GSC Competitions Overview:

 
Currently Open Competitions

        1. Best Security Start-Up 2010

        2. Best Security SME 2010

        3. Cyber Security Challenge 2010

        4. INSTINCT-Technology Demonstrator 2 (TD2)

Upcoming Competitions

1. Energy Storage Challenge

Closed Competitions from 2010

1. Cloud Security Challenge 2010

2. The Security Technologies of Tomorrow Challenge

If you are interested in supporting one of these contests as a sponsor, please email: partner@globalsecuritychallenge.com 

Detailed Information about GSC Competitions in 2010

 Currently Open Competitions: 

 

 1. Best Security Startup 2010 - now accepting entries!

 

The 5th annual Best Security Startup competition of the GSC is open for applications until July 7, 2010. Join the ranks of our previous finalists and winners, who raised over $78 million in fresh capital via our challenges and events.

The winner of this category will receive:

 

• $200,000 USD support sponsored by TSWG of US Department of Defense
• Mentorship from Mike Chalfen, Advent Venture Partners.
• Unparalleled networking opportunity with government officials and industry leaders.
• Invaluable publicity.

 

 Targeted Technologies:  We seek to discover the creative capabilities of innovators in young companies, including university spin-offs, that address public security needs.  This includes hardware or software solutions that help (a) protect people, critical infrastructure, facilities and data/electronic systems against terrorist attacks or other criminal acts and natural disasters or (b) help governments, businesses and communities prevent, defend against, investigate/prosecute, cope with or recover from such incidents.

Examples of our areas of interest for 2010 are (but are not limited to): vehicle- or person-borne explosives detection and response, personal protective equipment, cyber security, intrusion detection, biometrics, emergency response situational awareness, detection sensors, aviation and public transport security, facility and personnel decontamination, video surveillance, RFID, data-mining, biotechnologies, and explosive trace detection.

Who can Apply?: a company, or one or more individuals, whose technology has received less than $5m in annual  revenues or investments to include both private funds and government research contracts. In addition, the company must have been founded after January 1, 2005.  Past GSC regional finalists from 2009 and all previous winners of this category are excluded from entering this year's competition.

Process:Application deadline is July 7, 2010(extended to Aug 6th 2010. Please note there will be no further extension to this deadline). Judging will take place in July 2010.  Selected finalists will be invited to pitch at one of the GSC regional events in America, Europe, and Asia.  These events will be held in September and October 2010.  The winners of the regional selection events will advance to the International Final held in London on November, 2010.

Apply today, applications are free of charge and you can access the submission form online at the GSC Forum.

 

 

2.  Best Security SME 2010 (Small Medium Enterprise) - now accepting entries!

The winner of this category will receive:

• $300,000 USD support sponsored by TSWG of US Department of Defense
• Mentorship by Chris Hodges, Director at Carlyle Group
• Unparalleled networking opportunity with government officials and industry leaders.
• Invaluable publicity.

 Targeted Technologies:  We seek to discover the creative capabilities of innovators in young companies, including university spin-offs, that address public security needs.  This includes hardware or software solutions that help (a) protect people, critical infrastructure, facilities and data/electronic systems against terrorist attacks or other criminal acts and natural disasters or (b) help governments, businesses and communities prevent, defend against, investigate/prosecute, cope with or recover from such incidents.

Examples of our areas of interest for 2010 are (but are not limited to): vehicle-  or person-borne explosives detection and response, personal protective equipment, cyber security, intrusion detection, biometrics, emergency response situational awareness, detection sensors, aviation and public transport security, facility and personnel decontamination, video surveillance, RFID, data-mining, biotechnologies, and explosive trace detection.

Who can Apply?: a company or one or more individuals, whose technology has received less than $15m in annual  revenues or investments to include both private funds and government research contracts. In addition, the company must have been founded after January 1, 2000. Past GSC regional finalists from 2009 and all previous winners of this category are excluded from entering this year's competition.

Process: Application deadline is July 7, 2010(extended to Aug 6th 2010. Please note there will be no further extension to this deadline). Judging will take place in July 2010.  Selected finalists will be invited to pitch at one of the GSC regional events in America, Europe, and Asia.  These events will be held in September and October 2010.  The winners of the regional selection events will advance to the International Final held in London on November, 2010.

 

Apply today, applications are free of charge and you can access the submission form online at the GSC Forum.

 

 

3. Cyber Security Challenge 2010

 

 The second annual Cyber Security Challenge 2010, sponsored industry leaders BAE Systems and Accenture, is now open for entries! 

Are you a cyber security start-up or researcher working on innovative software solutions to critical cyber security challenges? Are you developing the latest and greatest disruptive technological tools to fight criminal and terrorist acts in the digital / online space?   If so, then we invite you to enter this exciting and important challenge.  By doing so, you position yourself to join the ranks of our previous finalists and winners who have raised over $78 million in fresh capital via our competitions and challenges.

