Biomimicry Design Challenge. STEMGeeks community? $100,000 Ray of Hope Prize

Biomimicry is innovation inspired by nature.
And it's a new way of inventing by looking to the natural world for inspiration.
And asking, before we design anything, what would nature do here?
(Janine Benyus)

(sources: train (Wiki. CC BY 2.5), kingfisher (Wiki. CC BY 2.0))

Contents:

Introduction
Bio-industrial revolution
Programs and Challenges

1. Apply for the $100,000 Ray of Hope Prize with the help of Biomimicry Institute (The longest way round is the shortest way home)
   Stage 1. Biomimicry Design Challenge
   Stage 2. Biomimicry Institute’s Launchpad
   Stage 3. The $100,000 Ray of Hope Prize
2. Apply for the $100,000 Ray of Hope Prize directly

STEEMGeeks community potential. “STEEMGeeks Biomimicry Launching Pad”?

1. Finding team members
2. Sponsoring
3. Information

Communication/Collaboration/News

Introduction

Why would you even ask Nature?
Well, the Earth is near 4.5 billion years old.
Life forms appeared near 3.8 billion years ago.
Humans started their journey near 200,000 years ago.
Life forms face the same problems that we do (filtering water, getting rid of pathogens, obtaining energy etc.), but they just had much more time to adapt to surroundings and develop strategies that allow them to function without harming their own environments. That’s what we could try to learn from them [source].

An aircraft, a velcro, and Japanese high speed train Shinkansen 500 Series, all of them were inspired by nature.

Biomimicry recognizes that we are surrounded by millions of organisms and ecosystems that have something to teach us about surviving and thriving on Earth.
(source)

Bio-industrial revolution

Programs and Challenges

There’re 2 ways you can take part in the biomimicry initiative/competition held by Sponsors (Biomimicry Institute and Ray C. Anderson Foundation).

1. Apply for the $100,000 Ray of Hope Prize with the help of Biomimicry Institute (The longest way round is the shortest way home)

Stage 1
Biomimicry Design Challenge

Searching for ideas/inspirations.

The Biomimicry Global Design Challenge is an annual competition that asks teams of students and professionals to address critical global issues with nature-inspired solutions.
(source)

Timing:

a) Registration Opens (September 18, 2020) / Registration Closes (April 30, 2021)
b) Submissions Open (October 15, 2020) / Submission Deadline (June 30, 2021, 11:59:59 pm Pacific Daylight Time (GMT-7))
c) Finalist Announcement (September 2021)

Eligibility:

Any university students and new biomimicry learners have the ability to participate in this challenge —regardless of whether you’ve been trained in biomimicry or not. All it takes is a partner or a team.
(source)

You need to have a team (2-8 members).

Prototype is needed (not necessarily functional).

Your prototype is not required to be functional at this stage. Your prototype should be testing for both desirability (do people actually want what you are creating?) and feasibility (is it technically possible to build your solution?).*
(source)

Prototype, not an MVP (Minimum Viable Products).

The main difference is that your MVP is a "live" product that is providing value to someone. Prototypes are more like tests that will help you validate various assumptions.
(source)

Note, there’s also Youth Design Challenge (middle/high school students)

Fees (for submission of your application, not registration):

Early-bird rate: Student-only teams $40; professionals or mixed teams of students and professionals $100
Standard rate: Student-only teams $50; professionals or mixed teams of students and professionals $120
(source)

Stage 2
Biomimicry Institute’s Launchpad
Turning ideas into a reality. Preparation for the Ray of Hope Prize application
https://biomimicry.org/launchpad/

is an incubator program that helps early-stage entrepreneurs bring nature-inspired solutions to market.
(source)

includes a 10-week digital program that provides startup coaching and mentorship, access to prototyping support in the form of workshops and grants,… By the end of the Launchpad you will have learned how to become a startup and developed your sustainability leadership skills.
(source)

