What do I get for my idea?

We have a range of great prizes available, but remember, you have to be in it to win it! You'll also be gaining the recognition and respect of your colleagues as one of the innovative thinkers at ICIS.

Where and when will we see the outcome of this process?

The ICIS incubator will run for four weeks in total and we will communicate the results internally in early August.

Who holds the intellectual property in my idea?

The IP for ideas submitted through the platform is held by ICIS

I’m thinking about setting up my own business, why should I share my ideas on this platform?

We are looking for ideas which use the capabilities and assets of ICIS in some way and which will therefore not lend themselves to development by a different organisation without those assets or capabilities.

Struggling with Inspiration

The inspiration techniques are not working for me. What should I do?

First, get together with some colleagues and review the content together. Share the content that you like and why. Apply it to the ICIS business and see what happens. Secondly, if you need help or support to do this contact us by email or phone from the Ask page above.

Submitting Your Idea

I don't think my idea is very good, should I submit it?

Yup! Keep an open mind - it's probably a lot better than you think! There’s no such thing as a bad idea in the early stage of this process. The worst idea is an unsubmitted idea!

My idea is incomplete, should I submit it?

Yes! We will collect, collate and connect all the ideas submitted so even if you only have part of the idea there is a good chance it could become something bigger.

My ideas are too (small, big, crazy, obvious)* delete as appropriate.

Get them in!

Small ideas can fill the gaps in big ideas, big ideas can connect disparate small ideas.. Crazy ideas can change the world, and the obvious ideas aren't always that obvious to everyone else!

I’ve seen our competitor do something different – does that qualify?

Yes, submit your idea.

Do I need to write a whole business plan for my idea?

Nope, just fill in the idea form with as little or as much detail as you can.

I’ve accidentally submitted my idea without finishing the form!

Don’t worry – either resubmit it or contact us via the Ask tab and we will sort it out for you.

If my idea goes horribly wrong will I be held accountable?

What on earth is your idea? No, we have a rigorous process to review, plan and execute on ideas and anything that could go that badly is unlikely to make it through. And we certainly won’t blame you!

I don’t want to leave what I’m doing to work on a risky new idea. Will I have to do that?

No, we hope to offer people the chance to be involved in their ideas as they develop, but this is not mandatory nor guaranteed.

What does it mean to ‘pitch my idea’ to the business?

If shortlisted, we will invite you to share your idea with us so that we can learn more about it. You can share how you came up with the idea, why it is good, how it will work and whether you want to be involved in developing it further. And don’t worry, it will be a discussion, not an interrogation!

Will my idea be taken and developed without me?

If your idea is selected for further development then we will look into the level of involvement you wish for; some people will be happier taking an advisory role as the subject matter export, while other will wish for a more hands on role. Where possible, the business will explore all possible options to ensure that you’re as involved as you want to be in the development of your idea.