ICAO INNOVATION COMPETITION

DESCRIPTION

ICAO is launching a global competition under the theme of “Innovation and Resilience in aviation”.

The ICAO Innovation Competition is open to university students enrolled in a final year of a Bachelor’s programme or in a Master’s programme. It is designed to spark innovative ideas and concepts for new solutions or services supporting the five ICAO Strategic Objectives.

The jury of this competition will feature:

Mr. Salvatore Sciacchitano, President of the ICAO Council;
Mr. Juan Carlos Salazar, Secretary General of the International Civil Aviation Organization;
Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary General of the UN World Tourism Organization;
Mr. Simon Hocquard, Director General of the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (CANSO);
Ms. Angela Albritton, Representative of ALICANTO;
Mr. Luis Felipe de Oliveira, Director General of Airports Council International (ACI);
Mr. Eric Fanning, Chairperson of the International Coordinating Council of Aerospace Industries Associations (ICCAIA);

Participants will have until 29 October 2023 to prepare and submit their proposals to innovation@icao.int.

SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL HERE

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Over the past decades, international civil aviation has overcome important challenges and demonstrated its ability to withstand major shocks and disruptions. This was made possible thanks to the commitment of aviation professionals across the globe, who have developed and implemented processes and technical solutions to enhance the resilience of the sector. However, in the context of an ever-growing traffic forecast, the intrinsic capacity of the aviation system is stretched, making any disruption to operations a system-wide challenge. In addition, any measure to build and strengthen resilience in aviation has to further support the ICAO Strategic Objectives of Safety, Air Navigation Capacity and Efficiency, Security & Facilitation, Economic Development of Air Transport and Environmental Protection.

In addition, the magnitude, duration, and global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected air transport operations and the future of such operations, putting people at the center of the response: travellers and aviation professionals alike. A global consensus has emerged on the pivotal role of aviation workers in finding and implementing solutions for the conduct of aviation operations, at all levels and across the aviation value chain.

With this in mind, the resilient future of international civil aviation cannot materialize without a workforce aware of the challenges faced by the sector and ready to commit to imagining the aviation it wants. By resilience, we mean the ability of the sector to ensure the continuity of air mobility while progressing the five ICAO Strategic Objectives and contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As part of this global competition, we invite students to propose innovative solutions with the aim:

-	to create a more resilient aviation ecosystem for 2050;
-	to contribute to the emergence of innovative concepts, tools and approaches for new solutions or services supporting some or all of the five ICAO Strategic Objectives, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and in particular SDG 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure: “Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation”;
-	to share their expectations and visions for the future, focussing on the emergence of disruptive ideas for the benefits of the overall aviation community.

COMPETITION DATES & DEADLINES

A Q&A session with the innovation team was live broadcasted on 16 February 2023. A recording is available to watch on-demand in our platform ICAO TV. Participants around the globe will have until 29 October 2023 to prepare and submit their proposals before the competition is officially closed. The Innovation Award Ceremony will be held on the next Innovation Fair during Q1 2024.

26 September 2022	Launch of the competition
25 November 2022	Deadline for submission of questions
16 February 2023	Live Q&A session
16 June 2023	Final deadline for submission of questions
29 October 2023	Deadline for submission of proposals
30 October to 15 December 2023	Review of the proposals by the jury
15 December 2023	Selection of the finalists
Q1 2024	Announcement of the winning team

HOW TO ENTER THE COMPETITION

1.	Develop your concept and create related visual representation, using still images or a combination of still and video renderings (3D visuals or other).
2.	Summarize your proposal in 2000 words maximum (including footnotes, references, etc.), and prepare a description of the concept of operations and its business case in 5 slides.
3.	Upload your renderings (in .jpeg, .mp4, etc.), text and presentation (in .pdf format), along with your name, age, and nationality through platforms such as Google Drive, Dropbox or YouTube and share the links with us through this form. Any images sent must be minimum 1000px wide, and any video being rendered must be in 1920x1080p HD format. Please ensure you share a link with general access. For any questions or concerns please reach out to innovation@icao.int .
4.	Proposals must be submitted in English by groups working together as a team (maximum of 5 individuals per team). All members of a group must individually meet the eligibility criteria to enter. One member of the group must submit the proposal, only one participation per group is accepted.
5.	Please kindly note that ICAO does not charge any fee at any stage of the competition.

SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL HERE

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA & GUIDELINES

1.	The competition is open to groups of individuals (maximum of 5 individuals per team) who are enrolled in the final year of a Bachelor’s Programme or in a Master's programme at any time between 26 September 2022 and 29 October 2023. An official attestation letter will be requested.
2.	The proposed concept should cover one or more ICAO Strategic Objectives: Safety, Air Navigation Capacity and Efficiency, Security and Facilitation, Economic Development of Air Transport, Environmental Protection.
3.	The proposed concept should support the advancement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure: "Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation".
4.	The contest submission deadline is 29 October 2023.
5.	The winning team will be announced during the Innovation Award Ceremony at the ICAO 2024 Innovation Fair and on ICAO's website and social media accounts.
6.	The proposals submitted by all entrants will be accessible on the ICAO Innovation Portal, unless otherwise requested by the competitors.
7.	The winning team of the ICAO Innovation Competition will also be given the opportunity to receive their award virtually or in-person. Airbus will offer an internship to the winning team within its organization, such as Airbus UpNext.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

The following terms and conditions would apply to the competition.

1.	ICAO, its officials and agents shall not be responsible or liable for any claims, demands, losses and liability of any kind or nature arising out of or in connection with contributors’ participation in this contest, or their acceptance of its awards.
2.	Participants represent and warrant that their submitted drawing, design or concept is their original work, that it has not been copied, and that it does not violate the rights of any other person.
3.	The copyright for any submitted drawing (s), design (s) or concept(s) shall remain the property of the entrant, but entry in this contest constitutes the entrant’s irrevocable, perpetual permission and consent to ICAO and others authorized by ICAO, without further compensation or attribution, to use, distribute, reproduce or otherwise utilize the submitted material(s) in whole or in part for the duration of the copyright.
4.	By entering your drawing, design or concept in the contest, you agree to indemnify, defend, and hold and save harmless, ICAO and its officials, agents, employees, consultants, subcontractors and other representatives from and against all suits, proceedings, claims, demands, losses and liability of any kind or nature brought by any third party against ICAO, including, but not limited to, all litigation costs and expenses, attorney’s fees, settlement payments and damages, based on, arising from, or relating to ICAO’s use of the drawing, design or concept.
5.	Nothing in or relating to the contest or its terms and conditions shall be deemed as a waiver, express or implied, of any of the privileges and immunities enjoyed or which may be enjoyed by ICAO, its officers and staff, either pursuant to the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the Specialized Agencies, 1947 or other applicable conventions, agreements, laws or decrees.
6.	The obligations under these Terms and Conditions do not lapse upon closure of the contest, and ICAO reserves the right to change, amend, delete or add to these Terms and Conditions at any time.