Humanities Innovation Challenge Competiton 2019

Posted on April 23, 2019 by Ylva Berglund Prytz

A new round of the Humanities Innovation Challenge Competition has been launched, sponsored by Oxford University Innovation and TORCH. The competition invites teams or individuals to submit a 200 word description of an idea “which can potentially enrich their own work, communicate to a wider audience, and develop new perspectives both in the Humanities and Social Sciences”.

We are keen to encourage researchers, students and staff to develop entrepreneurial ideas which can potentially enrich their own work, communicate to a wider audience, and develop new perspectives both in the Humanities and Social Sciences. To this end, you are invited to propose innovative ideas which can lead to entrepreneurial activity, social impact or enterprise. (from the competition website)

Shortlisted ideas will be invited to pitch for a cash prize of £1,000 and in-kind support worth over £5,000. For more information, please visit the Humanities Innovation Challenge Competition website: https://www.torch.ox.ac.uk/article/humanities-innovation-challenge-competition-2019.

Please note, this competition is not affiliated with the IT Innovation Challenges

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GLAM Labs: 4 projects receive funding

Posted on April 9, 2019 by Michelle Stork

We are excited to announce that 4 proposals from the call for GLAM Labs projects have been offered funding by the IT Innovation Challenges scheme. The projects are (click on project name to read the abstract):

  • A physical and digital show and tell – creating a portable ‘station’ for use in the museum galleries to present both 3D models in Virtual Reality and tactile models / 3D prints. Based in the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine

  • Digital makers – developing staff coding skills and piloting digital making activities for families and young people. Based in the Radcliffe Science Library and Ashmolean Museum.

  • Replicating historic musical instruments – testing the accuracy of 3D printouts of historic musical instruments. Based in the Pitt Rivers Museum.

  • Mapping playful spaces in the museum – using social data to examine how visitors engage with Oxford’s museums to understand visitor engagement. Based in the Oxford Internet Institute working with a number of GLAM sites.

Projects will run between May 2019 and February 2020.

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IT Innovation Challenges 2019 round: shortlisted ideas

Posted on February 28, 2019 by Michelle Stork

Having received 59 ideas in this year’s round of the IT Innovation Challenges, the judges have now selected the most promising ideas to go on to the next stage of the selection process. Idea creators are now asked to write a project proposal explaining their project idea in detail and providing information on how to implement the idea.

They will pitch their idea to a panel of experts from across the University in March (GLAM Labs) and May (staff and student challenge) respectively. After the pitch, the panel will decide on the final selection of projects that will receive funding to realise their idea.

The shortlist below (in no particular order) indicates the great variety of exciting ideas submitted this year:

GLAM Labs (staff and student)

  • Replicating Historic Musical Instruments – testing the accuracy of 3D printouts of historic musical instruments
  • Project Dastaan – Historical Reconstruction through VR – piloting VR exhibits on the Indian Partition in the Ashmolean Museum
  • Bod-day cards/GLAM Birthday Cards – allowing digital audiences to create a customised video birthday card for a friend or loved one using the museum collection
  • Exploring new technologies as a tool for collaborative gallery interpretation – working collaboratively with community groups and artists / creatives to experiment with the creative use of new technologies in the Ashmolean’s Ancient Near East gallery
  • Mapping playful spaces in the Museum – using social data to examine how visitors engage with Oxford’s museums to understand visitor engagement
  • Whispering Windows and Noisy Bones – drawing on sounds to deepen the visitor experience of objects and galleries

Four projects are joining into two teams to  work collaboratively on the project proposal:

  • Developing staff coding skills and delivering computer enhanced GLAM exhibits and outreach using the Micro:Bit and Raspberry Pi
  • Digital makers – piloting digital making activities for families and young people

and

  • Using VR to understand to learn at the amazing beauty of the micro world – allowing visitors to ‘virtually’ shrink down to tiny scales to allow them to explore small museum objects
  • A physical and digital show and tell – creating a portable ‘station’ for use in the museum galleries to present both tactile models / 3D prints and digital assets of museum objects

IT Innovation Challenges (staff)

