Tech Factor Challenge 2016

Tech Factor Challenge 2016 Project Proposal Template

This document provides a template of how you should approach the task of writing the project proposal, to be submitted by 10 October 2016, 2359 hours (Singapore Time) via the Submissions page. The structure attempts to lay out important facets of the project which would portray the project’s strengths in line with the final judging criteria, and therefore help the judges make a more accurate assessment of the project. Should you feel that other aspects of your project are not sufficiently covered by the suggested structure here, please do include the additional points/aspects in your proposal while keeping to the page limit. You should note that your project proposal will be referred to during the Semi-Finals and Final Judging sessions. It is therefore important that you submit a project proposal which does justice to your technological idea or concept.

GENERIC GUIDELINES

Page Limit & Pagination: Your main write-up should not exceed 10 pages (not including the cover page, references and supporting enclosures/attachments). The total number of pages inclusive of supporting documents must not exceed 15 pages. Begin numbering your pages after the cover page (at the executive summary page).

Page Setting: The proposal should be done on A4 page size setting, with page margins not less than 1” on all sides.

Font: Please use Times New Roman font, no smaller than Font Size 12. Line spacing should be kept at 1.5.

1 PROJECT PROPOSAL EVALUATION CRITERIA The submission will be evaluated based on the following criteria: Research Depth and quality of research. Quality research refers to research that is relevant, comprehensive and consist of a variety of credible sources. Solution Holistic evaluation of solution: a. Innovativeness & Creativity It must be originally conceived/developed by the team. If external party/parties has/have also contributed to the product, they must be identified. b. Sustainability Ability to adapt to technological advancements within the product life-cycle c. Scalability Potential to be scaled up to handle larger user base d. Usability Clear objective of proposed solution and detailed description of how solution works.

 System functionality and technology

Mobility Category

o Improving mobility of user or assist in activities of daily living in a HDB home; and/or

o Alleviating caregiver’s burden by assisting in caregiving task(s)

o Design of hardware prototype to be built

Smart H2 Category

o Improving the life of an elderly in a smart-safe home; and/or

o Aiding an elderly in smart health & wellness management; and/or

o Enabling caregivers to remotely monitor, manage or support the elderly, reassuring caregivers of the elderly’s safety and well-being through use of technology; and

o System consists of software accompanying a hardware prototype

 Consideration to enable System to synchronize with competition IoT platform

 Design

o Takes into consideration space constraints of HDB homes

2 o Ease of Use

o User-friendliness (E.g. For less tech savvy elderly)

o Ease of technology uptake

o User-configurable

 Ergonomics & User Experience

o Comfort of technology when worn or used

o Intuitive design

 Safety of operation

o Static hazard considerations (E.g. Absence of sharp corners, exposed wires, waterproofing)

o Operational hazard considerations (E.g. Safety features to end operation when misused) e. Practicality & Commercial Viability Potential economic impact of solution. Affordability of solution.

Clarity Quality and clarity of the proposal. Comprehensibility.

PROTOTYPE JUDGING CRITERIA The judging panel will assess the solutions / prototypes based on the following criteria: Innovativeness & Creativity Solution must be originally conceived / developed by the team. If external party/parties has/have also contributed to the product, they must be identified. Sustainability Ability to adapt to technological advancements within the product life-cycle. Scalability Potential to be scaled up to handle larger user base. Task Performance Ability Teams will demonstrate the use of their solution at the designated competition venue.  At minimum the solution must demonstrate its capability to:

a. Accomplish the solution’s stated objective in the Project Proposal and perform goal-oriented workflow actions: Mobility Category o System achieves its goals of improving mobility of user or assist in activities of daily living in a HDB home; and/or o System achieves its goals of alleviating caregiver’s burden by assisting in caregiving task(s) Smart H2 Category o System achieves its goals of improving the lives of an elderly in a smart-safe home; and/or

3 o System achieves its goals of aiding an elderly in smart health & wellness management; and/or o System achieves its goals of enabling caregivers to remotely monitor, manage or support the elderly, reassuring caregivers of the elderly’s safety and well-being through use of technology; and o System consists of software accompanying a hardware prototype

b. Takes into consideration space constraints of HDB homes o Solution / Application fits into the layout of the designated venues

c. Takes into consideration of safety functions: o Activate safety features to end operation during malfunction or when misused o Proper casing of wires and mechanical components, and waterproofing

 Teams may propose any other innovative functions stated in their Project Proposals, which may be awarded bonus points  Systems with the ability to synchronize with competition IoT platform may be awarded bonus points  Time taken to perform tasks will be taken into consideration Ease of Use User-friendliness (E.g. For less tech savvy elderly). Ease of technology uptake. User-configurable. Ergonomics & User Experience Comfort of technology when worn or used. Intuitive design. Safety of Operation Static hazard considerations (E.g. Absence of sharp corners, exposed wires, waterproofing). Operational hazard considerations (E.g. Safety features to end operation when misused). Practicality & Commercial Viability Potential economic impact of solution. Affordability of solution. Quality of Prototype Presented Robustness. Durability.

