Healthcare for Aging Canadians

 

 

Challenge Activities and Steps

Challenge Kickoff Event

January 30, 2024

The kickoff event of the Healthcare for Aging Canadians Challenge is an excellent opportunity to learn more about the challenge and hear from experts about the evolving needs of aging populations. This hybrid event allows teams to participate in person or virtually, with the event taking place at NorQuest College in Edmonton, Alberta. Attend this event to gain a comprehensive understanding of the issues, engage in networking, and hear valuable advice from healthcare experts before embarking on the challenge. 

Watch the recording of the kickoff event here.

STEP 1: Registration/Ideation

December 11, 2023 - February 6, 2024

Create or join a team of 2-4 post-secondary students. For this stage, prepare a 5-7 page PowerPoint presentation outlining your project and its potential impact. All submissions must be in English and should be uploaded to the platform as a PDF file by 11:59 PM (MT) on February 6, 2024. 

STEP 2: Development

February 6 - February 26, 2024 

During this stage, teams will be paired with a mentor to assist them in further developing their ideas. The deliverable for this stage is a 3–5 minute video presentation demonstrating your solution, the technology behind it, as well as the market it is serving. All submissions must be in English and should be uploaded to the platform by 11:59 PM (MT) on February 26, 2024. 

The voting stage will occur between February 27-29. Up to five teams will be chosen to advance to the finals. The finalist teams will receive notification on the evening of February 29, 2024. 

STEP 3: The Final Pitch

March 14, 2024 

Between March 1-14, the top 5 teams will have time to refine their solution/prototype and prepare a 10-minute presentation, including a brief prototype demonstration. The finalist teams will have the opportunity to pitch their solutions to the jury at a live hybrid event on March 14, 2024 (teams are invited to attend in-person but can also present virtually - location NorQuest College). 

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Evaluation Criteria

ORIGINALITY & INNOVATION - 30%

Does the project offer an original, innovative approach to addressing the selected problem? Is the project ambitious or creative within the constraints of the challenge timeline? Is this a new idea or has the team used this idea in the past?

TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE - 30%

Does your team make effective and appropriate use of the selected tools and technologies? Does the team effectively communicate a solution to the challenge?

TEAM DIVERSITY & COMPLEMENTARY SKILLS - 10%

Does your team reflect diversity? Does your team have a complementary skill set that enables you to tackle the different aspects of your project?

IMPACT & FEASIBILITY - 30%

Does the project address a clear need, problem, or opportunity? Does the project fit the problem it addresses? Does the team have a credible plan for implementing their proposed solution and does the solution have a good product/market fit?

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Eligibility/Rules

• Must be a Canadian post-secondary student (including abroad) or an international student attending a Canadian post-secondary school
• Teams must be 2-4 people
• All team members must be currently enrolled in a post-secondary school or have graduated in the past 6 months
  Note: we will require documentation of the above to process any prizing
• Must be an original idea not used in previous pitch events, school projects, grant proposals, etc.