  • The Student Bubble – providing a safe, digital space for students to find new friends, join groups and discover events
  • Peer Support Programme Wall of Faces – creating a virtual Peer Support Wall of Faces to replace the paper posters currently advertising the existing Peer Support Teams
  • Bibliographic and Publication Data Visualisation Services to University Researchers – developing a method for producing bibliographic and publication based visualisations, showing links between Oxford researchers and other institutions
  • Interactive Library Floor Plans – building a tool to help libraries create their own web-based interactive floor plan with minimal effort or technical skills
  • Multi-Media Resource – Women in Oxford University: Past and Present – an interactive, digital resource for exploring the role of woman at Oxford
  • Better Research Ethics Application Process – improving the way ethics applications are completed and processed using Oracle Policy Administration

Summer of Innovation (student)

  • Open source code for developing museum/history-teaching apps – developing an open-source, free-to-use app to teach history through a combination of text, audio, and 3D models
  • The XXFactor – creating a portal for the podcast series ‘The XX Factor’ which will feature open conversations with Oxford-based, female academics and the challenges they face

Please follow the links above to learn more about the project ideas (using your Oxford email address to register to the Oxford Ideas platform).

The  projects selected for funding will be announced on this blog after the pitch has been completed.

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59 ideas submitted – comment and vote now

Posted on February 5, 2019 by Michelle Stork

We are pleased to announce that 59 ideas have been submitted to the IT Innovation Challenges this term.

Screenshot of the three calls for ideas on the OxfordIdeas platform

Screenshot of the three calls for ideas on OxfordIdeas

Project ideas that were submitted include:

  • a multimedia resource about women at Oxford University in the past and present,
  • 3D prints of historic musical instruments in Oxford collections,
  • a virtual tour of the Bodleian Libraries,
  • an app through which students can connect with likeminded people,
  • a podcast series called ‘The XX Factor’ which will feature Oxford-based, female academics,
  • and many, many more!

You can now support your favourite project ideas by commenting on them and voting for them if you would like to see it go through to the next round. Your comment will not only help the project team to think their idea through, but it can also influence the panel’s decision about which ideas to take forward!

To cast your vote, go to Oxford Ideas and register with your Oxford email address, if you have not already done so.

Please note that commenting will close on February 11.

If you have any questions, please get in touch with us directly at innovation@it.ox.ac.uk.

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What is an idea and how do I come up with ideas?

Posted on January 16, 2019 by Michelle Stork

What is an idea?

According to the OED, an idea is the “conception of a standard or principle to be realized or aimed at; a conception of what is desirable or ought to be; a governing conception or principle; the plan or design according to which something is created or constructed.”

An idea, in other words, is a solution to a problem that we may or may not be aware of. It may respond to a certain need, and it usually benefits individuals or groups.

An idea can be an entirely new approach, something that no-one has thought of before. More often, though, an idea simply means translating a preexistent practice or process to a new context.

Generating new ideas

Here are a few suggestions on how can you come up with ideas more easily:

  • Brainstorm.

    You can make a mind map, a list or any other form of writing down all your thoughts. Push yourself to go beyond what comes to your mind at first. The more ideas you can get down on paper, the more likely it is that there will be a good idea in there.

    Image by Elijah O’Donnell on Unsplash.

  • Research.

    Know what is already out there. If you know the field and problem that you want to work on, you will not only be able to identify gaps but also develop potential new approaches. In fact, generating ideas is closely linked to what Oxford teaches you about research.

Image by Dakota Corbin on Unsplash.

  • Communicate.

    Put your ideas out there and discuss them with friends and colleagues. You will certainly get asked questions and receive valuable feedback. This way you can develop your ideas or come up with new ones.

    Our Oxford Ideas platform encourages discussion and collaboration to help you make the most of your ideas. 

  • Ask ‘old’ questions anew.

    Pick up old questions and try to think of new answers. With digital innovations moving fast, you are likely to find that there are new ways of tackling well-known issues by thinking beyond traditional approaches. Another strategy you can try is to rephrase your questions. This way you will be looking at a problem from a new angle and will be more likely to generate ideas.

Image by Hannah Olinger on Unsplash.

