Teams’ proposals are assessed at multiple stages during the program to include the Letter of Intent (LOI), Application, and the Pitch Event. Letters of Intent and Applications are reviewed by a panel comprised of various BJC and WashU departments including:
- Healthcare Innovation Lab
- WashU Institute for Informatics, Data Science and Biostatistics
- Technology (BJC and WashU)
Letters of Intent will be given a score from 1 (Low) to 10 (High) for the following criteria:
- Is the problem well defined?
- Is the proposed solution/innovation well defined?
- Does the proposed solution/innovation solve the problem?
- Is there relevant support evidence?
- Is it innovative?
Scores are averaged and teams receiving the highest scores advance in the process to submit a full Application and present at the Pitch Event. Teams not selected to advance are provided feedback on their proposal intended to advise on next steps.
Applications will be given a score from 1 (Low) to 10 (High) for the following criteria:
- Overall Impact (Project’s likelihood to have an ongoing and powerful influence on operational, educational, and/or research opportunities)
- Project Criteria
- Significance, Team/Investigators, Innovation, Approach, Operational Impact, Scholarly Output
Teams ‘pitch’ their proposal to a live audience and judging panel made up of BJC and WashU leaders, clinical champions, and subject matter experts. Judges and Audience members will score each teams ‘pitch’ using a ranking of 1 (Low) to 10 (High) for the following criteria:
- Clinical Applicability
- Feasibility
- Innovation
- Team Composition/Collaboration
Scores will be aggregated from the Application, Pitch Event Judges, and Pitch Event Audience and weighted as follows:
Application Scores 50%
Pitch Event Judge Scores 30%
Pitch Event Audience Scores 20%
Teams with the highest scores will be awarded up to $50,000 to fund their Big Idea. Teams not selected for funding are provided feedback on their proposal intended to advise on next steps.