What is Innovocracy?
Innovocracy pairs researchers and students of academic institutions with the general public to allow just about anyone to sponsor the development of prototypes for products that would change the world if only they existed. We're currently in private alpha with a public launch scheduled for this coming fall semester. Many of the projects you will see in the coming weeks span the fields of healthcare, medicine, and disease prevention.
What is the role of an institution?
Institutions are responsible for encouraging their own researchers and students to consider how Innovocracy might be used to help them move closer to commercializing products that could have a meaningful social impact on the world.
What is the role of an innovator?
Innovators belong to a participating institution and present to the masses why their research will lead to the development of a product likely to have a meaningful social impact on the world if only it existed.
What is the role of a sponsor?
Supporters pledge money because they believe in an innovator's mission and want to succeed alongside the innovator in helping make the world a healthier place.
What are the benefits of joining?
Among the numerous benefits are improved access to capital, increased technology commercialization, a sense of market validation/interest among consumers, greater exposure to university talent, a submission process that is simpler and more efficient than NIH, NSF, etc. applications, and lastly alumni donors are given more control over how their contributions are distributed within the academy.
Who is eligible to submit a project to Innovocracy?
Any full-time student or professor is eligible to leverage the platform to push an innovation closer to a completed prototype. This includes both innovations that have previously been worked on and ones that have been conceptualized and would like to start development on.
What materials does an innovator need to submit?
Please fill out a contact form or send an email to julian.baldwin@innovocracy.org including the word "submission" in the subject title so we can assist you directly. The manual submission process we use today will not persist for much longer as we conclude particular development sequences.
When the site goes live this fall you'll have the chance to visit our submission page to fill out the details of your innovation. You can expect to include things like a title for your innovation, a short description, an image and video to help tell your story and demonstrate your enthusiasm, as well as things like funding goal, funding duration, and rough budget to explain how any funds raised will be spent to further the development of your innovation.
What happens to an innovator's intellectual property?
Neither contributing sponsors nor Innovocracy interact with an innovator's intellectual property. Intellectual property rights should already be aligned between the innovator and their respective institution before using the Innovocracy platform.
What can an institution do to increase the success rate of any projects submitted to Innovocracy?
In some instances you might consider assisting innovators struggling to record a high quality video that expresses their passion for the innovation they are developing. Another thing you can do is promote each approved innovation among faculty, alumni, and friends, as well as through various social media outlets to help attract supporters from around the world. It goes without saying, the best innovations will be coupled with a great deal of creativity, so experiment with preparation and promotion to see what works best for your institution.