The Business Cup Challenge (BCC) is a unique platform that brings together the finest students and brightest business ideas throughout the UAE. BCC was introduced in 2011 by Transnational Academic Group, through its partner schools and has increased in popularity each year.
The BCC launches students into the business world at a young age. In this competition, students are required to review and implement real-life business plans, analyse crucial business situations, and present a case to an academic and professional panel.
High school and university students will also get the opportunity to work as part of a team, in a competitive environment, using their critical-thinking and problem-solving skills and business acumen.
This year the Business Cup Challenge will focus on Nanotechnology and its use in businesses.
Nanotech covers a wide range of technologies from nanoparticles to nanomachines. Nanoparticles are in wide use worldwide, while nanomachines are still at the very edge of technology in the lab. During the Curtin Dubai Business Cup Challenge 2023, cases will be addressed where nanotechnology can make a significant impact on society. The cases will be sufficiently broad to allow for many creative solutions. The case responses will be judged on the creativity / uniqueness of the solution, the technical and social feasibility of the solution, the financial viability, and the results of the PESTEL analysis.
Through this competition, students will have the opportunity to learn about many aspects of nanotech as they search for solution and will learn about how this exciting field has grown exponentially in the past decade. Students will also have the opportunity to consider all of the impacts and risks that come from the use of nanotech. As student move into their future careers, many or even most of the careers will be touched by nanotech during their working lives and nanotech will eventually touch nearly every aspect of their lives.
In the preliminary round, case studies will be issued online over the duration of three weeks dependent on your entry level. Each week, a new case study will be released, and teams/participants will have one week to solve the case and submit their answers to earn a cumulative score which will be reflected on the leader board.
The top five teams/participant respectively will progress to the finale directly. Cumulative scores will be calculated based on points awarded for each case study submitted.
At the conclusion of the Preliminary Round, the remaining teams will enter the Elevator Pitch Round, giving the low-scoring teams/participants an opportunity to progress to the finale.
The elevator pitch is a 40 second pitch, which must be presented to the judging panel on the day of semi finals. Top five teams/participants selected by the Judges will then join the top qualifying teams for finale.
All scores will return to zero on the day of the finale.
The team/participant with the highest score will be awarded first place – and subsequent teams/participants will earn first and second runners up position.
The winning team/participant will win a prize to reward their business excellence.
The competition will be judged by a panel of judges led by Prof John Evans, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Curtin University Dubai.
There will be five members on the judging panel.
The judging panel will be selected by Curtin University Dubai.
All finalist teams will have the same judging panel for the competition.
Choose your level of study and register your team for the Business Cup Challenge 2023.
Apart from medals and the BCC Trophy, Winners will also receive internship and industry engagement opportunities, and funding for their higher education at Curtin University Dubai. Teams/participants that attempt and submit at least the first two case studies will be eligible for the participation certificate. Teams that drop out before that point will not be awarded certificates
Include relevant costs, revenues, and perform a break-even analysis.
Propose practical applications of existing technologies rather than new theories.
Estimate demand by looking at similar products or market statistics.
The first two case study responses can get you into the finals if you are in the top five on the leader board but do not get considered in the final round.
There isn’t a specific limit, but the content should not exceed 2,000 words plus two slides of charts and graphs.
The format is flexible and can be a Word document, PowerPoint, Prezi, audio, or video.
Yes, the elevator pitch is a live, in-person presentation in front of an audience.
No, everyone gets to submit solutions for the first two case studies and the top five from the first two case studies proceed automatically to the finals, and the elevator pitch offers another chance for five more teams to enter the finals.
Certificates of participation will be given to those who submit at least two case studies.
No, sources do not count in the word limit, and citations are not required.
No specific citation style is required as these are case solutions, not research reports.
Yes, your solution must involve nanotechnology but can include other themes or sub-themes.
Submitting AI-generated content is not permitted.
The case study will be on our website for you to download.
Consider the SDGs in the PESTEL analysis if relevant to the case.
Nanotechnology involves working with materials and technologies at the Nano scale, which can include atoms, chemical compounds, or Nano-sized machines.
Yes, the leaderboard of the top 20 teams will be made available each week.
No, you don’t need to physically appear in the video; it can include other visuals.
Yes, you can have a script on paper or on your phone to assist with your presentation.
Yes, every team has the same question for the elevator pitch and one person from each team can present at the elevator pitch.
