An award initiative of the IUB Vice-Chancellor · Faculty round, 2026

You built something real.
Let's give it real-world impact.

This round is open to IUB faculty. i2i takes mature research outputs, tested tools, datasets and partnership-ready work and accelerates them toward pilots, industry links and real-world adoption — over an 8-month pathway with mentoring and institutional backing.

Start faculty application →Faculty onlySee how it works

—

days · Faculty round

8 months

of mentored incubation

4 tiers

Bronze → Platinum

No login

apply in one sitting

One rule to know first: i2i is not an idea competition. Bring work that already exists— a tested tool, a research output, a dataset, a working prototype — not a concept you haven't built yet.

The journey

From your submission to real impact, in seven stages

You focus on stages 1 and 2. We handle the rest with you.

Get discovered

Your finished project is spotted through clubs, competitions, capstones, labs or IUB360 — or you just apply directly.

Apply online

A short form + a one-page diagram, plus an optional 2–3 min video. No account, no login — start and finish in one sitting.

Readiness screening

A small task team checks your project is real, mature and evidence-backed before it goes further.

Committee review

The i2i Committee selects projects and reviews them in the faculty track.

8-month incubation

Mentoring, industry validation and badge progression — Bronze to Platinum — as your project grows.

Launch / Shark-Tank

The strongest teams pitch to an industry & investor-style panel. Platinum recognition on the line.

Your next pathway

Startup, industry partnership, internship, pilot, or a research-to-impact showcase — mapped to where you fit.

Who applies

This round: faculty stream only

Open now

Faculty stream

For mature research outputs, tested tools, datasets, policy or intervention models, and partnership-ready work needing pilot, IP/legal review, industry links, PR/CSR, or productification.

Research outputsTested toolsDatasetsPartnership-ready work

Closed

Student stream

For final-year & capstone projects, competition builds, tested prototypes, and student teams. Students are welcome on a faculty-led team in the meantime. This stream reopens in a later round.

Final-year projectsCapstonesCompetition buildsClub & team outputs

This round is open to IUB faculty only. A faculty-led project may still include students on the team.

Recognition

Grow through four award tiers

Every stage of contribution counts — badges, portfolio evidence, and a certificate that means something to employers.

Bronze

Recognised participation in an approved innovation, club, competition or workshop activity.

Silver

Structured activity completed, plus evidence you contributed to a project, challenge or internship prep.

Gold

Active project contribution with mentoring, validation, prototype/service work or showcase prep.

Platinum

Leadership on a project reaching demo, pilot, startup, partnership or measurable impact.

Watch first

How to apply, start to finish

A short walkthrough of every step of the form — what each question is really asking, and what the screening team looks for in your answers.

Start application →Faculty only⬇ One-pager template Watch on YouTube

Apply guide

Get these ready before you start

Problem + specific user + existing output + real evidence + impact route + requested support = a committee-ready application

A short title

Describe the output, not the research topic.

A 2–3 min video (optional)

Recommended, not required. Problem, output, evidence, user and the support you want — a pitch, not a lecture.

A one-page diagram

Problem → user → solution → process → outputs → impact route, in one view.

Real evidence files

Test results, survey data, feedback, reports — with source, year and link.

A specific user/client

Name the first real person or team who needs this. Not “society”.

Ownership & risk notes

IP, ethics, data access, continuity — be honest about what could block it.

The AI & evidence rule

Use AI to help draft wording, your video, or your diagram — that's fine. But every source, statistic, and piece of evidence must be real and traceable. Fabricated, unverifiable, or misleading evidence gets an application excluded before it reaches the Committee.

Your 2–3 min video OPTIONAL

0:00–0:20Project & team — who you are and what you built.

0:20–0:50The specific user/client and the problem they face.

0:50–1:25What already exists — show the prototype, tool, model or dataset.

1:25–2:05Your evidence and why it matters — data, tests, feedback, benchmarks.

2:05–3:00The support you request, the outcome you want, and honest risks.

Record a short pitch — not a lecture.

Your one-page diagram

One simple flow that makes the whole project clear at a glance. Include:

Problem / needUser / clientExisting outputInputs neededProcess / pathwayOutputs & impact route

Not a technical architecture drawing — show the user and the impact.

A worked example

What a strong application looks like

Illustrative only — replace with your own real project, evidence, and users.

Illustrative example · tested prototype

Campus Shuttle Demand Prediction & Route Planning Tool

Pilot-ready

The problem

First-year and commuting students face uncertain shuttle waiting times at peak hours, hurting punctuality and attendance. Evidence: 6 weeks of shuttle logs, a 126-response survey, and complaint records.

The output

A working dashboard + route-recommendation prototype that shows demand by time block, flags peak pressure points, and generates a daily route suggestion for the Transport/Operations team.

The evidence

Tested on 6 weeks of historical data; in simulated peaks, route adjustments cut estimated waiting time 15–18%. Survey confirms waiting-time uncertainty as a top issue.

The ask

Committee routing into a structured 8-week pilot with Transport/Operations, plus IUB360 mentoring — desired outcome: a completed campus pilot or a clear implementation decision.

Example one-page diagram for the Campus Shuttle Demand Prediction and Route Planning Tool, in three linked panels. Innovation: a demand prediction dashboard and a route planning prototype. Target: students using the campus shuttle, and IUB Transport & Operations. Impact: less waiting-time uncertainty, better student punctuality and experience, more efficient shuttle scheduling, and stronger evidence for a pilot or implementation. — Innovation → target → impact: the whole project readable at a glance. Yours can be simpler — clarity matters more than polish.

Ready check

Tick these off before you submit

My project is final-stage, tested, pilot-ready or academically matureI can name a specific user, client, adopter or beneficiaryIf I included a video, it covers problem, output, evidence, user and requested supportMy diagram shows the project logic in one viewEvery claim is backed by real, traceable evidenceI’ve disclosed risks and ownership honestlyMy requested support is specific and tied to an outcomeA non-specialist could understand it in under 5 minutes

0 of 8 checked

I'm ready — start my faculty application →Faculty only

Questions

Frequently asked

Your work deserves a second life.

Open to IUB faculty. Apply in one sitting — no account needed. Prefer to draft offline first? Grab the one-page template.

Start faculty application →Faculty only⬇ One-pager template