4 Tech Factor Challenge 2016

Project Proposal

Optional graphics / pictures / company logo where appropriate

Team Name Member’s names, email addresses and mobile numbers Solution Name

Cover Page EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (1 page) The Executive Summary should be brief and cover the major ideas in the proposal, both scientific and commercial. It is suggested that the summary be written last. Avoid creating a summary by simply “cutting and pasting” sections from the body of your proposal, or concentrating only on the problem and technological solution of your project. Instead, carefully map out the salient points of your proposal which would address the judging criteria as holistically as possible.

Please organise your summary as follows: Proposed Product/ Solution and its Unique Value Proposition: In no more than 200 words, indicate clearly your solution’s objectives and the pain points of the elderly and/or the caregiver which it aims to solve. Describe how your solution works and the uniqueness of your solution. State any challenges, the target market size and the solution’s market potential.

1. Technical Solution: In no more than 200 words, highlight the key technology innovation to be developed and emphasise potential patent filings, if any.

2. Competition & Competitive Advantage: In no more than 100 words, elaborate on any similar solutions existing in the market and what is your prototype’s edge over existing competition.

3. Expected Cost of Prototype: In no more than 100 words, explain the total estimated cost of developing the prototype and how you would price it eventually. Justify the affordability of your solution for an average family in Singapore. Also indicate the expected breakeven point for users of your prototype.

of 5 Page 7 of 5 PROPOSAL NARRATIVE – MAIN TEXT (Max 9 pages) In order to present a complete picture of your proposal, it is strongly recommended that the main text includes the following sections in the proposed sequence but is not necessarily limited to them in content.

1. Team Profile (~ 1 page) In the format of a table, provide a summary of the relevant technical as well as business experience and qualifications of the team members.  Team Members Profile - Elaborate on any scientific / technical capabilities of the team - Elaborate on any business competencies - Existing occupation  If team is an existing SME, elaborate on the existing product range offered by the company  If applicable, specify and elaborate on any prior funding/incentive/grant1 that has been used to develop any component in the proposed solution, or are in the midst of application/obtaining  If applicable, state any third-party investments that have been secured for the development of the proposed solution, or are in the midst of securing

2. Task Performance Ability (~ 2 pages)  Indicate clearly the solution’s objectives  Describe the key challenges faced by an elderly or caregiver which the solution aims to solve  Describe in detail how the solution works to tackle the challenges  Specify any safety features that the solution may have

1 Examples of funding/incentive/grant are NRF-POC grants, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research & Technology (SMART) grant, A*STAR COT/flagship funding, NRF-TIS incubation funding, SPRING SEEDS investment or any Early Stage Venture Funding

of 5  Elaborate on any other tasks that your prototype is able to perform  Indicate concerns users may have and how they can be overcome 3. Technology to be Developed (~ 2 pages)  Describe the key technology involved  Describe the technology development work to be done  Describe the key technical hurdles that need to be overcome, and the resources required to do so. State how your team plans to overcome these hurdles.  Are there any key partners whom you plan to work with to develop the technology?

4. Novelty of Product (~ 1 page) Elaborate on the following points:  State how the proposed solution compares with alternative approaches being pursued (or previously pursued) by competitors or even by your own organization.  State how the proposed solution compares with other competitors’ products or solutions that have been developed, commercialised or sold.

On alternative approaches, cite any related or similar efforts that may have been unsuccessful and clearly describe how your approach avoids or overcomes those pitfalls.

Identify any competing solutions and products and explain how and why your resultant technological IP (if any) or product has the potential to better address the problem, or better yet, addresses problems which competitors cannot.

5. Practicality and Commercial Viability (~ 1 page)  Indicate how the solution has potential scalability  Affordability of solution for an average family in Singapore  Potential To Attract Further Funding & Market Demand

of 5  Defensibility Of Intellectual Property (if any)

6. Ease of Use, Ergonomics & User Experience (~ 1 page)  State how the solution is user-configurable, easily adopted by the user or industry and user-friendly, especially for the less tech-savvy elder generation  Provide a description on possible ergonomic issues your prototype may have and how they can be overcome  Explain how the prototype can be deployed in the user’s living environment  Indicate any concerns users may have and how they can be overcome

7. Budget of Seed Fund (~ 1 page) Provide a summary of expected expenditures and the planned usage of the Seed Fund (S$4,000) using the suggested table below. You may include any additional points/aspects if necessary: Budgeted Budgeted Actual Amount (% Expected Expenditures Amount Amount of Seed (in SGD) (in SGD) Fund)

Subtotal:

Budgeted Actual Expected Expenditures N/A Amount Amount Exceeding Seed Fund (if any) (in SGD) (in SGD)

Total:

8. Other Supporting Information

of 5 Summarized research or interviews, technical drawings (rendered, isometric, axonometric, section and/or exploded views), etc.

of 5 ANY OTHER ADDITIONAL SUPPORTING ENCLOSURES / ATTACHMENTS

Although enclosures and attachments are not included in the 10-page limit, do not use this section to ‘pad’ your proposal. Providing an excessive amount of unrelated information does not provide any benefit to your report.