Instructions  

Working individually or in teams, come up with an innovative solution to any current issue impacting happiness and well-being.  The innovation can address any need within the topic of Happiness and Well-being but must be a new idea or a modification/improvement of an existing idea.  It is a good idea to focus on university populations so that your idea can have relevance to the community to which you currently belong. 

Steps: 

1. Brainstorm current wellness issues.  Look at social, economic, health, and environmental issues. 

2. Choose an issue you feel you have ideas to address. 

3. Come up with an innovation that would solve one or more problems around the issue chosen 

4. Put together a plan to roll-out the innovation.   

   • Who will be involved? How many people? What are their roles? Who is the target population? 

   • What materials/contacts are needed? What are the costs? What form will it be in? 

   • Where will the innovation be started? 

   • When will the innovation be started? What is the timeline for roll-out? 

   • Why is this innovation necessary? What need is it addressing? How is it new and impactful? 

5. Think of ways to advertise your innovation to the public 

6. Present your innovation in 5 minutes or less. 

   • Who are you and what is your idea? 
      i.Introduce yourself and your research interests 
     ii.Clearly introduce the innovation  

   • What need is your idea addressing? 
     i.Clearly refer to the impact on well-being 
     ii.Cite secondary research on the problem for which your innovation is proposing a solution 

   • How will your idea address the aforementioned need? 

   • What do you need for this idea to get started? 

   • How is your idea new/different from existing/past innovations? 

7. Respond to questions about your innovation/plan/research, as well as your role in the development of the innovation 

Judging Criteria 

Ideas will be judged on the following criteria. These criteria should act as guidance for your 5-minute presentation. 

Innovative Solution 

• Is it an impactful solution to a problem or issue? (The innovation can be a product, process, technology, market-based solution, service, etc.)  

• Is it new or being put into practice in new way? 

• Does it create new opportunities for positive change?  

• Does it offer benefits that are an improvement on previous efforts? 

• What other responses to the same problem have been tried? 

• How does your project differ from ideas and responses to the problem already attempted? 

Target Beneficiaries 

• Is the community that the project impacts clearly identified? 

• Does the project address a need/problem? (This can be specific or broad) 

• How much effect will this have on the community you have focused on?  

• How many people across a broad spectrum could benefit from this? 

•  Can the impact created by the innovation be measured? 

Scalability

• Is there potential to scale up the innovation? 

• Is there potential to repeat and roll-out the idea to a wider audience? 

• Can the idea be moved to prototype or pilot stage? 

• How will additional funding support the further development of the innovation or the scaling of the project?  

BONUS: Sound Business Plan

• Is there a visible benefit for a particular group or community? 

• Is the plan realistic?  

  • Description of the work you have already done to implement this idea 

  • Description of who will be involved in putting the project into practice 

  • Description of the skills amongst team members and connection to how they are suitable to making the project happen 

  • Description of roll-out plan 

  • Description of costs