All teams receive the same case studies.
You can decide which country unless the case specifies a country or region.
Prizes include trophies, medals, scholarships, internships, and additional prizes that will be revealed at the finals.
The solution can be non-profit; it can focus on saving money or providing a benefit to the general public.
There should be no plagiarism and 10% or more will result in automatic disqualification from that case, but even lower percentages can be problematic if they include substantial passages and may result in disqualification. Plagiarism is never okay and should not be considered an option.
No, the top 5 teams that were initially qualified will compete alongside the top 5 teams that qualify from the elevator pitch. The top 10 teams, in total, will present in the finals.
No, the case studies are not related to each other; you can propose different solutions for each.
While it’s up to you, based on historical performance, having one major idea tends to work better as it’s often more feasible and focused.
You need to consider the specifics of your proposed solution and gather information relevant to the PESTEL and break-even analysis based on your chosen market or scenario.
Mentors will receive certificates of recognition.
Yes, everyone will receive the third case study regardless of their standing after the first two cases, as the elevator pitch can still get the team into the finals.
Platforms such as Google Docs or Slides with real-time editing features will not be accepted.
Please do not run your case study through TurnItIn before submitting, as it will result in a 100% similarity score and will make it impossible to mark your case. Instead, focus on creating original content.
Yes, if it is technically feasible and practical, you can propose a new nanotechnology solution.
For case study videos, the time limit is 5 minutes. For the final case presentation, it’s 10 minutes and for the elevator pitch, 40 seconds.
Participating in the competition can help you develop research, creative thinking, critical thinking, analysis, financial planning, writing, and presentation skills, among others.
Case studies will be posted on the competition website, so mentors, teachers, and participants can access them.
Elevator pitch marks are separate and will not be added to the previous case study marks.
There is no need to provide extensive technical details as long as it is possible to understand the proposed solution.
The case studies can vary, and some may be specific to an industry or even a company.
Teams not in the top 5 need to complete three case studies and an elevator pitch since the elevator pitch can get the team into the finals.
Case study submissions will be via a submission link that is emailed to participants. Physical presence is required for the elevator pitch and finals (please refer to timeline for dates).
Start with YouTube. There is a YouTube video from the Royal Institute in the UK covering nanotechnology basics.
The idea should be narrow enough to address the case study but can be widely applicable within that context.
The elevator pitch should spark interest and make someone want to hear more about your solution.
Case studies will be provided; you don’t have to choose the topics.
A sample marking rubric will be made available for access on the official BCC webpage.
Solutions may have the same idea, but they’ll be graded on how they present the solution, and the quality of the financial and PESTEL analysis.
SWOT analysis is not necessary; the focus is primarily on the PESTEL analysis.
No, there’s no requirement to create a physical prototype, especially for the first two cases.
There will be 10 teams in the finals, but it may increase if there’s a tie.
No, it’s not necessary to introduce or define nanotechnology as the markers are already familiar with it.
Your school mentor can be involved in providing guidance, but the actual writing of the case solution and presenting should be done by the team members.
In case we’re planning on doing something different, practical but new, and no current competitors or similar products exist, can we estimate the numbers and create a hypothetical financial analysis?
Yes, you can estimate the numbers and create a hypothetical financial analysis for innovative solutions, just make it realistic.
Curtin University Sustainability Policy (CUSP) Institute,
Curtin University, Australia
Dora Marinova is Professor of Sustainability at the Curtin University Sustainability Policy (CUSP) Institute, Australia which she established in 2007 and where she was Director between 2015 and 2018 and Deputy Director between 2007 and 2015. Dora started as an academic at the University of National and World Economy, Sofia, Bulgaria and previously worked at Murdoch University, Australia where she was Head of School of the Institute for Sustainability and Technology Policy (ISTP). Her areas of research interest cover sustainability, innovation and sustainometrics.
Dora has close to 400 refereed publications and has supervised 75 PhD students to successful completion. In 2023, the book Food in a Planetary Emergency which she co-authored with Diana Bogueva received “Best in the World” in the Future of Food category of the prestigious 28th Gourmand Award. Five of her papers were rated by Altmetric in the top 5% in the world for the social media attention they have received. Since 2013, Dora regularly serves as a member of different peer review panels of Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). She is an Elected Member of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) and Elected Fellow of the Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand (MSSANZ). For the period 1975–2023, Scopus lists her as Australia’s top author and 21st in the world in the area of sustainability.
