Event details

Contest

IDEaS Pop up City Contest Partnering Event

Online

April 24, 2020 to March 3, 2021

FAQ

Finance

Is there an award period for this funding to be spent in?

No, there is no award period whereby this funding must be spent.

Is the contestant allowed to retain any funds at the end if there is a specific award period?

While there is no specific award period associated with this prize, we would assume that funding would be used to cover costs associated with developing this technical domains solution towards a higher Solution Readiness Level. 

With the COVID-19 situation when can we expect the payment of prizes for Round 1 Finalists?

There will be a delay associated with the payment of prizes for Round 1 Finalists. We anticipate mid-April to be the earliest date that payment processing will resume.   

Our company has completed direct deposit forms in the past with the Government and we should be set up. Is your form required for every project?

Every Contestant for our Contest is required to fill out the forwarded form regardless of whether they have participated in another government program that disbursed funding to them in the past.

Do you require financial reporting at the end?

Unlike a Contribution Agreement, there are no financial reporting requirements associated with this prize. 

Are indirect costs allowed?

Yes, they are but we would recommend that this funding be used for project costs associated with your solution

Are there any restrictions on how to spend the $10,000 prize?

No, but we would recommend that this funding be used to develop an application for Round 2 of the Contest.

We would like to clarify the requirements for waste management. Can you confirm the waste category was separated into two sections (liquid and solid)? Do the Round 2 solutions require one or both? If both will Canada increase funding?

To answer your questions these Waste sub categories were referenced in our Contest program guide (section 1.3) of this technical domain. We have recognized that some Round 1 Contestant applications referenced a Waste solution that addressed both these sub categories of this technical domain while others did not. As a result we did not want to screen out a promising Waste sub category solution that met the screening requirements for one of these two Waste sub categories during the evaluation phase of Round 1 applications. Going forward we have highlighted an explicit requirement that every Round 2 application must include solutions from each of the 3 technical domains of our Contest including solutions from both Waste sub-categories (Solid and Liquid). Given the fact that our program guide did reference both sub categories of the Waste technical domain we will not be increasing our level of funding for Round 2, 3 or 4 of our Contest at this point in time.

The prize of $ 50,000 is to be shared between the team members, please confirm.

Yes, this is correct. The prize would be shared between Consortium members who participated in developing the Round 2 application should it be selected to advance to Round 3 of the Contest.

Do we need to select a team leader / team representative finalist, who will receive the total prize of $ 50,000 from IDEaS. The team leader will distribute among team members as per the agreement / understanding within the team members. The amount received by each team member might depend on their specific effort or contribution for Round 2, as well as the contribution towards the preparation for Round 3.

Yes, this is correct.

Based on current discussions about integrating the 3 domains we believe we should bring up some concerns regarding the budgeted amount for Round 3 winners. Currently it does not seem feasible that a full integrated solution for a 150 person RTC could be developed on a budget of $1.5 million. A possible solution to this concern by either decreasing the scale of the demonstration site or increasing the funding made available to Round 3 winners, although we understand the political sensitivities of that discussion at this time with this matter.

Please be aware that for Round 3 the Contest is awarding up to 3 Contribution Agreements that will refund eligible costs, up to $1.5M, associated with building an integrated prototype which a Consortium has proposed to build as referenced in their Round 2 application. We have noted that some Contestants have already seen the value in developing an integrated approach to designing and building RTC camp infrastructure and recognized that this approach can be adapted for other applications outside of an RTC context.

General

Can I contact someone in other technical areas directly or do I have to go through you?

You will have access to everyone's contact information to allow for direct communication.

Am I able to choose my own partner or does the IDEaS team choose for me?

You will have the opportunity to connect with your own potential partners.

Will the original applications for Round 1 be shared?

No applications from Round 1 will be shared with Contestants.

For entities who successfully advanced to round 2 in more than one technical domain, are they to submit one proposal per domain in which they advanced, or only one overall proposal? For instance, we were successful in all three domains: would we submit three proposals for Round 2 or only one?

