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Last Saturday, December 2, was the “Virtual Round” of the 16th annual Net Impact Case Competition (NICC), consisting of an online submission of a short PowerPoint presentation with audio narration from MBA teams. Teams were asked to creatively analyze a particular issue from the first part of this year’s case (described below).

The Net Impact Case Competition (NICC) is the focused on solving real world social and environmental business challenges. The competition is hosted each year by the Leeds School of Business at the �������� in Colorado.  

The Case

For the past several years mental illness and substance abuse have annually cost American employers an estimated $80 to $100 billion in indirect costs related to expenses incurred from the cessation or reduction of work productivity. Current (2015) data suggests that the total annual economic impact related to mental illness and addiction disorders is in excess of $300 billion in the US.

This year's case will challenge participants to find viable business solutions to the problem of mental illness and substance abuse in the workplace. Teams will need to propose solutions to the case challenge, a plan to implement their proposed solution, and financial analysis to support their proposal.

Sponsors

 is The National Behavioral Health Innovation Center (NBHIC), a center at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus which implements behavioral health solutions, makes connections to national experts, and provides resources to build connections among community leaders. The center will help implement innovative programs for businesses, schools, courts, health care facilities and anywhere else they're needed.

This year's co-sponsor is Genoa, a QoL Healthcare Company. Genoa is the leading pharmacy and telepsychiatry provider serving the behavioral health and addiction treatment community for over 15 years. 

What comes next

The final round will consist of the top 20 teams that advanced from the virtual round. These teams will travel to Boulder in February 2017 and compete in the second round of the case. Five teams will then qualify for the Championship round. These teams will present to a new set of judges comprised of top executives and experts on the challenge in the case. The top three teams will be awarded a cash prize.

Prizes

The first place team will win $15,000, with second place receiving $7,500 and third place winning $5,000.