By 
In an effort to recognise and support the brightest and most innovative young minds across the world, GITEX Technology Week has launched an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) -focused Student Lab competition which first held last year. The Student Lab is designed to encourage students to create their best ICT related projects, promote entrepreneurship within the ICT industry and become the next ICT innovators. \
The award recognises and promotes the brightest and most innovative ICT students from across the Middle East, Africa and South Asian region. Students have the opportunity to showcase their projects to a wide range of decision-makers involved in all fields of the innovation lifecycle: CEOs, CIOs, tech decision-makers, venture capitalists, startups, economic and technology press, governments and media. To participate and for further information on the competition, students may contact: [email protected].
Entries are already being submitted for the 2014 edition of GITEX Technology Week for which Nigeria is the sole Official Country Partner. Entries submission has been extended from June 1, 2014 to June 30, 2014. “This opens a new vista of global exposures for our ICT students in the higher institutions and we at NITDA are encouraging participation as our students have demonstrated ability for great innovations,” said Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) whose agency is promoting Nigeria’s participation at Gitex Technology Week under the auspices of the Ministry of Communications Technology. Participants may also contact the NITDA’s Gitex Local Organising Committee (LOC) charged with overseeing Nigeria’s successful participation at GITEX 2014.
The top three entries stand the chance to win cash prizes and training opportunities in the industry with winners to be announced during GITEX Technology Week on 16 October 2014. In addition, all entrants will retain Intellectual Property (IP) ownership of their projects and will have the opportunity to negotiate a license fee through the UAE Ministry of Economy’s Intellectual Property Protection Department (IPPD) and/or through the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) Patent Office if any company considers making use of their innovation.
The 20 students shortlisted at the GITEX Technology Week of 2013 who submitted their final projects hail from: Al Ain University of Science and Technology (UAE), American University in Dubai (UAE), American University of Sharjah (UAE), An-Najah National University (Palestine), BITS Pilani Dubai (UAE), Higher Colleges of Technology (UAE), Jomo Kenyatta University (Kenya), Kenya Methodist University (Kenya), Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research (UAE), Manipal University (UAE), King Abdulaziz University (Saudi Arabia), UAE University (UAE), University of Boumerdes UMBB (Algeria), University of Wollongong in Dubai (UAE).
Sponsored by the UAE’s Ministry of Presidential Affairs (MoPA) and held in association with Google Enterprise as a part of its commitment to supporting education initiatives, the Student Lab competition is designed to provide an opportunity for students to experience presenting their innovative solutions to ICT leaders by leveraging the region’s leading industry platform, GITEX Technology Week. Students from leading regional universities are expected to propose technologies using their skills in engineering sciences and computing with software solutions, gaming platforms, mobile applications, personal products and robotic devices, among others, being submitted. The competition also provides a platform to recognise leading universities in the target regions that nurture students who will become the ICT leaders of the future.
GITEX Technology Week to be held from 12 – 16 October 2014 at Dubai World Trade Centre, connects more than 145,000 industry professionals from 144 countries and over 3,500 suppliers from 54 countries across five continents, and has long established its position as one of the industry’s most lucrative ICT platforms. With Dubai a regional technology hub, GITEX Technology Week is a pivotal event for local, regional and global technology companies based in the Middle East and beyond.
Steps to participating in the Competition
1. Competition Categories
The competition is all about innovation. It’s an opportunity for students to develop an innovative solution by using engineering, technology, science, computing. Any software solution, gaming, application, product innovation is accepted for submission.
2. Who can be a part of the Student Lab?
Students must be 18 years old or above. Students must be a current or graduated student (undergraduate or post graduate) in the year 2014 academic calendar. Students must be studying or graduated from Communications Technology, Engineering Technology, Computer & Information Science departments in one of the universities in the UAE.
3. How students can participate?
Apply to be a part of the competition by 30th of June 2014 till 5pm (UAE Time).
Each student must fill up the application form with the project description (no more than 500 words) and upload passport copy/national ID as well as passport size picture in order to be a part of the competition. An acceptance notice will be sent to the correspondence via e-mail.
Students are welcome to update the status of their projects on their profile which gives you an opportunity to be promoted in the GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK Newsletters which is sent to 500,000 industry professionals. GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK-
4. Submission of the Project
Submission of the actual project is till 1st of September 2014 till 5pm (UAE Time).
Submissions will be accepted via web-based platform on the GITEX web-site.
1) Students will be required to upload a detailed project description (not more than 2,500 words) including:
-Project Title
-Executive Summary
-Description
-Solution
-Impact of your innovation
2) The students will be required to upload either a live presentation or video of their work (length not more than 10 minutes)
The video must demonstrate how to use the product/ software with full functions and implementations.
5. Judging Process
GITEX Project Team will shortlist the best 40 submissions and will send them to Judging Committee. A judging committee from industry leaders, associations and partners will select the best 10 projects from the submissions. Those 10 projects will have the opportunity to display their innovations during GITEX 2014 at the Student Lab showcase area.
The 10 shortlisted projects will be announced by 17th of September 2014. Top 10 will have the opportunity to display their innovation during GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK 2014. Three (3) winners will be selected out of 10 shortlisted projects on the 16th of October 2014 at GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK. Winners will present their innovative ideas to the GITEX audience followed by an award ceremony.
7. Criteria for Judging the Winning Projects
i. Shortlisting best 10 projects:
Student Lab submissions will be judged based on following criteria:
– Innovations and Design (45%)
– Impact and Usability in real life (35%)
– Quality of the presentation and technical details of the solution (20%)
*Judging committee might get in touch with applicants to ask further questions during the judging process.
ii. Selection best 3 projects out of the 10 shortlisted projects:
– 90% of the weightage of the rating will be based on the above judging criteria
– 10% of the weightage of the rating will be based on the visitors voting during the show.
iii. Visitor Voting Process:
– Voting box to be placed at the Student Lab Area for visitors to vote before the actual award ceremony (10% of the weightage)
8. Responsibility of the Students
Students must be at GITEX Student Lab Hall to set up their project showcase area on 10th-11th of October 2014. Students are recommended to be at their showcase area from 12th – 16th of October 2014 if they prefer to meet with visitors and talk to them about their innovations.
Students must be available and ready to present their projects at the GITEX Smart Sessions area at 3:30pm on 16th of October 2014 during the Student Lab Awards ceremony.
8 Mentoring
Students are welcome to ask for mentorship from industry or their professors given the fact that student must play a primary role in the project. This is a student competition; the work presented must be designed by students.
9 IP Rights
GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK and the Judging Committee respect the students’ IP ownership. Our aim is to help students to realize their potential and create a bridge between industry leaders and students- the future industry leaders. Students have the right to negotiate a license fee under the law of UAE Ministry of Economy, Intellectual Property Protection Department (IPPD) and GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK/or through the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) Patent Office with the companies if any company considers making use of their innovation.
