The Competition

The Global Business Challenge 2015 (GBC2015) is a graduate business case competition to design sustainable solutions to global problems. The challenge for the GBC2015 is to design sustainable solutions to aid the achievement of global food security through the doubling of food production by 2040.

Competing teams will face off over 2 rounds to progress to the finals to be held in Brisbane in November 3-6, 2015.

Round 1 is a virtual round – open to any team of postgraduate students from both business and technical disciplines – where they with pitch their ‘conceptual business solution’ comprising a combination of new technologies and innovative business and financing models.

Six finalist teams will be selected to come to an intensive 2 day lock-in phase where they will be required to address a series of specific constraints reflecting real-world issues in order to make their solution a reality. Finalists will present to a judging panel of global CEOs and financiers.

Finalist Teams will compete for a $AUD 125,000 first prize with a host of other prizes for runners up and winners of specific categories.

The challenge for the 2015GBC is to design sustainable solutions to aid the achievement of global food security through the doubling of food production by 2040.

Team Formation

The competition adopts on 2 underpinning themes: diversity and collaboration.

The competition aims to encourage as much diversity in solution designs as possible. Just as there are no single right answers to complex problems, the nature of the issued challenge demands teams to look for highly innovative technologies and design novel business and financing models, that in their different configurations, maximises economic, social and environmental benefit.

Solutions will comprise any combination of new technology (including existing technologies implemented in new ways) and novel business and financing models to deliver achievable, practical and high impact outcomes.

Collaboration

A unique element in the design of the competition is that of collaboration. Collaboration between business schools, universities, the research community as well as industry – irrespective of their location – will help teams formulate their best possible solution.

This means that teams are not restricted in team make-up (we encourage both business and technical graduate students) as well as the inclusion of multiple proposed technological solutions from any technology provider (not just those from their own institutions).

Application and eligibility

Team registrations close 17:00 Wedneday the 30th June 2015 (AEST). Late entries will NOT be considered.

 To be a valid team registration, teams MUST:

• have a maximum of 4 eligible graduate students (any discipline)
• a nominated coach who is a staff member of your participating university

 If you are a Technology Provider that own the rights to new or exsiting technologies that contriobute to the objectives of the 2015GBC you may profile your capabilities here. This will allow teams to identify potential technology collaborators in formulating prospective solutions. Technology Providers may register at any time.

Global Business Challenge 2015
Design sustainable solutions to aid the achievement of global food security through the doubling of food production by 2040.
Prize: $AUD 125,000
Deadline: June 30, 2015
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Dates: November 3-6, 2015
Venue: Brisbane, Australia