CNSI’s annual Nanovation Competition gives 10 teams of middle and high school students the unique opportunity to gain knowledge and skills in nanoscience and entrepreneurship by working on a 3-months-long project, under the guidance of a teacher mentor and UCLA graduate student mentors, to create cutting-edge design and technology business plans and business pitches.

Applications open in December. Students are asked to describe a high-impact problem that they would solve using a nanotechnology product of their choosing based on one of the nanoscience concepts they’ve studied in their classrooms or in their own research. In the application, students are asked to answer:

1. What is the need that your product is addressing? Who might want to buy your product? Use this need to motivate why your invention should be funded. (limit of 750 characters)
2. What is your nanotechnology-based idea? In answering this question, please describe your proposed new product in enough detail that it is clear what your company would want to produce. Also describe the basic nanoscience idea(s) that allow it to function. (limit of 750 characters)
3. Who or what else is currently available to fill this need? The current alternatives might not be as good as your proposed product, but try to consider as many alternatives as possible. (limit of 750 characters)

When applications close in late January, CNSI Education staff and UCLA graduate student mentors will review all applications and select 10 finalist teams. All teams MUST have a teacher leader who can attend the kickoff and final presentation events with them in person (or have another teacher sub in their place). All teams that submit a proposal will receive feedback (sent to teacher mentors) on their proposed idea in terms of scientific feasibility and originality.

The competition officially starts with the Nanovation Kick-Off Event in early March. All teams are required to attend in-person. At the Kick-Off Event, students will participate in a Design Thinking workshop hosted by CNSI experts, meet their CNSI nanovation mentors (UCLA graduate students), and receive advice from CNSI Education Faculty Director Prof. Sarah Tolbert about their product and pitch. Students, teacher mentors, and CNSI mentors will walk away with a clear understanding of when and how they will meet weekly to check in on progress, milestones for project completion, and expectations for the final project and presentation. 

From March through May, teams will meet with their mentors regularly to check in on project progress. In April, CNSI experts will host Business Workshops to help groups with their business plans and business pitches, covering topics like intellectual property, SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis, and business pitches. In May, teams will have the opportunity to meet individually (via Zoom) with CNSI experts to get feedback on their business plans, market analysis, financial assessment, and business pitch. 

Two weeks before the Nanovation Final Presentations, students will submit their Business Plans. Final Presentations will be held in May at the CNSI at UCLA. Each team has 5 minutes to pitch and 5 minutes of Q&A to a panel of technology and industry professionals. The final presentations will be live streamed via YouTube.

The top 3 winning teams will be awarded science classroom supplies, and will be selected by a jury of UCLA professors and Los Angeles business professionals.

• First place: $2000 in classroom supplies.
• Second place: $1000 in classroom supplies.
• Third place: $500 in classroom supplies.

All ten finalist teams will receive an award for completing the pitch and final business proposal submissions.