The proposal registration process starts with publication of these rules and closes on 7 January 2020. If you have a project that meets the #SpinUOC criteria, simply complete the following online form to submit it.

Once registration has been accepted, participants must follow the itinerary explained below.

Phase 1: Initial training and project pre-selection

All the projects entered in this call will receive training in the entrepreneurial process given by the Hubbik online platform, which will be enabled once registration is accepted under the terms established by the organizers.

The training will consist of a fully online course on Business Idea Generation and Maturing, with an estimated duration of 40 hours.

At the same time, candidates must take part in two group sessions (with each session lasting three hours) which will be given in a blended format (candidates can either attend on-site or view it by streaming) in January 2020, on defining the business model and lean startup methodology (preparation of a business model canvas) and communication techniques (preparing the pitch).

This part of the process (training and initial guidance) will not be compulsory if you have stated that you have taken part in other entrepreneurship education or support processes (supporting documentation will be requested).

The compulsory documentation for assessing the project must be submitted from 8 January to 3 February 2020, which is the closing date of this phase, as follows: a canvas explaining the business model and your pitch, in the form of an explanatory video with a maximum duration of 90 seconds, featuring one or more members of the team who explain the project's key aspects, and an executive summary of the project following a template provided by the organization. The requirements for preparing and sending these documents are explained at the end of these rules, in Appendix 1.

At the end of this phase, a technical assessment committee will pre-select a maximum of 20 projects, analysing the documentation submitted on the basis of the following criteria: alignment with the UOC's fields of knowledge, innovativeness, viability and market transferability, the project sponsors' presentation abilities, and social impact.

The list of pre-selected projects will be published after 14 February.

Phase 2: Individualized guidance for the pre-selected projects

The pre-selected projects will take part in a second compulsory phase consisting of individualized guidance by an expert mentor (up to 4 hours) to develop and improve the submitted documents (canvas, pitch and executive summary). This phase will last from 17 February to 9 March 2020.

The goal pursued by these mentorships is to resolve the projects' specific needs in different areas, such as value proposition, channels, sources of income or customer segments. They will also enable attention to be paid to aspects of the pitch and the executive summary that need improving.

Upon completing this second guidance phase, the participants must provide the following documentation by 9 March at the latest: an evolved version of the canvas, that explains the business model, and a video pitch explaining the project, with a maximum duration of 90 seconds, and an executive summary (one-page) of the project, following a template that will be made available to the participants. These may be new documents or the same documents submitted in the first phase, as the participant thinks best, taking into account the mentor's recommendations.

After completing the second personalized guidance phase, a jury will analyse the pre-selected proposals in order to choose the eight best projects (and two backup projects), evaluating the documentation submitted on the basis of the following criteria: (1) strategic alignment with the UOC and social impact, (2) innovativeness, (3) viability and market transferability, (4) the project leader's entrepreneurial profile and communication abilities.

Description of the assessment criteria:

1. Strategic alignment with the UOC and social impact: Business idea related with the information and knowledge society and e-learning. If this is not the case, the synergies that the future company may have with the UOC's research groups will also be considered. The social impact, understood as the degree to which the idea may contribute to social transformation and progress.

2. Innovativeness: Novelty and technological or knowledge content. Newness of the initiative and origin of the knowledge behind the project.

3. Viability and market transferability: Knowledge of the market and identification of the necessary resources to carry out the project (material, financial, human, technical and legal).

4. The project leader's entrepreneurial profile and communication abilities: Interest and commitment shown by the project's sponsors, academic and professional background of the people behind the initiative, and communication skills in presenting the project.

The decision will be made public on the UOC e-Centre's e-Noticeboard on 1 April 2020.

Jury members:     

• Juan Álvarez, founder of Seed&Click and vice president of the Spanish Association of Business Angels (AEBAN). 

• Joan Arnedo, professor at the UOC's Faculty of Computer Science, Multimedia and Telecommunications.

• Eduard Bosch, deputy general manager of Finance and Resources at the UOC. 

• Xavier Jaumejoan, technological business development manager at ACCIÓ. 

• Maria Mora, director of the Foment del Treball Nacional business creation office. 

• Pere Duran, director of 4 Years From Now (4YFN).

• Mireia Riera, director of the UOC Knowledge Transfer and Research Support Office (OSRT). 

• Enric Serradell, director of MBA programmes at the UOC's Faculty of Economics and Business. 

• Germán Talón, UOC Alumni representative.

• Mark Topping, project manager of Ramon Molinas Foundation.

• A representative designated by Caixa Capital Risc.

Preparation of the candidates for the #SpinUOC 2020 event

The candidates of the eight selected proposals will take part in two key moments of the event: they will present their project on a stage with an elevator pitch lasting a maximum of 5 minutes , and they will take part in the SpinMeetings, a networking area that will help them to connect with stakeholders in the project's field of application. 

The candidates' preparation will consist of group and individual mentoring sessions over a period of three months adapted to the projects' needs and present status, designed in accordance with an individualized pathway, with the goal of validating the business model and plan and defining the financing plan (up to 20 hours), to help bring the projects to fruition and prepare the SpinMeetings and the presentation, and to transform them into the best-selling tool (up to 10 hours per project).