GUIDE FOR SOLVERS

An XPhoton Open innovation challenge gives the opportunity to technologists and scientists to be part of real change and progress, and receive a monetary prize for their efforts as a recognition for their advancement, and a home for a solution or technology that they’ve worked hard to develop.

In addition to above, the XPhoton Challenge generates valuable interactions with business advisors, funders, peer technologists, and scientists, or sponsoring organizations that an XPhoton Challenge may spark.

Technical Feasibility of the Solution proposed by the Challenger

Company’s posting a Challenge can engaged discussion with Challenger in order to understand the proposed solution. PhotonTransfer platform allows the transmission of documents in a confidentiality safe environment if applicable.

In case of any technical issued concerning the feasibility of any challenger technical solution, the Company posting a Challenge will be able to consult the Researcher mentor about the technical issued. Challengers agree to answer questions either to Companies posting challenges or to Research Mentors of the category. A committee constituted by the Researcher mentor will decided on the partial or full award retribution in case the solution presented by the challenger lacks of technical implementation information. The committee might decide on a partial delivery of the award. Both the Company challenging and the Challenger agree to accept the committee decision.

Industrial Challenges Groups

We have seven Industrial Challenges Groups which will be target along 2015 year.

1. Illumination & Displays
2. Solar Energy
3. Optoelectronics & Communications
4. Astronomy
5. Biomedical Optics & Medical Imaging
6. Laser & Light Sources (manufacturing)
7. Optics Nanotechnology

Challenges prize

Companies are free to choose the monetary award. The money prize varies depending on many factors including the perceived “size” of the challenge and its long-term societal value, the breadth of the challenge topic, the number of potential approaches it may generate, and the competitive advantage the company will get with the know-how and the Intellectual Property Conditions (IPR) of the challenge: leaving the inventor with IPR or getting them.

Standard Challenges awards range from 1.000 us$ to unlimited prize the average value range between 5.000 and 20.000 us$. A big number makes it easy to draw attention to the challenge, more modest awards in the tens of thousands of dollars can work if the topic is noteworthy and the promise of a solution is powerful enough to capture the hearts and minds of the technical and media communities.

PhotonTransfer ensures the award is entirely distributed to winner.

Competition time frame

In order to allow teams enough time to succeed, duration of two to twelve months is essential, while ensuring momentum and that industry will not outpace the competition during 2015. A clearly defined and easy-to-understand goal that is measurable and understandable by all. As an innovation competition the sole judge of the challenge will be the best proposal to a market need. Company itself will decide which solution best matches the well-known-market and/or industrial process the company has a better marketable solution, not necessarily the most technological imaginative or sophisticated will won.

Intellectual Property Outlines

Challenge submissions are typically about two written pages, and Companies generally receive a non-exclusive, perpetual license to use the winner challenge submission once the award is paid. The Company posting a challenge can select particular intellectual property right schemes, different form the recommended by PhotonTransfer. Companies can present a challenge with their own tailored NDA.The main IPR schemes are:

1. Company gets a license to operate worldwide. Inventor keeps the previous or resulting IPR.
2. Company get an exclusive license to operate in a specific market.
3. Company becomes the IP assignee of a resulting patent if any (the Challenger solution will have to be privately disclosed via NDA!), the challenger will remain as the inventor in the patent filing.
4. Solution becomes public.

In all IPR options standard NDA or Terms & Conditions ensure the IPR context. Challengers should not reveal any confidential information in their submissions, unless private visibility is chosen and NDA signed (on-line for standard NDA or off line and tailored NDA). A Research Tutor can be address to confirm short description of the solution which will be always publically display, doesn´t constitute a disclosure of proprietary information.