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North West NHS Innovation Awards - Rules
1.1 You must be aged over 18 years and be employed by an NHS organisation or hold an honorary contract with an NHS organisation located in the North West region. The North West region, for the purpose of this competition includes: Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Lancashire and Cumbria.
1.2 Your submission must be entered into one of the award categories for the year of entry. The categories for 2007 are as follows:
- Training or Educational Materials
Any instrument, apparatus, appliance, material or other article which supports the training or education of NHS employees, patients or others as part of a service delivered by the NHS.- Medical Devices, Equipment, Diagnostics or Therapeutics
Any instrument, apparatus, appliance, material, compound, formulation, assay or other article (excluding software) which is intended to:
- diagnose, prevent, monitor, treat or alleviate disease;
- diagnose, monitor, treat, alleviate or compensate for an injury or disability;
- investigate, replace or modify the anatomy or physiological process;
- otherwise improve healthcare and be of benefit to the NHS.
- Software or Systems
Any instruction or program developed to function on a computer, or hand-held device, that could improve healthcare and be of benefit to the NHS (e.g. database, website, calculator).- Service Improvements or Developments
Any novel process (i.e. a process that is unique to the NHS in general, not just the applicant’s organisation) that has demonstrated significant benefits to the NHS (e.g. improved patient care, cost reductions, improved efficiency).
1.3 A prize of £1000 is available for each of the four categories, plus a £1000 special award presented by NHS North West for the entry (in any of the four categories) which makes, or could make, the most significant contribution to the NHS in the North West in delivering a world-class service.
1.4 TrusTECH reserves the right to change or withdraw competition categories at its discretion. In this situation entries will be moved into the next suitable category. The applicants concerned will be informed on the website and by email.
1.5 TrusTECH reserves the right not to award a prize in any of the given categories, or the NHS North West special award, if deemed appropriate by the judging panel.
1.6 Cheques for prize monies will be made payable to the NHS organisation which employs the winning applicant or team members. The prize money should be used to further develop the idea submitted to the competition.
1.7 All competition entries will be considered in confidence.
1.8 An applicant may submit entries for more than one project/innovation to the competition. However, applications for the same project/innovation submitted will only be accepted for one category (the category which TrusTECH deems is most appropriate).
1.9 A team (rather than an individual) may submit applications. The winning entry will then be recognised for the team as a whole.
2.0 All project ideas and designs should demonstrate originality. This may be in the form of improvements to existing products or as totally new concepts.
2.1 Innovations that are already receiving funding are eligible to enter the competition, although disclosure to the judging panel is essential. Pre-existing external resources must also be declared (e.g. company sponsors, donated materials/components).
2.2 Applications should give details of any contributing parties such as other NHS organisations/employees and any external consultants or investors.
2.3 Entries should be submitted by posting six hard copies to Emma Smith, TrusTECH Communications Officer
(TrusTECH, the Innovation Unit, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9WL) or sending one electronic copy to Emma Smith by email.
2.4 The closing date for submissions is Friday 28 September 2007 at 16.00. Any entries received after this time will not be accepted, unless the applicant has reasonable evidence to demonstrate that the application has been submitted and presents this to TrusTECH by Tuesday 2 October 2007 at 12.00 noon.
2.5 Applicants should receive an email receipt from TrusTECH, within one working day, to confirm delivery of the application. If applicants do not receive an email receipt within this period it is their responsibility to ensure that the application has been received by contacting TrusTECH on 0161 276 6964.
2.6 TrusTECH takes no responsibility for and makes no guarantee regarding the receipt of intact entries, and any loss is entirely at the entrant's own risk.
2.7 TrusTECH reserves the right to change the deadline and will publish any changes on the TrusTECH website.
2.8 Entries may be withdrawn up until the time of the deadline.
2.9 TrusTECH employees, the judging panel or members of their families will not be eligible to enter.
3.0 TrusTECH reserves the right to withhold any award or change its terms, conditions and rules without notice.
3.1 Entries will be assessed in the first instance by TrusTECH for compliance with the competition rules and originality before being submitted to the judging panel. Please note: Entries failing to comply with the entry form requirements will NOT be eligible for entry into the competition.
3.2 In order to function effectively and account for its activities, TrusTECH may retain and process any information contained in or relating to an entry. Personal information contained in an entry will not be passed on to third parties without the person’s prior consent.
3.3 The entrants may not contact any member of the judging panel. In the event of such contact being made immediate disqualification will result.
3.4 Any attempt to bias the judging process will result in disqualification.
3.5 No appeals against the judging panel decision will be accepted. The decision of the judging panel is final.
3.6 Award winners may be required to participate in activities that promote the competition, including but not limited: to having photographs or film recordings taken of themselves; being asked for quotes about the competition; and providing feedback on how the prize money is used.