Frequently Asked Questions Requirements I am not located in or citizen of one of the 23 partner regions. Can I participate anyhow? Yes. If you are not located in one of our 23 partner regions, you have to choose your preferred region. Please note that in case you will become the overall winner, you will get the opportunity to enter a six-month incubation programme in this selected region. Do I need to represent a company? This is not a mandatory field. You can as well leave it blank and choose "individual" when asked for the appropriate form of your organisation. Do I need a working prototype of my idea in order to join the competition? You will not need a prototype. A very specific drawing or picture would however be very helpful to the experts for the evaluation of your idea. My idea does not only include an application, but may also be a new satellite navigation device. May I join the competition also with an idea for a device? Your idea may also be a device with a specific satellite navigation application. If your device is authentically brand-new, please do not hesitate to join the competition. Is it possible to join the competition with an idea, but without a business plan? Yes it is, we are running an ideas competition and not a business plan competition. Please be aware that the better you describe your idea the greater the chances are to win the competition. May I join the competition without a patent? Please note that by participating in the European Satellite Navigation Competition 2010 and/or by publishing your idea during the awards ceremony, any protection of your idea (if not recently protected by applying for a patent) may be excluded or may be lost. Your idea may become common property. We therefore strongly recommend that you protect your idea sufficiently. Registration process Is there any fee to enter the competition? Participation in the competition is free of charge. Where can I enter my idea and how will I find the idea database? Enter www.galileo-masters.eu and you will find a "register here" button on the right top of the page, which is linked to the database. Or you click on "About" in the main navigation menu and look for a (registration / login) button under "how to participate". Here you can register and choose a user name and password with which you will be able to log into the database to continue developing your idea as often as you like before the end of July. The database infrastructure is hosted on a secure server of Messe München GmbH. Where do I find the registration template and what do I have to do next? Upon your first visit, the registration template will always be the first page of the database. For registration purposes, you have to set up a personal profile first. The database itself is structured into 3 sections: technical aspects, commercial aspects and legal aspects. You also have the possibility to upload up to two illustrations. You can also find the questionnaire here: http://www.galileo-masters.eu/index.php?anzeige=questionnaire.html Is it possible to illustrate the idea with a drawing or picture? Yes it is, you can upload two pictures with a maximum size of 1MB each into the database. Only .gif, .jpg, .tif and .png-files are accepted. How many questions will I find in the database? A total of 19 questions have to be answered by you (20 if applying also for the GNSS Living Lab Prize). Some questions are multiple choice and some questions have to be answered in writing. In total your entered text will amount to approx. 3 Din A4 pages. How many times may I work on my idea in the database? The database is open from 1 May to 31 July 2010 and you may access it as often as you like. During the registration process you have to select a password and a login. This access code makes it possible for you to work on your idea as often and as long as you need to. I have more than one idea. Is it possible to join the competition with two or more ideas? You may enter more than one idea but you are not allowed to enter the same idea in different regions or for different special topic prizes. However if you wish to enter more than one idea you will need to set up a separate profile for each idea and complete the whole entry mask for each of your ideas. Special topic prizes Do I need to register for one of the special topic prizes? No, you can also just enter your idea for your preferred region. But please note, that you have twice the chance to be nominated, if you also submit your idea for one of the special topic prizes. Is it possible to enter my idea for more than one special topic prize? No. You may enter more than one idea, but you may not enter the same idea for more than one special topic prize or for more than one region. Where can I find more detailed information on the requirements for the special topic prizes? When registering for one of the prizes you get the opportunity to download a pdf containing more detailed information. We call this document the "competition tender". Evaluation process Who will evaluate my idea? Each region has appointed an independent panel of 3 to 12 experts from industry and research for evaluation of the ideas submitted in their respective region. The special topic sponsoring partners appoint a panel of mainly internal experts for the evaluation of the ideas that have been entered for their respective special topic prize in addition to the regional evaluation. Do the evaluating experts know my name? The evaluation of the ideas is an anonymous process. Each idea will get its own identification number. During the evaluation process the experts are only able to see this ID. However some regions or special topic sponsors may select a small number of finalists whom they invite to a personal pitch. If you are invited to present your idea to the experts personally your identity will obviously be disclosed. However at this stage you will already be nominated as a finalist. Which criteria are essential for the experts? The following criteria are decisive for a good rating: degree of innovation relevance of GNSS benefit of the idea (also compared to existing solutions) technical feasibility chances for commercial success For a comprehensive list of the evalution criteria, please go to: http://www.galileo-masters.eu/index.php?anzeige=judging.html How long do I have to wait until I know if I am one of the winners? The final meeting of the international expert panel will take place in the middle of September. After this meeting we will pass the results on to you via e-mail. What will happen to my idea in case I am not one of the winners? All experts who are assigned with the evaluation of the ideas are requested to sign a non-disclosure-agreement prior to the evaluation. If you are not selected as regional winner, special topic winner or runner-up, your name and idea will not be published or passed on in any case. However the regional management partners and special topic sponsoring partners may get in contact with you, even if you are not the winner for possible further cooperation. What is the difference between a regional winner, a special topic winner and the overall winner (GALILEO Master) and is it possible to be nominated for more than one title? The regional winners will be selected by the regional expert teams in each region and the special topic winners will be selected by the expert teams of the respective sponsors. The overall winner will then be selected from 23 regional winners and 8 special topic winners. This international overall evaluation is done by 28 experts - one from each region and one per special topic sponsoring partner. Participants who submit their innovations for one of the special topic prizes in addition to the regional evaluation are twice as likely to be nominated. It is actually possible for a participant to be nominated as a regional winner, a special topic winner, and as the overall winner, the GALILEO Master; e.g. Peter Hall and Christine Edwards from Sci-Tech have been awarded as regional winner for the UK, as winner of the GSA special topic prize and GALILEO Master (overall winner) in 2008.