Senior Visiting Scholar, Economic Growth Centre, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Visiting Professor, Faculty of Economics & Business, State Islamic University of Sunan Ampel, Indonesia
Dr. Siddiqui is trained in environmental economics and has more than 25 years’ experience in multi-stakeholder setup working with universities, NGOs, industries, and government agencies, promoting business cases for sustainable development since joining the Green Accounting Initiative of IUCN-World Bank as an Environmental Economist in 1997.
He led projects on transboundary pollution, ASEAN carbon market, SDG localisation, corporate sustainability, ESG due diligence, sustainable finance and climate policy with private and public sector clients and collaborators in the APAC region.
He obtained his BA (Honours) in Economics from Delhi University, MSS in Economics from National University of Singapore (NUS), MBA from Murdoch University and PhD from Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute with a thesis on investment network and sustainable financing.
He had teaching positions with Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Sydney University and Curtin University; research positions with ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute (Singapore), Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (NUS) and visiting positions with Economic Growth Centre (NTU), College of Mining (MISIS, Russia), among others.
Luisa Valentim Barros is a senior professional with 19 years of experience in the energy and sustainability sectors. She specializes in strategy and low-carbon solutions for private-public sectors. Luisa has led more than 30 large and multidisciplinary projects with a focus on Latin America and the US markets. From smart grid pilots to distributed solar market entry strategies, Luisa has worked for utilities, start-ups, international agencies, and research centers focused on clean and new energy solutions. In the last 12 years, she has focused on the renewables market working as a business models advisor and market research SME. Luisa has also led consulting projects in the areas of ESG, decarbonization strategies, sustainable finance, and climate risks and adaptation.
Dr Atiq Zaman is an Associate Professor specializing in circular economy and zero waste practices at the Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute, School of Design and the Built Environment. He is also a founding Co-director of the Global South Nexus, a research cluster dedicated to generating interdisciplinary knowledge for promoting sustainable development goals (SDGs) and fostering collaboration between the global North and South. With a Bachelor’s degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from SUST, Bangladesh, a Master’s degree in Environmental Engineering and Sustainable Infrastructure from KTH, Sweden, and a PhD from UniSA, Australia, Atiq has established himself as a multidisciplinary researcher and educator. As the Curtin Node Leader for the Australian National Environmental Science Program, funded by the Commonwealth Government on Sustainable Communities and Waste Hub, he leads the Curtin team’s efforts in various national priority research areas. Atiq’s expertise lies in enabling evidence-based decision-making in energy transition, employing a comprehensive approach that integrates systems, technologies, and practices. He leads the circular economy research theme at the Curtin Institute for Energy Transition, focusing on socio-economic and environmental assessments of climate solutions through life cycle analysis and energy balance
Dr Sumit Narula is a PhD in Electronic Media and Conflict Resolution from Panjab University, Chandigarh. He is presently working as the Director/Head of the Institution in Amity School of Communication at Amity School of Communication, Amity University Gurgoan. Prior to that he was the Deputy Dean Research (Publications & Citations) at Amity University Madhya Pradesh. He has got two master’s and two Postgraduate diplomas to his credit. He has published two books in Mass Communication/Journalism and edited seven books. One of his books Environmental Awareness and Role of Social Media with IGI Publications USA has recently been indexed by Clarivate’s book Citation Analysis (Web of Science).
He has also published several national and international research papers in reputed journals. He has also been to London, Dubai, Slovenia, Nepal, Singapore and Amsterdam for research and paper presentations. The core areas for his research are Media Research, Fake News Detection, Peace Building, Conflict Resolution etc. He is also the Editor in Chief of the bi-annual SCOPUS indexed Journal named Journal of Content Community and Communication. He is also the Chairman of the Centre of Excellence for Detection of Fake News and Disinformation at AUMP. He is well-versed with software like SPSS, Smart PLS, NVIVO 12, Citavi 6, and Mendeley. He has taken 400 plus workshops on the topic ‘How to catch Fake/Predatory/Cloned journals in Academics’ and has developed a course with Taylor’s University, Malaysia on it and also awarded the Innovation Research Award by them. He is the Honorary Brand Ambassador for Emerald Publishing: South Asia and also the voluntary Ambassador for Cross Ref. He has also taken many workshops with Emerald, Elsevier, Cabells, and Turnitin as their Resource Person on Academic Integrity. He has also been covered by various newspapers and the AAJTAK channel. He is also covered by YouTube Channel Integrity Matters by Turnitin. He has also spoken about Academic integrity on various platforms.
