We are pleased to announce the new annual Brain Fitness Innovation Awards, designed to foster innovation and best practice sharing by celebrating outstanding pioneers who apply neuroplasticity-based research and tools in the “real world”. The awards will recognize organizations that are devising and implementing results-oriented and scalable initiatives that demonstrate their commitment to the brain fitness of their clients, members, patients, students or employees, and showcase innovative uses of non-invasive tools to improve cognitive and emotional functions and “real-world” outcomes.

Prizes

1 Grand Prize Winner will receive: $2,500 check, consulting session with SharpBrains staff, 2 tickets for each SharpBrains Summit in 2011; 10 signed copies of The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness.

2 Silver Prize Winners will each receive: $1,000 check, consulting session with SharpBrains staff, 2 tickets for each SharpBrains Summit in 2011, 10 signed copies of The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness.

7 Finalists will each receive: $250 check, 1 ticket for each SharpBrains Summit in 2011, 10 signed copies of The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness.

How to Enter

Organizations can use this Entry Form to submit entries by end of Thursday, April 15th, 2010.

The 2010 Brain Fitness Innovation Awards will recognize unique initiatives that not only bring measurable benefits to end users but also are closely connected to furthering the objectives of the organization in which they operate, via (for example) increased customer/ patient satisfaction, employee engagement, branding benefits, professional development gains, and others. All eligible submissions will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• 20%: Measurable Benefits for end users
• 20%: Measurable Benefits for organization
• 20%: Creativity and Innovation of approach
• 20%: Scalability of initiative
• 20%: Value of Lessons Learned

Process

March 10th: Awards announced
By April 15th: All entries collected
By April 30th: SharpBrains staff selects 10 finalists
By May 15th: judges score finalists and select 1 Grand Prize Winner and 2 Silver Prize Winners
May 24th: Winners will be announced on Monday, May 24th, at the SharpBrains Summit – The State of the Brain Fitness Market

Confirmed Judges

• Alvaro Fernandez, Co-Founder of SharpBrains
• Baba Shiv, Professor at Stanford Business School
• Bill Tucker, Managing Director at Education Sector
• Brian Murphy, President of De Anza College
• Charles Jennings, Director of the McGovern Institute Neurotechnology Program, MIT
• Chuck House, Executive Director of Stanford Media X
• Colin Milner, CEO of the International Council on Active Aging
• Elizabeth Edgerly, National Spokesperson for Alzheimer’s Association “Maintain Your Brain”
• Gloria Cavanaugh, Former President of the American Society on Aging
• Kenneth Kosik, Co-Director of UC-Santa Barbara Neuroscience Research Institute
• Margaret Morris, Senior Researcher at Intel’s Digital Health Group
• Nigel Smith, AARP Strategy and Planning Director
• P Murali Doraiswamy, Head of Biological Psychiatry at Duke University
• Rod Falcon, Director of Health Horizons Program at the Institute For The Future
• Stephen Macknik, Lab Director at Barrow Neurological Institute
• Susan Hoffman, Director of OLLI @ Berkeley

May 24th Summit

2010 Brain Fitness Innovation Award Winners will be announced during the SharpBrains Virtual Summit on the State of the Brain Fitness Market, to be held on Monday, May 24th, 2010, from 8am to 4pm US Pacific Time. Registered attendees will receive an electronic copy of SharpBrains’ annual report The State of the Brain Fitness Software Market 2010, the most comprehensive report on the category, to be released and discussed during the Summit.

Summit Agenda

8am. Bird’s-Eye View: Top Events, Indicators, Trends

8.30am. Market Survey on Beliefs, Attitudes, Purchase Habits
9am. Competitive Landscape: Leading Assessments and Training Tools
9.30am. State-of-the-Art Research and Development
10am. Watercooler Chat

10.30am. Consumer Data and Trends
11am. Healthcare, Insurance, Senior Living Data and Trends
11.30am. Lunch Break

12.30pm. K12 Data and Trends
1pm. Military, Corporate, Sports Data and Trends
1.30pm. Future Directions – Projections, Themes and Risks
2pm. Watercooler Chat

2.30pm. 2010 Brain Fitness Innovation Awards
3.30-4pm. Watercooler Chat and Wrap-Up