The winners of this year's Cyber Security Challenge will receive:

     • $10,000USD cash prize sponsored by BAE Systems
     • Mentorship by Accenture
     • Unparalleled networking opportunity with government officials and industry leaders at the GSC Summit.

 

Targeted Technologies:  We seek to uncover tools for detecting, monitoring and visualizing the Cyber Security threat.  Applicant must offer a technology product/idea that can be used to prevent, defend against, cope with or recover from terrorist incidents and other criminal acts in the digital/online space.  The judging process will have the same focus as last year and will reward the disruptive potential of the technology, focusing less on the idea's maturity.

Entrant Criteria:  The competition will be open to innovators in universities and SMEs that have creative solutions to these gaps and needs.  Venture can have no more than £5 million in annual revenues in 2009 (= total annual sales).  Pre-revenue stage companies, individuals performing research, and/or ideas are welcome to enter.  Entrants may be individuals, firms/companies, or universities.  We recognize that many disruptive innovations are not ready for mass commercialization and will therefore encourage researchers and infant companies to apply for this year's Cyber Security Challenge.
 

Process: The competition formally opens on 15 July 2010 and closes on 15 September 2010.  Preliminary judging will be completed by 1 October 2010.  Selected finalists will be invited to present their ideas on-stage to a live judging panel and the ultimate winner will be chosen at the GSC Summit on 11-12 November 2010.

The application can be accessed via the GSC Online Community, and entrance into the competition is FREE.

                                                 

  

 

 

4: INSTINCT-Technology Demonstrator 2 (TD2)

  

INSTINCT the cross departmental organisation of the UK Government, led by the Office for Security and Counter Terrorism (OSCT), selected Thales together with the GSC to launch another new challenge focusing on innovations in Aviation Security.

The ‘INSTINCT - Technology Demonstrator 2' (TD2) competition seeks to identify and trial new technologies that can be used to enhance aviation security at any stage from the point of planning and booking a trip, through to boarding an aircraft.  Ideally, these technologies will also provide complementary benefits in either the passenger experience or enhancement of airport revenues.

Successful demonstrators of the TD2 competition have the opportunity to

•  Share in a cash prize of  £50,000 provided by Thales
• Test their technology, solution or idea in live physical environments, including UK Airports and other synthetic environments.   
• Gain invaluable knowledge of the aviation security environment 
• Coaching and support in the development of their technology, solution or idea into a marketable product or business plan 
• Access and interaction with aviation and industry experts 

 

Targeted Technologies 

Technology, process, training, and procedural improvements including, but not limited to, tracking and tracing systems, recognition systems, sensors systems and detection technologies, flow control, real-time monitoring and analysis of security process and performance , event simulation, threat awareness, behavioral awareness training, check-in process, and border controls.

Entry Criteria

• Entry is open to all individuals, small, medium or large-sized businesses or academic institutions (‘demonstrators’) regardless of size or level or readiness.
• Submissions from outside the UK are welcome. In such cases the entrant should also indicate in the space provided their ability to support the TD2 programme in the UK.
• Entries must be Innovative (not already in service/in use/installed).  It is the responsibility of the entrant to ensure that no third party has any rights in relation to the idea forming the subject of their entry that may prevent its future use
• There is no restriction on the number of entries you can submit.

Competition Process: The TD2 competition entry deadline is 21 August 2010. Preliminary judging closes on 26 August.  Selected innovations will be invited to trial from the end of September to December.  Winners will be announced on 26 January.   

Entrance is free and can be done here today! 

For more information about the Terms & Conditions, click here.

For more information about the TD2 project, click here .

 

 

Upcoming Competitions:

1. Energy Storage Challenge - to be launched in 2010

Tackling Energy Innovation from a Defence Perspective - The global need is rising for replacing current fuel sources with greener technologies.  However, in the short term, there is an important need to find groundbreaking ways to better use traditional sources of energy, as the use of fossil fuels increases in the near future.

This challenge impacts not only on military strategies but also national security in general, as our dependencies on oil and gas increase. The defence sector has traditionally been an early adopter of breakthrough technologies due to its unique needs and ability to explore emerging innovations, even if they are not cost-competitive yet.

Our inaugural challenge will focus on energy storage - a particular concern to defence departments around the world. 

The award will be a $250,000 grant, sponsored by ONR and ONR-G.

We‘ve received amazing support for our upcoming "Energy Storage Challenge" already and are happy to disclose that we are working with leaders from the following institutions who support us in making this Challenge a reality:

• William Anderson, former Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Air Force for Installations, Environment and Logistics
• Bart Markus, General Partner, Wellington Partners
• Michael Gaul, Head of Defence and Security Economics Directorate, NATO
• ...and other leaders from US Department of Energy, Sandia Labs, ETF and ONR.
  

 

Closed Competitions for 2010

1. Cloud Security Challenge - deadlined closed on March 15

As cloud computing is rapidly picking up traction with businesses, its inherent security risks are becoming more apparent. Corporate customers struggle with the open questions of how to protect access to the cloud, regulatory compliance and data integrity.

