A new competition aimed at veterinary students aims to find the next big idea in animal health.
The student innovation competition is titled ‘What’s your big idea?’ and is led by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Vet Futures Ambassadors.
The competition is open to all UK-based undergraduate veterinary students and with the finals set to be hosted at the second ViVet Innovation Symposium in October.
There can be more than one team representing each university.
Each applicant will receive support from one of the Association of Veterinary Students’ (AVS) Vet Futures Ambassadors, as well as a mentor session with a chosen industry professional to guide them on their project.
The AVS developed the idea for the Vet Futures Student Ambassadors programme.
Projects can cover any aspect of veterinary health innovation. Some ideas might include innovations to improve:
- Veterinary education;
- Sanitation and hygiene;
- Veterinary-public communication;
- Patient safety.
The initiatives must show how they have improved upon – or extended beyond – current expectations of best practice in their chosen area.
Teams will need to submit three components for judging:
- A log of their progress throughout the project (which can include social media updates using the hashtag #ViVetStudentInnovation);
- Mentor engagement and feedback; and
- A five-minute video ‘business pitch’.
The three finalist groups of the competition will be invited to present their pitch to a board of industry professionals at a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style event held at the RCVS ViVet 2019 Innovation Symposium on Tuesday, October 1, 2019, in Manchester.
The winning and runner-up groups will then be selected and will be presented alongside the ‘mentor’s choice’ award. The Mentor’s Choice award will be selected by the team mentors.
The prize will be awarded to an individual who shows excellence and enthusiasm within their work on the project.
Anthony Roberts, RCVS director of leadership and innovation, said: “This competition provides a great opportunity for veterinary students to engage with their fellow classmates across different fields of study and to work on projects that could genuinely make a difference to animal health and welfare and the way veterinary services are delivered.
Teams will receive one-on-one mentoring and will be guided through the innovation process, developing skills that will be useful throughout their careers.
“We look forward to seeing the three finalist teams presenting at the RCVS ViVet Innovation Symposium in Manchester on October 1.”
To enter, applicants must submit an online registration form. For further enquiries, please email [email protected].
