Contest to Reward Outstanding Research Presentations in the Field of Unmanned Aerial Systems

RESTON, Va. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — June 16, 2016 — The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and Drone World Expo (DWE) have partnered to create the Innovative Drone Exploration and Application (IDEA) Competition, a new research-related contest in the field of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). The contest aims to build ties between the UAS end-user community and members of the aerospace community who are actively researching the capabilities and applications of UAS technologies. It also seeks to inform end users of emerging technologies and concepts that are most likely to impact their future business or operations. Entries for the competition’s first round are due by July 15, 2016. From the submissions, three winners will be selected to present their research in a special session organized by AIAA at DWE in November 2016.

“As UAS represent the fastest growing sector of the aerospace community, with nearly unlimited potential for the application across a wide range of activities, AIAA is pleased to enter into this partnership with DWE to create the IDEA Competition,” said Richard Stansbury, chair of AIAA’s Unmanned Systems Program Committee (USPC). “I look forward to seeing the dynamic and innovative research produced by our community’s members and how they imagine the future of UAS technology and use. I am confident that this competition will do much to forge strong links between the UAS R&D and end-user communities, and will advance UAS technology in exciting ways. I wish the best of luck to all participants and look forward to your submissions.”

The IDEA Competition is a two-round contest, with each round judged by a panel of experts from the AIAA USPC and DWE. In the first round, entrants must submit an abstract describing their research and its interest or use to the UAS end-user community. From those submissions, the panel will choose ten semifinalists, who will be required to submit the presentations they would make at DWE if chosen as a winner. After evaluating the ten presentations, the panel will select three winners who will present their research at DWE in November in a special technical track organized by AIAA.

“Drone World Expo is thrilled to partner with AIAA on this exciting endeavor. We are looking forward to bringing what are sure to be leading-edge innovations and game-changing concepts to the thousands of commercial end users who will gather at our event this November in San Jose,” said Joelle Coretti, Event Director, Drone World Expo.

“I am excited about the partnership for the IDEA Competition between AIAA and DWE – by bringing together the technical side of the community with the end users great things are going to happen,” said Sandra Magnus, AIAA executive director. “This competition is an important catalyst for the continuing development of UAS capabilities and we have no doubt the ideas generated will transform society and aerospace. I hope all of you who have a vision for the future of UAS technologies will enter your proposals into the IDEA Competition to advance the state of the art in UAS and expand their applicability and benefit for society.”

For more information on the IDEA Competition, please visit www.aiaa-aviation.org/IDEA or contact Chris Brown at 702.264.7504 or chrisb@aiaa.org.

About AIAA
AIAA is the world’s largest aerospace professional society, serving a diverse range of more than 30,000 individual members from 88 countries, and 95 corporate members. AIAA members help make the world safer, more connected, more accessible, and more prosperous. For more information, visit www.aiaa.org, or follow us on Twitter @AIAA.

About Drone World Expo
Drone World Expo, the defining event for the commercial applications of UAS technology, will take place November 15–16, 2016, at the San Jose Convention Center in San Jose, CA. For more information, visit www.droneworldexpo.com. The event is produced by JD Events, dedicated to the creation of targeted and innovative industry-leading events that deliver results. Visit www.jdevents.com for more information.

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