 In response to your question entities who have advanced into Round 2 in more than one technical domain may submit one or more Round 2 applications which combines one or more of their solutions and/or partner up with other Contestants to complete an application that covers off all 3 technical domains (including both solid and liquid Waste sub categories). Put another way a solution from one of the technical domains which has been screened into Round 2 of the Contest may be referenced in more than one Round 2 application. If your organization has been screened into all three technical domains (including both Waste sub categories) you may submit one Round 2 application that combines all your solutions.  Your organization may also partner up with different Contestants from each technical domain to see if each of your respective technology(s) or solutions can increase the performance associated with an integrated Round 2 application.

Since there are not enough water or waste solutions for each energy solution is there an expectation that partners will pair up with more than one solution? The reason I ask is as follows. If each of the water and waste solutions commit to an energy solution now, there will be an excess number of energy solutions left out, no? If that is the case, then I suppose aggressively/quickly partnering up is the key approach for us...

For Round 2 of our Contest we did not screen in Round 1 Finalists based on a requirement to have an equal number of Contestants in each technical domain (including the Waste sub categories) but only if the their solutions assessment had sufficient technical merit (along with other aspects of the screening process) to advance to Round 2 of the Contest. As a result we do not have an equal number of Contestants in each technical domain (including the Waste sub categories). I am not sure what you mean by " is there an expectation that partners will pair up with more than one solution'? As previously stated for a Round 2 application to be completed it needs to have Round 1 Finalists from each of the 3 technical domains including Contestants from both Waste sub categories included in it.  More than one integrated proposal for Round 2 may be submitted by each respective Contestant (i.e. they can partner up multiple times) to submit more than one application so long as each technical domain has been represented in the application (including both Waste sub categories). Just because one Contestant has partnered up with 2 or 3 others to submit a Round 2 application does not mean they are precluded from partnering up with other Contestants to submit other Round 2 applications.

We realize that some categories have more Contestants that others however please note that there could be a number of factors that need to be examined to ensure that Contestants from each technical domain is represented in an integrated proposal for Round 2 of our Contest.

We noticed that there are 7 solutions for the waste-solid domain. We thought that we need to form a team of 3 partners to cover the three technical domains: energy, waste water, and clean water. Do we need to form a team of 4 instead of 3? And what if we don’t find a partner for one of these technical domain? Will this affect our chances in wining this contest?

In response to your questions, each Contestant must partner up with Round 1 finalists from each of the 3 technical domains. The Waste technical domain has been divided up into to subcategories (Solid and Liquid) therefore up to 4 partners may be required to submit an application for Round 2 of the Contest. I note however that there at least 2 Contestants who have been screened into both these Waste subcategories therefore there could be a partnership with 3 Contestants or 4 Contestants that submit an application for an integrated solution in Round 2 of our Contest. The key point being that these three technical domains (including both Waste sub categories) must be a part of a Round 2 application. The deadline to submit an application is Sept. 30, 2020 or almost 5 months between the time we have launched this partnering event and the deadline to submit an application therefore there should be sufficient time to partner up with Contestants from every technical domain (including the Waste subcategory Contestants).  Please note that this is Round 2 of the Contest and therefore once we assess our Round 2 applications we will announce up to 10 Round 2 finalists and award them each a prize of 50K. This Round does not mean they have won the Contest but only that they have advanced into Round 3. The grand prize winner will be announced in Round 4 after we have assessed our Contestants prototypes to determine which one is the highest performing one.

We are just in the process of building teams. Some of the Round 1 applicants made it into different categories for Round 2. Reading the Round 2 Domains, I was just wondering why our proposal was not listed in 2 domains, liquid waste and potable water? Our proposal is built on water reuse for toilets, vehicle washing etc. When we applied for Round 1 we could only apply under 1 specific domain. Would you please be so kind and help us understand the process?

To answer your question, we only assessed applications for the domain in which they were submitted, regardless of their potential merits in another domain. Since your organization submitted an application in the (Liquid) Waste domain that was the domain in which we assessed it. The companies who have similar solutions for both waste and water submitted separate applications in each domain.
In order to submit a Round 2 proposal, you must partner with Energy, Water, and (Solid) Waste solutions. (Please note that we split the Waste domain into two sub-domains: Liquid and Solid). If your (Liquid) Waste solution has aspects that can be used to bolster the performance of your partner’s Water solution, we encourage you to explore this option and to highlight it in your proposal. I would recommend a review of the section 1.4 of our Program Guide for more details on the scope and parameters of each technical domains challenge statement (Energy, Water, and Waste) which should help with a Round 2 application.