He has recently released an App named ‘Amity Quality Journal Checker’ on both Google Play Store and the IOS Platform. It has a list of all the fraud/cloned and predatory journals. He also got two major Copyright named ‘Eight Novel ways to identify Fake/Misleading Impact Factor’ and ‘Eight Novel ways to catch a Cloned Journal’.
Links for further reading:
Public Health Physician
Deputy Director – WHO Collaborating Centre for Climate Change and Health Impact Assessment,
Curtin University, Australia
Dr Aditya Vyas MBBS MPH FAFPHM FHEA GAICD is a public health physician and Deputy Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Climate Change and Health Impact Assessment at Curtin University in Perth, Australia. He has held senior leadership roles at the Ministry of Health in Sydney, Australia and is a consultant for the World Health Organization on climate resilience and environmental sustainability for Pacific Island countries. Dr Vyas is supporting this year’s COP28 Health Programme and providing technical expertise to the UN Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations.
Chief Architect and Vice President Edge AI Division Reliance Jio Platforms Ltd. (JPL) Bangalore, India
Illustrating Edge AI Techniques and Tools for Real Digital Transformation
With the astounding growth in the artificial intelligence (AI) technology ecosystem, a variety of everyday problems across industry verticals are being attempted to be automated and accelerated. Today we have a bevy of pioneering AI algorithms and models empowering business behemoths and start-ups to be right and relevant to their customers and consumers. With the ready availability of big data and greater computational power, AI-based data analytics brings forth predictive, prescriptive and personalized insights in time. The knowledge discovered gets disseminated to appropriate systems and devices to exhibit intelligent behaviour in their assignments and obligations. In this talk, I will focus on the following topics.
1. Edge Computing for enabling On-Device Data Processing
2. Edge Analytics for extracting Real-time Insights out of Edge Data
3. Edge Cloud Formation using lightweight versions of the Kubernetes Platform
4. AI Model Optimization Techniques to run AI models on Edge Devices
5. Edge AI for Real-time Intelligent Services and Applications
6. Edge AI Industry Use Cases
Technology Books: https://peterindia.net/MyBooks.html
A Portal on Digital Technologies: https://www.peterindia.net/Digital.html
Publications: https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=yaDflpYAAAAJ&hl=en
Education, Experience and Expertise: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sweetypeter/
Deputy Director – Sustainable Engineering Group – Curtin University, Australia
Associate Professor Wahidul Biswas is the Deputy Director of Sustainable Engineering Group, Curtin University and a Co-Leader of Research Program 3 of HILT CRC (Heavy Industries Low Emission Technologies, Cooperative Research Centres, Australia). Wahidul was trained as a Mechanical Engineer, researching the performance of diesel engine using biogas fuel. Then, he has gradually diversified his research to engineering for sustainable development, an interdisciplinary field. He has a Master’s in Environmental Technology from Imperial College London and a PhD in Sustainable Futures from the University of Technology, Sydney. A/Prof Biswas teaches and coordinates a core undergraduate Engineering unit, Engineering for Sustainable Development at Curtin University. He is the author of an Engineering Textbook, “Engineering for Sustainable Development: Theory and Practice”, published by Wiley. He has so far carried out extensive life cycle assessment, climate change and sustainability related research on Australian agricultural, alternative fuels, building and construction, manufacturing, mining and water sectors for the Department of Climate Change, the Grains Research and Development Commission and Department of Agriculture and Food, Wester Australia , University of Western Australia, Department of Primary Industries, Victoria, Meat and Livestock Australia, Worley Parsons and Water Corporation, Enterprise Connect and Recom Engineering, Cedar Woods, Earth Care, and Department of State Development, FMG, South 32, Rio Tinto, Cockburn Cement Ltd, Waste Authority WA and Woodside Energy Group Ltd. A/Prof Biswas recently served as an Industrial Specialist on a funded project for the Miri (Malaysian) Government’s Master Plan (commenced in April 2022) for developing strategies for sustainable industrial development in the city of Miri.
Head of Centre for Surface Engineering
Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education, India
Dr Adam Khan M is working as a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education, Tamilnadu, India.
