Frequently Asked Questions

You can participate in several ways:

1. Anyone can create and submit an idea that positively impacts MLTs who are interested in learning about Transfusion Science. You know better than anyone what's needed to support your work and your community. You can submit an idea even if you don't have all the details, but want help and support getting it off the ground.
2. Anyone can participate in online discussions about the ideas on the BloodTechNet website. Applicants will be looking for your support, and for ways to improve their submissions.
3. Anyone can be invited to be a collaborator on a project. See the FAQ below for details.
4. MLTs only can vote for their favourite submissions.* Your votes determine how the $125,000 BloodTechNet fund will be allocated.

Begin by registering for an account.
*The Fine Print: MLTs are eligible to vote if they are practicing in any province or territory to which Canadian Blood Services provides services. MLTs practicing in Québec are served by Héma-Québec, are not eligible to vote, but are invited to participate in other ways, such as commenting, and as a collaborator.

Great ideas for the Learning Competition are:

• practical ideas
• that benefit MLTs interested in continuing education in Transfusion Science
• with a budget of $25,000 or less
• that can be executed by July 31, 2013.

We won't fund projects that do not have a learning component. We define learning quite broadly. Submissions may involve structured or informal learning opportunities, technical/scientific or transferable skills such as leadership and advocacy, self-directed and participatory learning approaches. See the Learning Survey report for examples.
 
Stage 1 is about ideas, not project proposals (which is reserved for Stage 2). An idea is a glimpse, a hint of what the project will be. A great idea can be inspiring; it makes the rest of us want to participate and make it happen. In other words, even if you do not have all the details, you may still have a great idea. Submit it, ask for feedback, and keeping editing until we understand its potential. We recommend you get your colleagues interested. Coming up with an irresistible idea for the MLT transfusion community is easier when the community itself involved. We help you do this with various online tools to contact and engage your colleagues on bloodtechnet.ca.
 
If you do not have an idea for a project, but would like to be a project leader, we recommend you take a closer look at the Learning Survey report, which provides a barometer of the opinions, experiences and expectations of Canadian MLTs on various aspects of continuing education in Transfusion Science.
 
If you already have an idea for a project, think about what level of funding you'll need (small, medium or large budget). Consider how you might describe the idea in a paragraph that will compel the judges to advance your idea to Stage 2.

BloodTechNet offers $125,000 funding in three budget categories. We will fund at least one project from each budget category, and then fund additional projects with the most votes until all of the funds are allocated:

Small budget(up to $5K)
Recommended for individuals and small groups who want to run with a great idea.

Medium budget($5K - $15K)
Recommended for individuals to large groups who want to work together.

Large budget($15K - $25K)
Recommended for large groups and organizations with time and resources.

You may submit your ideas during Stage 1 of the Learning Competition only. View and download the 2012 Learning Competition timeline for details.

The judges use five criteria to rank and score all idea:

Significance - 5 points
How deeply are MLTs affected by this idea? How urgent is the need? How many benefit? How broad is the benefit?

Success - 5 points
How likely is this idea to be successfully executed within the short term? The funding period is one year, beginning in August.

Sustainability - 5 points
How long will the idea's effects last? Will it require regular funding beyond the initial request? If yes, is there a plan to obtain additional funding?

Originality - 5 points
How innovative is the idea? Does it tackle a new learning need or one that has not been adequately addressed in the past?

Submission Quality - 5 points
How much effort went into understanding the learning needs of MLTs? Was the idea well conceived and clearly explained? How well did the applicants engage the community through comments?

A perfect score is 25 points. The ten top-ranked ideas in each budget category (making a total of thirty applicants) advance to Round 2 and are invited to provide project details.

Both submitting an idea and submitting project details involve completing online forms. They differ in who may make the submission, and the degree of effort needed to complete it.

