be selected for the Belgian finals. Teams who continue through to the finals will have to submit a complete dossier. This dossier consists of the original participation file and presentation, as well as an updated version of the participation file and presentation based on the feedback of the jury that was given during the preselection and based on the coaching over the summer. In addition, the group needs to explain their progress and decision making in an extra explanatory letter to the jury. 

For Who?

The challenge is open for all BSc and MSc students. Due to the multidisciplinary character of the challenge it is recommended to embody multiple disciplines in your team, of which exact science should be one. Team members can come from different institutions.

Everybody wins

Participating in BISC-E will give you valuable experience in the emerging bio-based work field, in developing a new product or process with all its aspects and in presenting innovative ideas for a panel of experts. On top of that there are great prizes to be won. 

How to apply 

To register for the BISC-E, participants need to fill out this form with your presentation and submit it before 30 June 2020.  

To be eligible for the competition you need:

 - A team name

- A team manager (one of the student team members)

- A supervisor

- Fill out the participation form 

- Personal details of the team members

What

The student teams are asked to develop a bio-based product or bio-based process that could be integrated in the current (or near future) economy. 

A bio-based product is a product composed in whole, or for a significant part, of biological material derived from renewable biological sources, including plant, animal or marine materials. Where product is defined as: substance, mixture of substances, material or object resulting from a production process, this can be an intermediate, material, semi-finished or final product.

Two tracks can be followed.

1. For innovation concerning a bio-based product.

2. For innovations leading to a bio-based process or bio-based improvements of a process step. Also services or other innovations strongly advancing the bio-based economy not leading to a touchable prototype product that can be presented fall in this category. 

Timeline

30 June 2020 - Submission Deadline

8 July 2020 - Online Preselection (If Needed)

1 October - Belgian Finals

Prizes

First prize  €1000

Second prize €500

Third prize €250