Hello,
I am planning to submit my application in February 2026.
As an OC1, I plan to submit an evidence (an IEEE paper) which is dated around 10th February 2021. Appreciate your advise if this is still a valid evidence if I can manage to submit the application by February 2026, considering the work should be within last five years.
Thanks in advance for your kind help.
If you submit your application on or before 10 February 2026 the evidence dated 10 February 2021 would be exactly five years and should technically fall within the permitted 5 years window.
If you submit on 11 February 2026 or later, the paper would be older than five years and may most likely not be considered. However, please note that evidence that sits right at the expiry boundary can appear weaker, as assessors typically look for recent and ongoing impact especially under OC1, which is about innovation. What you did 5 years ago, may most likely not be innovative today, if there was no improvement, upgrade or updates. For this reason, I suggest you don’t rely on this paper alone and to strengthen your OC1 with more recent evidence.
Also, OC1 is about demonstrating that you have a proven track record of innovation in the digital technology sector as a founder… did you innovate something for IEEE?
All the best.
Thank you Raphael for your clarification and advise. Much appreciate it.
I am planning to submit the paper as an evidence of “How do I demonstrate that I have a proven track record of innovation in the digital technology sector as an employee working in a new digital field or concept”. Yes, the paper is related to some innovation in the digital sector.
@avi_technation You are welcome. And this paper was accepted and published in an IEEE journal? Was the paper cited?
If yes! These are elements of recognition by a leading and recognized technology body and can be used as a complementary evidence set, but remember it has to be within 5 years.
Thanks Raphael for your quick response. Yes, it got published in an IEEE conference and was cited, although not in high numbers. As another OC1, I am planning to submit one of my granted patent in the field. I acted as a delegate from my company reviewing a publicly available research paper. Could you please suggest if this can be used as another OC1 evidence (more recent one) to make them stronger?
A granted patent is a strong indicator of innovation. For a more contextual suggestion, I would need to review the evidence set and understand your story and narrative. This is why, in many cases, the listed content here differs significantly from the actual context.
I understand your point. Thanks a lot for your help!