Submitting an idea is relatively easy. Any participant may submit an idea in Stage 1 once they are registered on bloodtechnet.ca. We ask you to provide only the essential information to convey your idea:

1. A title and a brief description in about 225 words or less;
2. A budget category (select Small — less than $5K, Medium — $5 to15K or Large - $15 to 25K);
3. How many MLTs your idea will affect (select 1-100, 100-1,000 or more than 1,000 MLTs);
4. Where your idea will have the greatest impact (select a particular city or region, or nation-wide).

Submitting project details requires more effort. In Stage 2, only selected applicants are invited to submit project details. If you are ranked among the top applicants as determined by our judges, we ask you to provide:

1. A detailed line item budget for the project;
2. Details about the proposed project activities;
3. Proposed reporting milestones;
4. A list of collaborators, if you are collaborating with an organization or individuals to implement the project;
5. Optionally, photographs or videos or web site links that for a more comprehensive description of your project;
6. The terms under which you are making your learning product available to MLTs.

There are at least two reasons. First, you may use the collective feedback you receive to revise and improve your submission. In fact, the way in which you manage reaction to your idea becomes part of the idea submission. The judges will give higher scores on the "Submission Quality" component of the scoring criteria to applicants who encourage feedback and respond to comments. You are expected to take comments into consideration, but you are under no obligation to take any advice offered.

Second, you may find that the discussion opens up possibilities to collaborate and share resources with like-minded participants that you may not otherwise have known about. In fact, you may wish to use the discussion as a way to invite potential collaborators to indicate their interest. You have an opportunity to list your collaborators in the project details. However, while we strongly encourage collaboration, it is not required. It is at your discretion as the primary applicant whether you choose to collaborate, and no applicant will be penalized for not accepting new collaborators.

We recommend that you generate interest among your colleagues in your application, and make the best out of the opportunities that arise. Coming up with a good learning project for the MLT transfusion community is easier if you get the community itself involved.

A primary applicant must list you as an official collaborator in the Project Details form. If you find a submission on which you would like to become an official collaborator, we encourage you to comment on the submission. During Stage 2, primary applicants will have the opportunity to revise their list of collaborators, should they wish to do so. All comments, feedback and requests to collaborate are offered voluntarily, with the understanding that they will be taken into into consideration by applicants, but not necessarily incorporated into an application.

During Stage 3, you may vote online for your favourite learning projects. Cast your vote for a project by clicking the "+" symbol next to the project plan.

If you change your mind, remove your vote by clicking the "-" symbol.

You may cast up to five (5) votes, choosing either one project for all five votes, or spreading your votes across a number of favourite projects. Check your dashboard to see how many votes you have cast and how many you have remaining.

No. The learning product you produce with funds from the competition belongs to you.

BloodTechNet strongly prefers that the learning product be made publicly available promptly after completion for little or no cost to MLTs. We feel that distributing to MLTs at little or no cost is most consistent with the underlying principles of the competition. We encourage winners to license the use of their product in accordance with a Creative Commons License. Creative Commons is a non-profit organization that provides tools to grant copyright permissions for creative works. With a Creative Commons license, you keep your copyright but make it easy for others to adapt and distribute your work for non-commercial uses, provided they give you credit (this is the Creative Commons Attribution, Non-Commercial, ShareAlike license). If you are new to this form licensing, Creative Commons provides a list of things to think about before licensing.

• visit Creative Commons

However, we recognize that some applicants may feel the success of their project depends on a stream of revenue and may wish to sell their learning products commercially. We ask applicants to clearly state on the Project Details form the terms and conditions under which they will distribute their learning product to the MLTs that will benefit from them, the cost struture and how revenue will be used or shared. MLTs are free to cast their votes in response to how these issues are addressed.

If you cannot find the answer to your question in this FAQ, try any of the following:

• Read the Official Competition Guidelines;
• Subscribe to BloodTechNet News for updates and announcements. You must register for an account first to do this.
• Use our contact form to email us directly.