Independent Inventor Program

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Most K-12 students participate in a CIC program through their school or community organization. However, if none of those options are available, a K-12 student may participate in the CIC as an Independent Inventor. 

Independent Inventors also qualify to participate in an optional winter virtual inventor's club, which helps to support independent inventors in their invention process. 

Independent inventors who meet the submission criteria for our state semi-finals should plan to have their invention submission ready by mid-March. 

K-12 students may participate as an Independent Inventor only if they fall into one of these situations:

• They are homeschooled
• Student’s school is not currently running the CIC program, but the student wants to participate in CIC.
• Student’s school has joined the CIC program, but participation is not offered for the student’s grade level. For example, the student may be in 5th grade, but the school is running the program with only 3rd graders.

Important to Note: Any student given the opportunity to participate through their school, regardless of their grade, does not qualify to be an Independent Inventor.  If, for any reason, the school does NOT select the student to move on to our state events, then the student may NOT register as an independent inventor.