Frequently Asked Questions

The AmSIA consists of two awards, the Innovation Award and Impact Award. The Innovation Award is awarded to the best innovative ideas that contribute to a better world. The Impact Award is a lifetime achievement award for Amsterdam researchers who have created meaningful impact to society with their innovations.

The Innovation Award is open to (teams of) researchers, staff or students from the University of Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, University of Applied Sciences, Amsterdam UMC and The Netherlands Cancer Institute. The innovative idea should not have been commercially exploited or valorized in another way yet.

It is not possible to register for the Impact Award.

When you have an innovative idea which is not commercially exploited or valorized in any way you can participate in the Innovation Award. The idea has to be applicable and has to contribute to a better world. You have to fill in the application form.

The application deadline for the 2023 edition is Sunday 7 May at 23.59h.

For the Innovation Award, IXA may appoint independent experts to rank all received entries, depending on the amount of applications. All the entries will be send to the jury of the AmSIA. They decide which entries will be nominated for the finals.
Depending on the quality of the entries, the organisation of the AmSIA may organise an event to led the public decide which 3 participants will receive a wildcard to the finale.
During the festive finale, all the chosen finalists present their idea in the form of an elevator pitch to the jury and audience. At the end of the day, the jury will decide who will be awarded for the three different prices in the categories Society, Health and Environment & Climate.

For the Impact Award, all employees of IXA nominate established researchers of the UvA, VU, HvA and Amsterdam UMC who made a valuable contribution to society with their innovation. The management team and board of IXA will decide who will receive the Impact Awards. During the festive finale, the winners of the Impact Award are announced.

Each participant will benefit from partaking in the Innovation Award. The competition will give you an excellent opportunity to develop your idea further, explore its potential, propose your idea to an experienced jury and share it with the public. It’s possible for all participants to get in contact with and to get support and advice from IXA. Moreover, the three winners of the competition each receive €10.000, so their innovative idea can be developed further.

The aim of the Amsterdam Science & Innovation Award is to stimulate researchers, staff and students to generate ideas with practical application based on research at one of the Amsterdam universities, universities of applied sciences, academic medical centers and public research centers. It also aims to celebrate those researchers who have created a positive impact to society.

The Amsterdam Science & Innovation Award is organized by Innovation Exchange Amsterdam (IXA), the valorisation centre of Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU), the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (HvA).

The finale of the Amsterdam Science & Innovation Award 2023 will be held November the 21st of 2023. More information will be published soon.

Upon your application for the AmSIA, you will need to describe your idea in detail, how it works, what makes it innovative, and its potential impact. You will also need to address relevant intellectual property (IP), such as patents or trademarks that you have developed, in relation to your idea. Business Developers from IXA will screen your idea for potential IP and will advise you when needed.