  • Be creative.

    Do something creative that is not directly linked to the problem you are trying to solve. This could be anything from photography to drawing to knitting. Since you’re focused on your creative task, your brain can wander off. Plus, By putting yourself into a situation where you need to be creative, you are adopting the right mindset to come up with more new ideas.

What are your strategies for coming up with new ideas? Share them in the comment section below.

If you already have a good idea for an innovative project, share it on the Oxford Ideas platform. The platform is used for various Calls for Ideas at different times. Please email us at innovation@it.ox.ac.uk if you have any questions.

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IT Innovation – 2019 Staff Challenge

Posted on January 14, 2019 by Ylva Berglund Prytz

Photo by Robbie Brock CC BY-NC-SA

This 2019 IT Innovation Challenges call is open to all Oxford University staff* who have ideas for digital projects that could benefit the University, its staff or students. Successful ideas will receive funding of up to £40,000.

THE THEME FOR THIS YEAR IS REUSE, RENEW, INNOVATE

‘Innovation’ does not have to mean inventing something new or using the latest technology or newest equipment. For this round we particularly welcome ideas for projects using existing tools, knowledge, or technology in new and innovative ways, in new areas, or for new purposes.

As always, we also welcome other ideas for projects that bring benefit to the University, its staff and/or students through digital means.

To submit your idea, or view and comment on ideas submitted by others, go to the new Oxford ideas platform https://oxford.ideascaleapp.eu and register with your University of Oxford email address (firstname.lastname@unit.ox.ac.uk . Single sign-on not yet available). You can add or edit ideas until noon on Monday 4th February 2019 (comments and votes can be added until 11th February).

We are primarily looking for innovative digital solutions that stand a realistic chance of achieving their goals within the constraints of time and funding. The IT Innovation Challenges panel will decide on which ideas will go to the next stage using the following criteria:

  • it is innovative in its approach – by this we mean it utilizes an existing system or service in a new way to tackle a known problem, or develops an entirely new system or service from scratch. We recognize that, in some cases, small, simple changes can lead to really innovative developments so the background context will be taken into account.
  • it meets the challenges set for this particular round or (if part of the ‘open’ category) supports one or more of the University’s strategic aims.
  • the idea demonstrates the potential for a wide impact across the University or meeting one of the University’s strategic goals for external engagement.
  • collaboration is involved. For example, this could be projects involving two or more University units, or partnerships between students and departments
  • the project seems feasible in terms of approach chosen, start-up and completion.

Information about the scheme, the application process and more can be found at http://blogs.it.ox.ac.uk/innovation-challenges/ (see FAQ). For anything else, please contact innovation@it.ox.ac.uk

* Please note: IT Innovation Challenges are open to any member of staff within the University. Due to financial constraints we cannot fund college-only applications but we would encourage college staff to submit their ideas and to seek collaboration with University departments.

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Calls for Ideas (14 Jan-4 Feb 2019)

Posted on December 17, 2018 by Michelle Stork

We are excited to announce that the IT Innovation Challenges will be running three funding rounds in Hilary term.

Photo by Robbie Brock CC BY-NC-SA

We welcome ideas for innovative digital projects that meet one of the three challenges:

• IT Innovation Challenges (staff): innovative digital projects that bring benefit to the University (funding up to £40K per project)
• Summer of Innovation (students): realise an idea as a digital project supported by professional IT staff (paid summer internship)
• GLAM Labs (staff or students): adding value to the user experience of GLAM’s collections, buildings, resources or programmes through digital means (£8-15K per project)

You can submit your idea between 14th January and 4th February (noon) on the new Oxford Ideas platform (please use your University email to create an account). You can also visit the platform to view, comment and vote on ideas submitted by colleagues across the University.

If you have any questions that are not answered in the FAQs, please get in touch with us directly at innovation@it.ox.ac.uk.

