Dean's Open Innovation Challenge 2025

Dean's Open Innovation Challenge' 25

In today’s world, achieving balance and wellbeing is a growing challenge, impacting individuals, communities, and organizations. Stress, burnout, and stigma around seeking support, reduce our quality of life, productivity, and satisfaction in personal and professional settings. Limited access to affordable and inclusive resources often worsens these issues. Recreational activities, healthy environments, and initiatives that promote emotional and social balance play a vital role in fostering resilience, enhancing wellbeing, and building thriving communities.

At NOVA IMS, we’re ahead of the curve. Our Dean’s Open Innovation Challenge, focusing on ‘Mindshifting’, seeks to use data-driven solutions to propose practical approaches that spark change and build a healthier, more supportive future for all. Learn more about the challenge here.

What is Dean's Open Innovation Challenge?

The Dean’s Open Innovation Challenge is an annual competition in which participants create solutions that drive meaningful change in society.
Each year, NOVA IMS’s Dean, unveils a theme, inviting all NOVA IMS community to collaborate and develop impactful solutions.
This year’s theme, "Mindshifting", challenges us to explore innovative solutions that use technology and data to improve the way we live, work, and learn.

Who Can Participate?

Dean’s Open Innovation Challenge is exclusively for students, staff, professors, alumni, and partners of NOVA IMS or AD NOVA IMS.
Having an initial idea is not a requirement for participation. The Dean’s Open Innovation Challenge encourages collaboration, and ideas can naturally develop within the team.

How it Works

Participants form multidisciplinary teams to address the challenge theme using innovative solutions. Explore each phase of the competition below and how you can get started.

Unveiling the Theme
- Every year, a new theme is introduced to inspire creative ideas;
- Teams have to come up with solutions that match the year's theme;
- Click here to view the competition rules.
Registration
- Participation in the competition is free of charge;
- You can register individually or in teams (3 to 7 members);
- You don't need to have an initial idea to enter the competition;
- Register here to secure your place now.
Team officialisation
- Teams are made up of 3 to 7 members;
- If you've registered individually, we'll assign you to a team;
- Whenever possible, teams should be multidisciplinary;
- All participants will be informed of the members of their team once the registration period has closed.
Kick-Off Session
- The Kick-Off session marks the official launch of the competition;
- In a relaxed session, the organisers provide the teams with the rules, guidelines and important information about the Competition.
Concept development
- The concept development consists of a phase of ideation and concept exploration;
- Teams will collaborate for 2 months to develop a project solution;
- NOVA Innovation and Analytics Lab will offer 2 workshops to guide the teams through the project development process, using the Design Thinking methodology;
- Teams will receive a set of tools and materials to guide them through the solution development process;
- Mentors will be available to help clarify any doubts.
Pitch & Win

On PitchDay, all teams present their final solutions to the Jury;

The Jury will select and announce the 3 best projects that will go through to the final stage of the competition;

The 3 finalist teams will make their final pitch to the panel of judges at the Data with Purpose Summit, followed by the awards ceremony;

The prizes will enable the acceleration and prototyping of the 3 winning projects;

Prizes:

1st Prize: €1,000 (per team member) + 3 Mentoring Sessions at NOVA Analytics Labs (per team)

2nd Prize: 750 € (per team member) + 3 Mentoring Sessions at NOVA Analytics Labs (per team)

3rd Prize: €500 (per team member) + 3 Mentoring Sessions at NOVA Analytics Labs (per team)

2024 Edition