Governments and large enterprises, from around the world, are especially attracted to the benefits of the cloud or are thinking about creating their own mini-clouds, but are hesitant because of security and privacy risks. Thus, the GSC and its partners are launching the first Cloud Security Challenge competition to explorer radically new ideas and game-changing solutions from around the world in order to make cloud computing more secure.

We are proud to announce that HP Labs sponsors this award with $10,000 for the winning idea.

Martin Sadler, Director of the Systems Security Lab in HP Labs:

"The Cloud Security Challenge not only allows us to find the much needed new security technologies that will be needed to minimise the risks in using the cloud – it also allows us to find new questions that we will need to find answers to." 

 

The Cloud Security Alliance, SecurityVibes and CloudSecurity.org also support this competition as official partners. An executive from CapGemini will provide mentorship as a prize to the winner as well. The winner will also be showcased at our annual GSC Summit in London in front of 250 security professionals.

 Deadline for Submissions: March 15, 2010 at 11.59pm GMT.

[Update July 2010: the winner of the Cloud Security Challenge is  CloudSwitch  from Burlington - MA, USA] 

 

 

2. The Security Technologies of Tomorrow Challenge - closed for entries!

CNI Expo together with Global Security Challenge (GSC) is launching a new competition for security start-ups, called “Security Technologies of Tomorrow Challenge”.  This competition is only open to finalists from previous GSC competitions.  This competition brings together the best entrants from various challenges to compete against each other in a race to be crowned the Best Security Technology of Tomorrow.

Entrants can win prizes worth $10,000 Dollar and selected finalists will get a free booth (worth ca. $1,500), ticket and great exposure at the CNI Expo in London on June 2-3, 2010.
The independent Judging Committee looks for the most disruptive security technology of tomorrow, which makes your technology idea the core of the judging process. 

 How to Enter:
-    Entry is free and applications are available by logging on to the GSC Online Community

-   Only previous finalists of a GSC competition are qualified to enter this competition

-  Application deadline is: April 18, 2010

[Update July 2010: the winner of the The Security Technologies of Tomorrow is  SCIT Labs Inc from Clifton - VA, USA ]

 

 

Closed Competitions from Last Year

 

1. Cyber Security Challenge 2009

This competition has now closed for 2009.

Cyber security has become the new frontier in the security and defence world.

Therefore, we seek the world's most creative innovators and start-ups to help responding to these mounting challenges in cyber security.  We recognize that many disruptive innovations are not ready for mass commercialization and we encourage researchers and infant companies to apply for this year's Cyber Security Challenge.  The judging for this award will focus mainly on the disruptive potential of the technology, focusing less on the idea's maturity.

BAE Systems is sponsoring the Cyber Security Challenge through its Investment in Innovation team:

"Cyber Security is a key area for us to further invest in both because of the wide range of issues currently faced and the breadth of work being done in the space.  We seek to uncover the creative capabilities of innovators in universities and SMEs that apply to information assurance and cyber security needs."

Targeted Technologies: data protection, user authentication, penetration testing, network protection, spam-prevention, anti-malware, identification of data theft, detection of dormant threats on corporate servers, tackling of identity theft on the internet and defences for virtualised computing resources. The winners of this year's Cyber Security Challenge will receive:

• £5,000 GBP cash award for the 1st place winner, sponsored by BAE Systems
• £4,000 GBP cash award to be split among the two runner-ups, sponsored by BAE Systems
• Mentorship by Nick Kingsbury (Venture Capitalist, former partner at 3i)

Who can Apply?: Individuals and companies with under £5m (approx. $7.5m) in 2008 sales revenue.

[Update August 2009: the winner of the inaugural Cyber Security Challenge is Ksplice from MA, USA]

 

 

 

2. Crowded Places Challenge 2009

This competition has now closed for 2009.

The 2nd annual Crowded Places Challenge aims to bring fresh thinking to the problem of protecting the general public from the threat of terrorism in crowded urban environments. At present, governments and industry are looking for more effective ways to respond to the huge challenges posed by securing crowded places.

To improve the ability to understand and model crowd behaviour, the Global Security Challenge, together with BAE Systems and the UK’s INSTINCT programme, have launched the Crowded Places Challenge to uncover the creative capabilities of innovators that may help in countering terrorism.

Examples of our areas of interest for understanding and modelling crowd behaviour include, but are not limited to: software models, video analytics, behavioural analysis and cultural research.

The winners of the 2^nd international Crowded Places Challenge receive the following prizes and awards:

• £10,000 GBP cash award for 1^st Place

• Mentorship by Matt McCooe, Managing Director of Chart Venture Partners

• Up to 5 of the most promising submissions may be invited to test their technology in the INSTINCT Technology Demonstrator in November 2009

[Update January 2010: the winner of the annual Crowded Places Challenge is iOmniscient, Australia.]