You may access our program guide at https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/programs/defence-ideas/current-opportunities/program-guide/contest-challenge-statement.html

We qualified in Round 1 in the Waste Category, our proposal was only focussed on liquid waste. Are we allowed to extend our proposal for Round 2 and include also a solid waste solution for Round 2? We are also experienced in solid waste, but understood that we only can propose 1 technical solution, otherwise we would have included also a solid waste technological solution. We would very much appreciate if you can clarify this for us.

While you may have a solution to the Solid Waste sub category you are only allowed to reference or partner up with a Contestant who has solution which has been screened into Round 2 of our Contest and therefore listed in Solid Waste sub category of the https://www.ideasreg.com/ website to be able to submit a Round 2 application. Given that it appears you have solutions that may be applicable in multiple technical domains of our Contest but have not been formally assessed by us we would suggest that if these technologies boost the performance of your Liquid Waste solution that you highlight this to prospective partners in both the Water technical domain as well as the (Solid) Waste technical domain. As you may have noticed the performance of an integrated solution is one of the more important assessment criteria associated with a Round 2 application.

We would like to clarify the requirements for waste management. Can you confirm the waste category was separated into two sections (liquid and solid)? Do the Round 2 solutions require one or both? If both will Canada increase funding?

To answer your questions these Waste sub categories were referenced in our Contest program guide (section 1.3) of this technical domain. We have recognized that some Round 1 Contestant applications referenced a Waste solution that addressed both these sub categories of this technical domain while others did not. As a result we did not want to screen out a promising Waste sub category solution that met the screening requirements for one of these two Waste sub categories during the evaluation phase of Round 1 applications. Going forward we have highlighted an explicit requirement that every Round 2 application must include solutions from each of the 3 technical domains of our Contest including solutions from both Waste sub-categories (Solid and Liquid). Given the fact that our program guide did reference both sub categories of the Waste technical domain we will not be increasing our level of funding for Round 2, 3 or 4 of our Contest at this point in time.

What is the submission deadline for Round 2 applications? Is there a guideline regarding IP’s of the solutions that will be developed by the teams after the event?

The deadline to submit a Round 2 application is Sept 30, 2020. Other dates associated with our Contest maybe find on the Agenda tab of the Pop up City Contest at ideasreg.com.
In regards to your second question for Intellectual Property (IP) related to your integrated Round 2 application I would suggest you access the Intellectual Property document located in the Round 2 program resources tab of the Pop up City event in the ideasreg.com portal. A phone number and email address have been provided so that you may start to think about IP considerations when integrating your solution with other Round 2 Contestants solutions for a Round 2 application.
As for IP related to participation in this Contest section 2.9 of our Program guide has more information in regards to this issue. https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/programs/defence-ideas/current-opportunities/program-guide.html

For entities who successfully advanced to round 2 in more than one technical domain, are they to submit one proposal per domain in which they advanced, or only one overall proposal? For instance, if an organization was successful in all three domains: would they submit three proposals for Round 2 or only one?

In response to your question entities who have advanced into Round 2 in more than one technical domain may submit one or more Round 2 applications which combines one or more of their solutions and/or partners up with other Contestants to complete an application that covers off all 3 technical domains (including both solid and liquid Waste sub categories). Put another way a solution from one of the technical domains which has been screened into Round 2 of the Contest may be referenced in more than one Round 2 application. If for example your organization has been screened into all three technical domains (including both Waste sub categories) you may submit one Round 2 application that combines all your solutions. Your organization may also partner up with different Contestants from each technical domain to see if each of your respective technology(s) or solutions can increase the performance associated with an integrated Round 2 application.

If a team submits multiple proposals that win Round 2, are they eligible for development funding in Round 3 for both teams?

Yes, this is correct.

Upon forming a consortium for a Round 2 submission, are we required to continue with that same consortium in Round 3?

Yes, one Contestant who is part of a Consortium that has submitted a Round 2 application that has been selected to participation Round 3 must continue with that same Consortium.