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GLAM Labs – new IT Innovation challenge

Posted on November 21, 2018 by Ylva Berglund Prytz

Ashmolean featuring at the IT Innovation Challenges Showcase event, June 2018. Photo by Robbie Brock CC BY-NC-SA

We are excited to announce that the IT Innovation Challenges will be running three Calls for Ideas in the spring. In addition to the IT Innovation Challenges staff round and the Summer of Innovation call for students (see separate post), we can now announce the GLAM Labs Challenge, a funding opportunity for digital projects adding value to the user experience of GLAM’s collections, buildings, resources or programmes (GLAM =  Gardens, Libraries and Museums).

GLAM Labs exist to help create an environment within GLAM that can confidently develop, pilot, test and evaluate the use of technology to enhance the user experience of physical and virtual spaces. GLAM Labs is about creating an ethos of sharing expertise, developing digital skills among staff and collaborators, and of digital experimentation.

IT Innovation Challenges has already proven an effective vehicle for successfully seed-funding GLAM initiatives such as Cabinet, Oxford Stories and the Hidden Museum. This new GLAM Labs Challenge will be inviting ideas for innovative projects that seek to improve the user experience of both actual and potential users. Projects are expected to:

  • utilise technology to demonstrably and innovatively add value to the user experience of GLAM and its collections, buildings, resources or programmes.
  • encourage collaboration. The collaboration can be between staff from different departments or divisions, between institutions and students, or even with outside organisations and companies.
  • cost between £8-15,000 and be completed by February 2020
  • have an identified GLAM partner or host institution with a staff member from that institution to act as project sponsor. Projects can also run across multiple GLAM sites.

More information about the challenge will be announced before Christmas together with full details of how to apply. We will look to gather short proposals via the online portal by the end of January then invite shortlisted proposals to enter a more detailed application by mid-March with a view to successful projects starting anytime after mid-May.

Exploring Cabinet. IT Innovation Challenges Showcase event, June 2018. Photo by Robbie Brock CC BY-NC-SA

Of course, if you have a bigger ambition for an innovative GLAM project that costs more than £15K, you can apply through the normal Innovation challenges. Likewise, if you are a student and would like to work on a digital project affiliated with a GLAM partner, you can apply to our Summer of Innovation round (opening in Hilary Term).

So, get thinking!

Questions about GLAM Labs? Please visit the GLAM Digital Strategy page)

Questions about the IT Innovation Challenges in general or any of the calls this year, please contact innovation@it.ox.ac.uk

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Meet the new project: Open Cabinet

Posted on October 22, 2018 by Michelle Stork

In this interview, Kathryn Eccles talks about Open Cabinet, which is one of the 2018 IT Innovation staff projects. She outlines how this project will bring benefit to members of the University and shares some great tips for applying to the IT Innovation Challenges funding scheme.

Open Cabinet will use augmented reality (AR) technology to create new opportunities for virtual handling of 3D artefacts in museums. The project has two main aims. Firstly, it will embed objects more deeply into the learning experience at Oxford by creating animated AR experiences within museum displays, amplifying the objects’ power and meaning through the rich contexts the galleries provide. Secondly, it aims to enhance the public visitor experience by using this innovative technology to improve access to objects without altering the highly-valued appearance and atmosphere of the museums. The Pitt Rivers Museum holds significant material (text, images, audio, video) relating to its artefacts, and AR provides a mechanism for both ‘extending’ displays by employing these rich materials, and adapting them for visitors with diverse needs, all without the intrusion of permanent, fixed screens in galleries. As the content is activated by a device held up to the display, the Open Cabinet project can encourage deeper engagement whilst avoiding ‘heads down’ distraction.

Continue reading →

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Announcing the IT Innovation Challenges 2018/19

Posted on October 1, 2018 by Michelle Stork

We are pleased to announce that the scheme will be inviting both staff and students to submit project ideas in early 2019, to be considered for funding by the scheme. The IT Innovation Challenges scheme supports innovative ideas that can be developed into digital projects and bring benefit to the University or enhance the staff or student experience.

Summer of Innovation

This year we are introducing the Summer of Innovation for students. Students are invited to share their innovative ideas and, if selected, go on to realise these as digital projects with support from the scheme. Being part of the Summer of Innovation will be similar to doing a paid internship, and students will be offered training and guidance to gain project management and digital skills and realise their idea.

Continue reading →

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