Innovation Gateway Competition

• In no more than 500 words, describe the innovation and please explain how your idea to help transition to a more resilient, independent, and future-proof aviation ecosystem.
• Please provide a 100-word summary of your innovation that NCE can use for marketing purposes to promote your entry, should you be shortlisted.
• Please submit any images you want to use to support your entry, as a zip file. Any images must be at least 1MB in size, be in jpeg format and must not have annotation or logos added.
• Please submit your aviation innovation entry to the Innovation Gateway by Friday 28 March 2025. There will be no deadline extension.
• All entrants to the Innovation Gateway will receive one free place at the Airports conference in London on Thursday 22nd of May. If your entry is shortlisted, you will be invited to the to participate in the Innovation accelerator challenge which involves a 5-minute presentation to judges and the audience followed by participation in a. panel discussion with the other two shortlisted entrants.
• You must be available to attend the Airports conference in-person on Thursday 22nd of May at One America Square conference center, London.

• Technological Independence: Solutions that reduce reliance on centralised systems to ensure operational continuity during disruptions (e.g., decentralised data management or communication systems that improve resilience).
• Independent Energy Solutions: Innovative ways to harness renewable energy for airport operations and infrastructure, reducing dependency on traditional energy sources.
• Resilient Infrastructure: Design and construction approaches for airport facilities that withstand climate impacts, environmental stresses, and operational challenges while adapting to future demands.
• Sustainable Operations: Technologies that improve operational efficiency while significantly reducing carbon emissions, resource consumption, and overall environmental impact.
• Effective Waste Management: Circular economy-driven solutions that manage and minimise waste in airport environments, turning waste into resources.
• Socio-economic Impact: Initiatives that generate community engagement and economic growth while prioritising environmental stewardship and social responsibility.
  

Entries will be judged based on the following criteria:

• Innovation: How novel and creative is the solution? Does it present a breakthrough idea or offer significant improvements to existing technologies or processes?
• Feasibility: How realistic is the implementation of your idea within current or near-future aviation projects? Can it be applied within the next 3-5 years using available or developing technologies?
• Impact: What measurable difference could your solution make to aviation sustainability, resilience, or independence? Entries should detail the quantifiable benefits, such as carbon reduction, energy savings, or improved operational efficiency.
• Scalability: Can your solution be scaled across various airports or regions? How adaptable is it to different airport sizes, climates, and operational environments?
• Commercial Value: What is the cost invovled of your innovation? What is the payback/and commercial value? 
• Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement: Does the solution foster collaboration across the aviation supply chain? How effectively does it engage with key stakeholders like contractors, regulators, and local communities?
• Sustainability & Long-Term Viability: Does the solution contribute to long-term sustainability goals such as achieving net-zero emissions? Is it environmentally, socially, and economically viable in the long term?
  

• Make a note of the deadline: you must submit your entry by Friday 28th March 2025. Speak to our team to ensure we can remind you of upcoming deadlines
• Make the judges' job easy: write in clear, plain English, avoid jargon and use bullet points where appropriate to break up the text
• Involve the right people: if your work was a team effort, don’t forget to involve the other team members in developing the entry. You've got this far through teamwork so make it count
• Back-up your entry: provide supporting information where possible, value analyses, customer experience survey results, documentation you have designed or anything else that will help the judges to understand the impact of your work
• Proofread, proofread, proofread: ask someone else, such as a colleague, friend or manager, to look through your entry before you hit submit. It can be helpful to ask someone who was not directly involved in the work you are entering, as like the judges, they will not have detailed knowledge so they could suggest ways to clarify your entry
  

We encourage you to be open with your submission structure, however if stuck, a good frameowrk to follow for your writing is the IMPACT guide:

Innovation: What makes this idea unique?

Methodology: How will it be built/delivered? Feasibility and approach.

Potential & Scalability: Can this be applied at scale?

Alignment: How does it meet competition/judging criteria?

Commercial Viability: Is it cost-effective and financially sustainable?

Tangible Impact: What real-world benefits does it bring?

• All qualifying entrants, as determined by our judges, will receive a free pass to attend the NCE Airports conference whether you are shortlisted or not.
• Shortlisted organisations will get a 40% discount to pass onto their colleagues for additional seats.
• All entrants will be eligible for discounts on exhibition space at the conference.
• Shortlisted entrants will present their entry in front of the judging panel and event audience, giving you a great opportunity to raise the profile of your work in a room full of airport engineering innovators and the entire supply chain.
• The winner will receive a write up online on New Civil Engineer website after the event.

• Please submit your entry by Friday 28th March 2025
• Those shortlisted will be contacted by the 17th of April with details of the next steps needed to present at the conference
• Those shortlisted will have 5 minutes to present their entry and there will be a 10-minute panel discussion with all three shortlisted entrants where the judges can put questions to the candidates
• The winning entry will be announced at the end of the conference on 22nd of May
  

• The challenge will take place in the main conference room at One America Square, London
• The competition presentations will run from 14:35– 15:10pm on the 22nd of May
• 5-minute presentations will take place from 14:35pm onwards followed by a 10-minute live Q&A with the judging panel
• Please keep in mind the presentations will be run on a 5-minute timer
• Winners will be announced in the main conference room at 16:55

• AV facilities will be available
• Presentations should be in PowerPoint format and submitted a week before the conference date
• Teams will be given the instructions to upload their presentations on One Drive or will have the option to send us their presentation directly
• Lunch and refreshments will be provided throughout the day