Application Process
How do I know if my innovation or expertise is applicable?
To find out if your innovation/expertise is suitable for this challenge please read the Network Summary carefully. If you have any questions regarding the criteria set out by our client, you can contact us via email or through our online chat.
What information do I need to fill in when adding an innovation?
For best results please complete all of the applicable fields in detail. We advise all applicants to fill in as much detail as they can about what their innovation is and how it works. However, please be aware that this information will be displayed on the LEO platform so do not include any sensitive information that you do not wish to disclose. Instead, you can include a brief summary and request an Non Disclosure Agreement (see next question).
For Experts, please include details of your expertise and examples to demonstrate. However, please keep in mind that this is not a CV and you should not simply list your qualifications.
If vetting questions are included in the application, please note that all questions are mandatory and will contribute to a score. This score will be used to assess the relevancy of your innovation/expertise, so read the questions carefully and answer them honestly. Once you have answered the vetting questions and clicked "submit" you will not be able to change your answers.
What if I need an NDA?
If you require an Non Disclosure Agreement when submitting your innovation you can either:
1. Fill in all of the fields but leave out any confidential information or information that you are not comfortable sharing, or
2. Only fill in step 1 of adding your innovation (title, short description, primary sector and an image).
Once you have done this, tick the Non Disclosure Agreement box at the end of the application process. This will send a notification to our client who will then be responsible for signing and coordinating an Non Disclosure Agreement with you.
Please be aware that our clients are under no obligation to follow through with the Non Disclosure Agreement process unless they have a vested interest in your innovation and wish to learn more.
What happens once I have applied?
Once you have submitted your innovation/expertise your submission will be reviewed against the criteria set out by our client and will either be approved or disapproved.
During this process you may be contacted by a member of our team with questions or suggestions concerning your submission. For example, if you have only filled in half of the available fields but you have not requested an Non Disclosure Agreement you may be asked to provide further information, or if you have not properly explained what your innovation is/does you may be asked for clarification to determine the suitability of your innovation. The same applies for Experts.
If your innovation/expertise meets the criteria, you will receive a notification to let you know that you have been accepted into the Network, this means that your innovation/expertise will now be available for our client to review for the duration of this challenge.
If you are disapproved, you will also receive a notification, this means that your innovation/expertise was not suitable for the challenge or did not meet all of the necessary criteria. If you are disapproved and wish to find out why, you can contact us for feedback via email or through our online chat.
What happens after a challenge ends?
Once a challenge has come to an end, the Network will be closed but your innovation/expertise will remain in the Network in case our client wishes to review the applications again in future. After the challenge has closed no new submissions will be approved.
Network end dates can be subject to change, as sometimes challenges end early, or are extended. When this happens, there will be a message sent within the Network Feed to inform any innovators/experts who have already been accepted into the Network. There will also be a notification sent to all registered users.
Challenges that are extended will not affect the status of innovations that have already applied, it may just mean that you have to wait a bit longer for feedback.
Expectations
When will I find out if I have been successful or not?
If our client is interested in your submission and wishes to start communication with you, they will get in contact with you directly through messaging on the LEO Platform or through the LEO team.
Please be aware that our clients are under no obligation to reach out to applicants unless they have an interest in a submission, meaning not all applicants will receive feedback on their submission. Although we cannot guarantee that our client will make contact, it will nevertheless give you a good opportunity to be known by them.
All submissions will be reviewed over the course of the challenge, so you could be contacted at any time from the point that your innovation/expertise is approved to the day that the challenge ends. We therefore advise all applicants to keep an eye on their messages on the LEO Platform during the week following the end of a challenge, as clients may take some time to review the results of the challenge and then begin reaching out after they have reviewed all submissions.
How will I be contacted?
You will either be contacted directly by our client or by a member of the LEO team to express interest in your solution. This will usually be via a message on the LEO Platform - so make sure you check your inbox regularly, although this could also be via email. For this reason, please ensure that you provide correct and up to date contact details in case we need to get in touch with you. If you prefer to check your emails rather than check your messages on the LEO Platform, please make sure that you have email notifications turned on so that you won't miss any important activity.