His thrust research areas are Additive Manufacturing, Advanced Materials, Tribology, Corrosion, and Surface Science. He has published 115 articles in the journal of international repute. Six scholars received their doctoral degrees, and seven scholars are pursuing PhD under his supervision.
His research responsibilities and achievements include:
• Guest Editor for the Special Issue: Development in materials for high-temperature corrosion and oxidation in Springer
• Lead Guest Editor for a Special Issue in the Journal of Advances in Materials Science and Engineering & International Journal of Polymer Science (Hindawi Publisher) and Coatings in MDPI.
• Lead Editor for a Book on “Innovations in Additive Manufacturing” (SpringerNature Publisher) and
• Guest Editor in Materials Today Proceeding for the International conference ICLDMM2022 (Elsevier Publisher).
• Guest Editor in Frontiers in Materials, a special call for Energy Storage and Baterial Metal Oxides.
He holds reviewer status with top leading journals in Elsevier, Springer, Taylor & Francis, IOP Sciences, Inderscience and so on. So far, he has delivered more than thirty five lecturers at different universities/colleges across the world.
Associate Director of Counseling at NYU Abu Dhabi/ UAE Country Chapter Director Middle East Psychological Association
Dr Vedrana Mladina, PhD, is a licensed Clinical Psychologist with 20+ years of experience. Originally from Bosnia, Dr Mladina obtained her undergraduate and postgraduate degree from Karl Franzens University of Graz, Austria. Before joining New York University Abu Dhabi seven years ago, she spent 14 yrs in the Netherlands working for International Criminal Tribunal for Ex Yugoslavia and International Criminal Court in The Hague, providing psychological support for victims of war crimes worldwide. Dr Mladina also taught undergraduate and graduate courses at Webster University in Leiden, Netherlands and worked with expat clients in her own private practice.
She’s an experienced international workshop facilitator/ lecturer on topics of psycho-social aspects of investigative interviewing, stress management and self-care for practitioners.
Dr Mladina is trained in CBT, ACT and Schema Therapy and certified in Nutritional Psychology.
She is experienced in treating a wide range of disorders such as trauma, anxiety, depression, stress, burnout, adhd, relationship, family and identity issues, personality disorders, eating disorders (trained in CBT-E and Schema Therapy for Eating Disorders), body image and self-esteem related difficulties.
Dr Mladina currently serves as the first Middle East Psychological Association UAE Chapter Director and she was the Course Director of the inaugural Mental Health Upskilling Course for Primary Care Providers in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and she’s a member of Abu Dhabi Disaster Management Mental Health Taskforce.
CEO | TRUST WITH TRADE GROUP Senior Advisor Royal Family Offices, UAE
Honored with the:
“Nelson Mandela Nobel Peace Award” 2021
“Mother Teresa Memorial Award 2022” by UAE Ministry of Presidential Affairs 2022, UAE Ministry of Economy under the patronage of HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Mother of the Nation.
“Emerging Business Leader ” by the British Parliament, House of Lords 2022.
Multiple award winning Business Professional, dedicated to 15 years of professional experience in active partnerships that necessitate sub-structuring of strategic initiations, economic & political management, business & financial aid along with overall assistance for the MENA & Asia Pacific in organizations and family offices.
– CEO at Trust With Trade Group UAE, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, established as an independent and fully integrated international company across oil & gas, manufacturing, mining, waste management, Green and renewable Technology.
– Founder and CEO, Oxygenate, Sustainability initiative for Global Climate Change and Renewable Energy.
Vice President Learning and Development – Etihad Aviation Group
Andrew is a HR Professional with more than thirty years of senior Human Resources Management practice in Retail, Hospitality, Leisure and Aviation.
Prior to Abu Dhabi and Etihad Aviation Group he worked for seven years with Alshaya Group as Head of Learning supporting the career development of more than 90,000 team members in 19 countries. Before joining Alshaya Group Andrew worked with Peninsula and Orient (P&O) in the South Pacific supporting their international Cruise fleet and Hilton International Group as the People and Development Director responsible for HR delivery and Management training within Europe supporting over 500 Hotels.
In addition to my professional development work with Alshaya, Hilton, YUM and P&O, he has been an Executive industry coach for American University Dubai, Greenwich and Nottingham Universities, Rolls Royce and Bass.
People development is his passion, helping others to overcome real and imagined obstacles to achievement, whilst creating an environment of trust and the ability to avoid ambiguity.