Timing:
Late Fall 2021

Eligibility:
Up to 10 finalists from the Biomimicry Global Design Challenge

up to 10 finalist teams will be invited to participate in the Biomimicry Launchpad, a program designed to encourage innovators who are using biomimicry as an integral part of their design process, and to inspire and support the next generation of sustainability leaders.
(source)

Stage 3
The $100,000 Ray of Hope Prize
Eligibility: Biomimicry Launchpad participants.
Well, actually you can apply independently of Biomimicry Institute (see below). But without their help you have very low chances to win, unless you’re like Janine Benyus.

open to English speaking individuals, companies, businesses, institutions and all other organizations that are legally permitted to participate in contests such as this one. If a potential entrant is an individual, then they must be ready, willing, and able to form an entity capable of holding a bank account within ninety (90) days of the end of the Ray of Hope Prize® Competition
(source - “Read the official rules here.” section at https://biomimicry.org/rayofhopeprize/#details)

Timing:
Yet to be defined for 2021-2022.
Timing for 2020 – 2021:

Recruitment & Selection Open: October 2020 – March 2021
Applications Close (Extended!): December 4, 2020
Finalist Teams Selected: March 2021
Virtual Pitch & Storytelling Training: April-May 2021
Ray of Hope Prize Award Announcement: June 2021
https://biomimicry.org/rayofhopeprize/#details

2.Apply for the $100,000 Ray of Hope Prize directly

We are now accepting applications until December 4, 2020
(source)

Any startup with a nature-inspired product, service, or technology with inherent social or environmental benefits may apply.
(source)

It’s highly improbable that you have a startup based on the nature-inspired technology to meet the deadline.

STEEMGEEKS community potential. "STEEMGEEKS Biomimicry Launching Pad”?

Well, there could be also Stage 0, initial Stage.
I guess that STEMGeeks community (well, maybe the members of other Hive communities as well, actually) could help with:
1.Finding team members

There’re some really talented users/innovators/scientists on Hive, and STEMGeeks in particular.
Possibly, some of them could team up. You can use Biomimicry Community Discord (“team members” channel) (see below) or any other way.

2.Sponsoring
Not all users could afford aforementioned $50/$100/$120 fees.
Well, there’s a scholarships provided by Biomimicry Institute in this case.
But

Please note: We cannot grant scholarships to each applicant that applies.
(source)

https://peakd.com/c/hive-155543/ (Biomimicry Community) account is gonna sponsor (pay $50/$100/$120 in Hive/STEM) at least 1 project developed by STEMGeeks community members.
Possibly, some other Hive/STEMGeeks users will have a desire to sponsor the projects they like as well.
Don't know how the judgement guidelines/process will look like yet.
Let me know if you’re willing to be a sponsor in the comments section or in Biomimicry Community Discord (“sponsoring” channel).

3.Information
Well, to be fair, there’re very few posts about biomimicry published on STEMGeeks yet.
All useful resources that I know will be added in “resources” channel of Biomimicry Community Discord.
To discuss nature-inspired ideas, you can use Biomimicry Community Discord (“ideas-discussion” channel), or just publish them in Biomimicry Community (https://peakd.com/c/hive-155543/).

Communication/Collaboration/News

Biomimicry community - https://peakd.com/c/hive-155543/
Biomimicry community Discord - https://discord.gg/qVWHFhfV

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Please, note that there’re a lot of uncertainties about all this stuff. Not everything is clear yet.
Feel free to leave you suggestion/questions in the comments section.
It would be interesting to see if STEMGeeks and its community could actually help to turn theory/ideas into practice/reality (sort of “Kickstarter” for nature-inspired technologies).

References

(Biomimicry. Introduction)
https://toolbox.biomimicry.org/introduction/

(Global Design Challenge 2021)
https://challenge.biomimicry.org/en/challenge/global-design-challenge-2021

(Launchpad. Biomimicry Institute)
https://biomimicry.org/launchpad/

(Ray of Hope Prize - Biomimicry Institute)
https://biomimicry.org/rayofhopeprize/#details