We also need to know if we can have more than one contestant from one group (energy) in our submission.

Yes, more than one Contestant in one technical domain of the Contest may participate in a Round 2 application.

Could you please define “solid waste”? Is this considered the black portion of the grey and black wastewater management, or solid materials such as food, wood, plastic, paper, glass, metal waste, etc.?

As stated in the program guide, the solid waste component includes “organic waste from food preparation, as well a shipping, office, plastic, metal, and textile wastes.” The solid portions of grey and black wastewater management can also be included in the solid waste component, but they are only a portion, and everything else still needs to be addressed.

I would like to confirm that these 500 L (subsequently converted into 15 GJ of energy) is for space heating only, and hot water for showers, sinks, kitchens and possibly medical facilities) is provided by electrical water heaters consuming a portion of the 2,000 L of fuel that goes to diesel generators? If so, what portion is used for hot water? Otherwise, please confirm that 500 L (15 GJ) includes space heating band hot water – which seems quite little.

Yes, electricity generation, and the hot water for sinks, showers, kitchens, etc. is provided by electric hot water heaters, which are factored into this 2000L or 1.5 kW/person load. The additional 500L/person/year is used for direct combustion, e.g., space heating.Typical current fuel consumption for a 1.5 kW/person load provision is approximately 2,000 litres (L) of diesel per person per year. In addition, for the purposes of this Contest, it can be assumed that 500 L of diesel fuel per person per year is used for direct combustion, which after accounting for an 80% efficiency provides 15 gigajoules (GJ) of energy for space heating.

Section 1.4.4 shows that 50L/person/day of non-potable water is being used while Section 1.4.5 does not suggest that non-potable water is being supplied. Our understanding is that 150 L/person/day of potable water and 50 L/person/day of non-potable water is used. To maintain a mass balance, our understanding is a total of 200 L/person/day of water (potable and non-potable) would have to be delivered to the RTC. Is this correct?

Yes. If you need to run with 150 l potable and 50 l non-potable per person per day to make the  “mass balance” calculations work to develop a Round 2 application then please go ahead and do so.  However, please take note that you would need to ensure that your solution is flexible enough to adapt to real world conditions where actual consumption requirements may to a great degree. For the purpose of this contest, please consider these numbers as guidelines, and not constraints.

Can the delivered amount of non-potable water be increased (for the purpose of offsetting potable)?

Yes, (as long as it is not a 1:1 replacement, otherwise that defeats the purpose and spirit of the contest). However, it comes down to the economics of availability and supply. If potable water was widely available in a particular environment and it was more economical to get water from a single source, then we would not go seeking a second source for non-potable water. If potable water was scarce we would maximize the use of non-potable water.

Our understanding is that grey water consists of wastewater from ablutions and is supplied from 50 L/person/day of the potable water that is trucked in currently. Is this correct?

First, potable water is supplied at 150L/person/day, and non-potable water is supplied at 50L/person/day.

For health and safety reasons, the preferred water for showers is potable water. Depending on the source and quality of the non-potable water provided, it can be used for showers with mitigation procedures.

What is the typical and maximum salinity of potable and non-potable water that is supplied to the camp? If non-potable is being supplied by truck, what is its typical source?

In regards to sourcing of non-potable water, once again it will depend on the local conditions. If possible, the camp could connect into the local infrastructure supply or have it bulk delivered from a local source if that is not possible. If neither of those options are available, then it would have to be supplied from outside the theatre. Really, the most economical solution that will not degrade personnel health will be the preferred option. As a result we would recommend your assumptions be stated when developing your solution. 

Because the RTCs can be anywhere in the world, we are unable to provide that information, and that is outside of the scope of this contest.

For the purpose of the contest, please assume that the non-potable water is fresh water, from and that the potable water meets Canadian Drinking Water guidelines and recommend that Health Canada are used as guidelines or baseline for all participants.

Can a typical process flow diagram for water and wastewater be provided which shows the source (potable/non-potable), volume, typical temperature (over a year), use (for ablutions/kitchen/toilets/other), destination (stored as black or grey water) and chemical analysis?

