“Mind the Gap!” FAQ


Q. What is the purpose of Mind the Gap! Challenge?
A. IEEE R8 SAC has initiated a special call for proposals from students in R8. We are in search of creative team-based student projects to solve a real-world problem. Proposals should reflect the identification of the aging gap between generations, and the proposed solution. In addition, IEEE R8 SAC is looking for projects that can be implemented by the same team within 6 months and with a budget limit of up to $10,000.

Q. Where can proposals be submitted?
A. Proposals and questions may be addressed to [email protected].

Q. Where can I find more information on the Mind the Gap Challenge?
A. A comprehensive source of information can be found here: mtg.ieeer8.org and facebook.com/MtGR8SAC

Q. Who is eligible to be a team member?
A. Teams must have a minimum of one and a maximum of five members. At least one team member must be an IEEE Student Member. Teams including one or more high-school students, and teams where members belong to different fields of study, are encouraged.

Q. Can a team work with schools in this proposal?
A. Working with high-schools is encouraged but not compulsory.

Q. Can a team include members from different fields of study?
A. Such teams are encouraged but not compulsory.

Q. What are the requirements for MtG proposal submission?
A. Each team should submit a proposal (maximum 10 pages) including a description of the idea, challenges, milestones in a Gantt chart, as well as a detailed budget.

 Q. What should the proposal address?
A. The submitted proposal should present a way to reduce the generation gap and benefit older and younger generations. The proposed project should be transformable into a proof of concept within a maximum of 6 months and a budget of no more than $10,000.

Q. What are the submission dates?
A. The proposal submission deadline is May 15th, 2016.

Q. When will the winners be announced?
A. Winners will be announced by June 12th, 2016, and results will be published during the SYP 2016 taking place in Regensburg – Germany.

Q. When will we receive our certificates?
A. Certificates are distributed electronically by September 15th.

Q. When will we receive our awards?
A. Awards are handled with each team individually. Timing varies based on the winners’ country regulations and other variables.

Q. Can members of team be from different institutions?
A. Yes team members can be from different institutions/universities/sections.

Q. Can a team participate without having an IEEE member?
A. This competition requires at least one participant to be an IEEE member. If you do not know anyone who is a member, any of your team members can join. Follow this link to become an IEEE Student Member: http://www.ieee.org/membership_services/membership/join/index.html

Q. Is the challenge open to IEEE graduate members who are still pursuing further studies?
A. Yes, at least one team member should be an IEEE Student member, including Graduate Student members.

Q. Is there any age restriction for the team members?
A. No, not as long as one of them is a student. IEEE Young Professionals are encouraged to participate.

Q. Is this also open to part-time students who are working full-time as well?
A. Yes.

Q. How many winners are there?
A. There are 3 winning teams in total.

Q. What is the review process?
A. A panel of judges from IEEE R8 SAC, IEEE R8 Life members and EPICS in IEEE will review the applications and grade them based on the judging criteria.

Q. What are the judging criteria?
A. TBD

Q. What happens next?
A. Phase II’s objective will be to fund three winning teams (from Phase I) and encourage them to transform their ideas into a proof of concept within a suggested 6 month period, and $10,000 budget. However, Phase II is not yet confirmed and may not take place.