University of Pittsburgh logo

Submit a Pitt Seed Pitch

Phase 1: Initial Application and Video Pitch

What makes a good Pitt Seed project better?

  • Strong alignment with the Plan for Pitt
  • Broad impact for the institution
  • A strong interdisciplinary team capable of working together towards a common goal

Faculty and staff on all campuses are invited to submit a 90-second video pitch that addresses one or more of three pillars in the Plan for Pitt. If selected, you will participate in program empowerment training to potentially move your proposal forward. Participants will receive up to a $2,000 stipend at the completion of all training.

Pitt Seed projects are judged for their alignment with the Plan for Pitt, a statement of a problem or need, and a transdisciplinary team.

Video Submission Deadline: Wednesday, Februrary 1, 2023, 5:00 p.m. ET

Submit Your Pitch

Video Submission Guidelines

  1. Log in to InfoReady with your Pitt credentials.
  2. Scroll down and select Competition Title: “2023-2024 Pitt Seed VIDEO Pitch.”
  3. Application process:
    • Complete personal details.
    • Add other team members by using the “Additional Team Members" tab.
    • Provide:
      1.  Short public project title (up to 50 characters).
      2.  One-sentence description of your project idea.
      3.  Plan for Pitt strategic pillar and associated strategic objective that your proposal aligns with.
  4. Submit a public link to your video
    • Please ensure that your video is not password protected.
    • Also ensure that your audio is clear and any images are crisp and legible.

CTSI's Pitt Innovation Challenge (PInCh) website has helpful guidance — including links to University resources and sample video presentations — for making a pitch video. Innovative ideas, and how content is presented is more important than special video effects.

References

Video Submission Deadline: Wednesday, Februrary 1, 2023, 5:00 p.m. ET

Judging Criteria

  1. Strong alignment with and significance to the Plan for Pitt
  • Is it clear how this proposal would directly support achieving one or more of the strategic objectives outlined in the Plan for Pitt?
  • Are the goals and objectives of your proposal clear?
  • Would your proposal warrant University sponsorship, or is the solution manageable within a responsibility center/department?
  1. Statement of the problem or need
  • How is the problem or need one that addresses broad University impact?
  • Is the problem or need you seek to address clearly defined?
  • Does your proposal clearly address the identified problem or need?
  • Could this proposal be scaled up?
  1. Interdisciplinary stakeholder team
  • Have you clearly identified who the key stakeholders are and how they will be affected by this proposal?
  • How does the team represent interdisciplinary units across the University?

Note: Video submissions may include dialogue, slides, graphics and anything to help you convey your innovative idea clearly. Evaluations will be based on content and clarity. Applicants who choose to submit a video that includes graphics or other visual effects will not be at an advantage over those who are not able to do so.