Past Summit attendees/annual report buyers include:  AARP, Aberdare Ventures, Abington Memorial Hospital, Agility Group, Alegent Health, Applied Cognitive Engineering, Aspyr Media, Baycrest, BCM Technologies, Belmont Village, Binnacle Capital, BKIN Technologies, Bon Secours New York Health System, Brain Resource, Brookdale Senior Living, Campbell Soup Company, Care One, Choratech, Clinton Global Initiative, Club One, CNS Vital Signs, Cogmed, Cognitive Media, CogState, CORE Health, Credit Suisse, Dakim, Easter Seals, EDGE Innovation Network, Ericsson, Ernst & Young, FDA, First Currency R &D, FitBrains, Fonterra, HappyNeuron, Institute for Behavioral Health Informatics, Intel Corporation, International Masters Publishers, Inverness Medical Innovations, Johnson & Johnson, Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation, Kaiser Permanente, LEAF, LearningRx, Lumos Labs, Medisolve, Merit Entertainment, NeuroCare Network, Mindware Lab, Neuroimage, NovaVision, One Laptop Per Child, Ontario Long Term Care Association, OptumHealth Behavioral Solutions, Oregon Health & Science University, Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes, Osmium Partners, Pfizer, Piedmont Gardens, Posit Science, Proactive Aging, Procter & Gamble, Scientific Learning, Sovereign Health, Sun Microsystems, Sunrise Senior Living, Sutter Health, The Wellness Alliance, Unilever, USAA, US Army Research Lab, Technology Partners, vibrantBrains, Visiting Angels, Westminster Communities.

You can Learn More about Innovation Awards and May 24th Summit Here.

We are excited to invite you to the first virtual, global SharpBrains Summit (January 18-20th, 2010). The SharpBrains Summit will feature a “dream team” of over 25 speakers who are leaders in industry and research from 7 countries, to discuss emerging research, tools and best practices for cognitive health and performance. This inaugural event will expose health and insurance providers, developers, innovators at Fortune 500 companies, investors and researchers, to the opportunities, partnerships, trends, and standards of the rapidly evolving cognitive fitness field.

Register Today

Learn more and register Here today, at discounted early-bird rates, to receive these benefits:

• Learn: Full access to all Conference live sessions, and Downloadable Recordings and Handouts
• See: latest technologies and products during Expo Day
• Connect and Discuss: become a member of the SharpBrains Network for Brain Fitness Innovation (members-only LinkedIn Group) through the end of 2010, access online chats during the summit, meet other registrants in your city
• Understand the Big Picture: access 10 Research Executive Briefs prepared by leading scientists

On top of those early-bird discounts, we offer an additional 15% discount for SharpBrains readers who want Regular Admission. Discount code: sharp2010. You can register Here.

Agenda/ Speakers

Monday, January 18th, 2010:

(Preliminary schedule, US Pacific Time)

8-9.15am. Cognition & Neuroplasticity: The New Healthcare Frontier

• Alvaro Fernandez, SharpBrains
• David Whitehouse, OptumHealth Behavioral Solutions
• William Reichman, Baycrest
• P Murali Doraiswamy, Duke University

9.30-11am. Tools for Safer Driving: The Opportunity with Teenagers and Adults

• Steven Aldrich, Posit Science
• Shlomo Breznitz, CogniFit
• Jerri Edwards, University of South Florida
• Peter Christianson, Young Drivers of Canada

Noon-1.30pm. Baby Boomers and Beyond: Maintaining Cognitive Vitality

• Kunal Sarkar, Lumos Labs
• Elizabeth Zelinski, USC Davis School of Gerontology Read the rest of this entry »

You can see speakers and agenda by clicking on SharpBrains Summit. Please register if you are interested in participating: January 18-20th 2010 (Pacific Time).

• Conference: January 18-19th. 9-10 panels to discuss Market and Research Insights,  together with online discussions.
• Expo Day: January 20th. Product demos by Sponsors.

Confirmed speakers and themes:

Monday, January 18th, 2010:

Cognition and Neuroplasticity: The New Healthcare Frontier

• Alvaro Fernandez, CEO, SharpBrains
• David Whitehouse, Chief Medical Officer, OptumHealth Behavioral Solutions
• William Reichman, President, Baycrest
• P Murali Doraiswamy, Biological Psychiatry Division Head, Duke University

Tools for Safer Driving: Teenagers and Older Adults

• Steven Aldrich, CEO, Posit Science
• Peter Christianson, President of Young Drivers of Canada
• Jerri Edwards, Assoc. Professor University of South Florida

Clinical Applications: Researching, Identifying, Treating Cognitive Deficits

• Keith Wesnes, Practice Leader, United BioSource Corporation
• Jonas Jendi, CEO, Cogmed
• Michel Noir, President, Scientific Brain Training
• Elkhonon Goldberg, Chief Scientific Advisor, SharpBrains

Read the rest of this entry »