BCNETwork News

December 2006

The BCNET 2007 Broadband Innovation Challenge

BCNET has created The 2007 Broadband Innovation Challenge, formerly known as the Coolest Applications Contest, to promote student innovation and demonstrate utilization of British Columbia’s super broadband research networks.

BCNET is inviting higher education students from across the province to participate in the challenge in exchange for publicity, cash prizes and the opportunity to network with industry and higher education leaders.

Calling All Students!

The 2007 BCNET Broadband Innovation Challenge will reward and showcase students who present the best and most innovative applications that make use of super broadband research networks. The challenge is to demonstrate how the project application is unique, commercially viable, and technically complex as well as how it demands super high bandwidth connectivity. Students will also be judged on their ability to proficiently present their application and clearly show its value.

Finalists will be asked to present their projects to an adjudication panel consisting of industry, government and higher education leaders.

BCNET will reward students' efforts with large cash prizes and the opportunity to publicize their applications to business, government and academic professionals.

Through industry and government sponsors, BCNET will raise prize monies for the top place winners. Last year, government and industry sponsors donated over $9,000 in cash prizes.

Preview the 2006 Competition Winners

Preview the 2005 Competition Winners

How will the competition winners be publicized?

Winners will have the opportunity to present their applications at the 2007 BCNET Conference, Making Connections Sharing Knowledge for Greater Innovation on April 17 & 18, 2007 held at SFU Harbour Centre in Vancouver. The competition winners will also have their projects highlighted on the BCNET website and in the quarterly electronic newsletter, BCNETwork News.

Who are the sponsors?

BCNET is currently soliciting corporate sponsors to participate in the competition. To date, the following sponsors are supporting the 2007 Broadband Innovation Challenge: Industry Canada, SGI and Matrix Video.

Who can participate?

BCNET is soliciting higher education students across British Columbia.We invite full-time and part-time graduate and undergraduate students doing honours thesis work or working on major course projects to participate in the competition. Co-op students may submit a project they worked on during a work-term, as long as the application is non-commercialized and fits all other criteria. Applications may also be submitted by a group of students from one or more of the above categories.

Students must be registered in one of the following institutions:

• British Columbia Institute of Technology
• University of British Columbia
• Simon Fraser University
• University of Northern British Columbia
• University of Victoria
• Emily Carr Institute
• Thompson Rivers University
• Royal Roads University.

What is the application deadline?

Intentions to Apply:

An application form citing the project description and goals must be received before midnight (PST) on February 15, 2007. The actual application must be working and demonstrable by March 15, 2007.

Final Project Applications:

Due on midnight, March 15, 2007.

Contest rules and judging information

Complete contest rules and judging information are posted here.

Application Form

Apply today by downloading the application form.