Unfortunately, we do not have this data readily available in this format. The numbers that we have provided in the contest guidelines are planning figures only, and individual camps are adjusted to the environment in which they are constructed.

Indirect and direct reuse of blackwater/greywater for potable water use is currently not allowed in Canada, but has been established in other jurisdictions. Will this contest allow reuse and recycling of black and/or grey wastewater to meet potable water delivery reduction goals so long as the output meets Canadian Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality? Are there any other relevant standards to consider?

For the purposes of innovation, we will allow its use so long as the necessary drinking water quality standards are met. Please note that one of the issues that you will need to overcome is the “ick” factor associated with recycling these waste waters.

Are adjustments and scope changes allowed from the solutions proposed in Round 1 to fill out an integrated solution? If so, to what level would these adjustments be accepted? Could a Round 1 Finalist bring in technology from a non-Finalist supplier (e.g. the non-Finalist would be a supplier, not a partner)?

It depends. We will not allow a large change in scope as Round 1 applications were formally assessed and approved to advance into Round 2 of our Contest using a specific process that cannot be changed. This being said minor modifications of what we approved may be reviewed and approved but only on a case by case basis. Could you please give us an example of what is being proposed?

Are utility lines (such as water piping and electrical) allowed to be trenched on-site or is that considered to be altering the ecological footprint and not allowed?

Yes. While it is permitted, this will greatly increase the setup and dismantling times of the camp, as well as reduce the flexibility for changes in layouts. Any trenches that are dug will have to be remediated after the camp is withdrawn.

Currently, diesel fired heaters and electrical AC units are located at each tent. Would it be considered a modification of the tent and therefore out of scope of this competition to modify or change either or both of these systems?

We would need to know if what was described the initial Round 1 application for this technical domain and which was screened into Round 2 of our Contest will be modified?  Can more details be provided?

Currently, diesel generators are used to supply electrical power to RTCs. Our understanding is that diesel generators do not need to be provided unlike tankage for water and waste solutions as part of a complete utility solution. Is this correct?

We need more information on your partner in the Energy tech domain to provide a response for this question. For example if they are deviating or modifying from what was proposed in their Round 1 application we would need to assess this modification? Can more information be provided from the Energy technical domain Contestant?

Is sludge from black water and grey water be considered wet solid?

Sludge from black/grey water is not counted as the wet solid waste indicated in Tables 1&2, however if your solution can make use of this sludge this would lower the waste output of the RTC.

What’s in scope for solid waste? Food waste? Human waste? Non-organic waste? Does ‘solid waste’ include non-organic solid waste? Can a solution address organic waste only, as opposed to organic and non-organic waste?

Human waste is included in the black water volumes provided. Wet waste can be assumed to be organic kitchen waste. Dry waste is a mixture of various materials “shipping, office, plastic, metal and textile” in origin. Assumptions on composition of dry solid waste can be made based on total energy content provided of 15 MJ/kg. Organic and inorganic waste can be managed separately, however all solid waste output from the RTC will be measured.

Are solid waste generation numbers segregated from gray water and black water effluents?

Yes. Per capita volumes of grey and black water are provided and do not overlap with per capita weights of dry and wet solid waste provided.

In the application form for Round 2, it says that the sludge from the treatment of liquid waste is included in solid waste management. However, in Round 1, it was stated that the per capita volumes of black and grey waters did not overlap with the solid waste volumes. Which is correct?

For the purpose of the contest, the information provided in Round 1 is correct. The sludge from the treatment of liquid waste should not be included in the total volumes of the solid waste that need to be trucked out.  That said, if your solid waste solution is able to handle the sludge from liquid waste, please make sure that you highlight that in your application.

We have a concern around some of the larger teams being able to simply buy equipment for each domain and submit an integrated solution on their own to circumvent teaming up to some degree and the spirit of the competition.

Under the rules of the Contest this would not be allowed. Each Consortium that submits a Round 2 application must reference solutions from Contestants that have been identified as Round 1 finalists.

Upon forming a compliant consortium for a Round 2 submission, are we required to continue with that same consortium in Round 3?

Yes, should your consortium be selected to advance into Round 3 of the Contest you would be required to continue with that same consortium.

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