SuMoth Challenge 2027

Each participating team shall be constituted under one of the following two modalities:

• Independent University Team (IUT):
  A team constituted as an independent legal entity recognized by its governing jurisdiction.
  The Team Manager shall be a professor at the linked university.
  The Team Leader may act as president of the association.
• University Team (UT):
  A team constituted pursuant to a research project under the responsibility of the Team Manager.
  The Team Manager shall be a professor at the linked university.

For all teams, legal status is declared through the completion of designated registration documentation (Team registration intention, Team declaration, etc.), specifically the Linked University Agreement.
IUT are additionally required to submit the association or entity’s statute and act of registration/constitution via the Repository.

The Safety of Navigation Certification (SNC) is a mandatory document required from all Teams that guarantees, under the civil and criminal liability of both the signatory and the party holding criminal responsibility for the team (see UT vs. IUT distinctions), the safe operation of the SuMoth Concept.
The SNC must contain sufficient documentation attesting to the structural integrity and soundness of the prototype’s components.

While Mechanical Tests are intended to ensure the proper flow of the competition and verify that prototypes withstand the minimum expected loads for a foiling craft, the SNC is required to prevent injuries to the helmsman caused by the unexpected failure of a critical component. Given that prototypes possess unique features and specific construction characteristics, each team, under its own responsibility and together with its Team Manager, must evaluate the adequacy of the measures and tests performed, without prejudice to Rule 5.5.4 of the Rulebook.

The SNC shall be issued by the person legally and criminally liable for the Concept (as outlined in previous liability FAQ). If the liable party lacks sufficient technical qualification, they must obtain the certificate from a third-party certifier, such as a Notified Body operating under EU Directive 2013/53/EU and EU Regulation 765/2008.

Teams accumulating sufficient bonus points may surpass the 10,000-point threshold. This scoring structure is designed to incentivise teams to fulfill the criteria outlined in Section 2.2. of the Rulebook.

A team can avoid or recover the 20% point deduction through three mechanisms:

• Resolve or withdraw prior to formal filing:
  Reaching a settlement during Committee mediation at the skipper meeting, or withdrawing the claim before filing, incurs no point penalty.
• High value deliverables or joint protests:
  If the contested deliverable is worth more than 1,000 points or the protest is signed by more than one Team, the deduction is reduced to 10%.
• Receive point reinstatement:
  If the protest proves to be well-founded, or appears well-founded at the Committee’s, the deducted points are fully reinstated to the protesting Team.

The point deduction rule is designed to protect teams from unmeritorious protests and promote conciliation before formal filing. In most legitimate cases, the points are ultimately restored. A team should proceed with a protest when it has a valid claim, as all deducted points will be reinstated if the protest is proven correct or is shown to appear well-founded through supporting documentation or evidence.

“Social Media Activity” and “Team Online Presence” refer to any activity or media published on the social media accounts recognised by the competition, such as a team’s Instagram and LinkedIn accounts. This includes all posts, stories, temporary publications, and ephemeral content created or shared on behalf of the team.

Under Rule 3.2.1., a “Public Activity” covers any in-person or real-time online event (such as virtual meetings or presentations) involving third parties outside the team and its sponsors. This rule allows the Committee to safeguard the reputation of the Competition and its sponsors against associations with entities that do not share their values.

The following events are always categorized as Public Activities:

• Conferences hosted by teams or attended as guest speakers;
• Exhibitions, trade shows, or public events where teams present their Team and/or SuMoth concept or craft;
• Seminars and workshops where the university officially uses the team name and cites the SuMoth Challenge or the Team.

All dates and deadlines shall be published by the Committee in the Competition Timeline. However, the Competition Timeline does not cover the specific activities and detailed schedule of on-site SuMoth Events, except for their start and end dates. For the detailed event schedule, reference should be made to the Event Guidelines.

Given that the SuMoth Challenge is dedicated to research purposes and SuMA+ operates as a non-profit entity, participation in the competition and execution of the requisite documentation constitutes agreement that all deliverables submitted for the event may be published and modified pursuant to a CC BY license, requiring attribution to the authoring teams.

The SNC shall be issued by the person legally and criminally liable for the Concept (as outlined in previous liability FAQ). If the liable party lacks sufficient technical qualification, they must obtain the certificate from a third-party certifier, such as a Notified Body operating under EU Directive 2013/53/EU and EU Regulation 765/2008.

Mechanical tests are not intended to prescribe average or maximum loads for concept designers. Rather, their purpose is to establish minimum structural benchmarks that must be satisfied to prevent common structural failures. Teams must account for all potential operational loads, and not limit their design considerations solely to those specified in the mechanical tests.

1. Personal Health Insurance

Teams must upload the following documentation for every member participating in the event:

• EU Teams: A valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).
• Non-EU Teams with an EU Healthcare Agreement: Proof of such agreement by citing the official legal source (including a link to the document issued by the relevant Ministry or national department) along with personal documentation guaranteeing medical coverage for the team member (e.g., the national health card of their country of origin).
• Non-EU Teams without an EU Healthcare Agreement: A personal health insurance policy providing a minimum coverage of €30,000, in accordance with Article 15 of Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 (EU Visa Code). For these teams, the skipper’s policy must explicitly include coverage for injuries/damages sustained during high-risk or hazardous sports activities.

2. Team Civil Liability Insurance

A third-party liability insurance policy with a minimum coverage limit of €1,500,000, incorporating the following specific requirements:

• Coverage for Non-Third Parties: Extension of coverage to individuals who might not strictly qualify as third parties (such as fellow competitors and event participants) during the course of the event;
• Coverage for Hazardous Activities: Explicit coverage for high-risk activities involving the use or operation of prototype vessels/craft.

Liability for personal injury shall be determined on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the applicable legal framework and organizational structure.

For IUT, civil liability generally attaches to the association itself, whereas criminal liability typically rests with its president.

For UT, both civil and criminal liability reside with the university, falling upon senior academic officials such as the Rector and Head of Department under Italian law. Furthermore, individual liability for Team Leaders and Team Managers cannot be automatically excluded from the outset under either structure. Consequently, all teams are advised to consult their university’s legal department to confirm the precise allocation of liability under their governing jurisdiction.

Every team designs a SuStruct, a small-scale structure capped at 40 x 40 x 40cm, with the objective of being manufactured using the simplest techniques possible. It follows the same principles as the rest of S1, including a full LCA, but with a limited choice of materials, and is worth 100 points within Stage S1. The top 5 designs then get manufactured exactly as proposed, and tested to failure on a bench at the SuMoth Challenge 2027 event itself.

Under Section 7.4, a journal is any naval engineering publication recognised by the SuMoth Committee. Teams must request an evaluation for their chosen publication unless the article is submitted to the Journal of Sailing Technology edited by SNAME, which is automatically recognised and exempt from the evaluation request process. 

Under Rule 7.4.2, a Conference refers to any third-party event where the team presents a scientific paper that has been submitted to an industry-specific journal. To earn points, the presentation must have undergone review and formal approval by a technical committee of field experts prior to acceptance.

To qualify for competition, a Concept must clear every gate established in the Rulebook and represented in the Flowchart. Key mandatory requirements that cannot be waived include the Proof of Functionality, the Mechanical Test Report, and the Safety of Navigation Certification.