InnoCentive > Challenges

Rapid Therapeutic Development Pipeline

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:18:02 GMT

The Seeker requires an achievable strategy for evolving species-specific therapies for unknown bacterial isolates within as little as seven days after receiving a culturable sample. This is an Ideation Challenge so your creativity and experience qualify you to participate in this challenge. Responses are expected to be about 2-3 written pages not including figures, however there is no strict limit on length.

Challenge Reward: $10,000 USD Deadline: Jun 10, 2010

Membrane-associated Protein Expression

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:08:52 GMT

The Seeker is looking for a cloning system to achieve plasma membrane-associated protein expression. This Challenge requires only a written proposal. You can try our new Team Project functionality on this Challenge.

Challenge Reward: $25,000 USD Deadline: May 09, 2010

Crystal Growth Detection System

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:46:49 GMT

A fast and reliable method for detecting early crystal growth in suspensions is desired. You can try our new Team Project functionality on this Challenge.

Challenge Reward: $20,000 USD Deadline: May 08, 2010

Predictive Data Analysis

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 23:06:03 GMT

The Seeker is looking for Solvers to analyze a large set of data. The Seeker believes that creative Solvers that bring unique or novel computational means may provide the most exciting and high performing solutions.

Challenge Reward: $100,000 USD Deadline: Jul 26, 2010

NASA Challenge: Coordination of Sensor Swarms for Extraterrestrial Research

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 16:58:58 GMT

In the future NASA hopes to deploy swarms of sensors in order to collect sophisticated datasets in extraterrestrial environments. The Seeker would like help in determining the optimal methods of coordinating the activity and locomotion of the sensor swarm.

Challenge Reward: $20,000 USD Deadline: Apr 26, 2010

Green Chemistry Process

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 04:05:30 GMT

An environmentally friendly method for converting a di-olefin to a mono-alcohol is desired.

Challenge Reward: $10,000 USD Deadline: Apr 26, 2010

Stabilizing an Oil and Food-Seasoning Suspension

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 20:38:33 GMT

A process or technology is required to stabilize a physical suspension of food seasoning in oil.

Challenge Reward: $25,000 USD Deadline: Apr 26, 2010

Understanding the Sensing of Saltiness

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 19:16:43 GMT

Partners are requested who can aid the Seeker in better understanding the physiological mechanisms and technologies that could be used to influence the perception of salt taste from solid foods. The ultimate goal of the seeker organization is to decrease the salt (sodium chloride) content of foods while maintaining the perception of salt taste and other organoleptic qualities of the food.

Challenge Reward: varies Deadline: Apr 19, 2010

New Approaches to Transseptal Puncture

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 19:09:15 GMT

This Challenge is looking for new approaches to perform transseptal puncture. This is an Ideation Challenge with a guaranteed award for at least one submitted solution.

Challenge Reward: $5,000 USD Deadline: Mar 26, 2010

Water Activity Reduction in Food Products

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 18:31:29 GMT

The Seeker, a research-based Food Company with over 5.5 billion dollars in annual sales, is looking for Solver(s) as supplier(s) or (joint) development partner(s) of approaches to reduce water activity in food products.

Challenge Reward: varies Deadline: Apr 12, 2010

Glycerol Substitutes in Bakery Products

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 18:31:29 GMT

The Seeker, a research-based Food Company with over 5,5 billion dollars in annual sales, is looking for Solver(s) as supplier(s) or (joint) development partner(s) of glycerol substitutes in bakery products.

Challenge Reward: varies Deadline: Apr 12, 2010

Getting Attractive Fruit & Vegetables into Cakes and Breads

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 17:59:08 GMT

The objective of this Challenge is to find ways to put dices of fruit or vegetables into ambient stable baked products without reducing the shelf life of the finished product or losing the natural qualities of the fruit or vegetables.

Challenge Reward: $5,000 USD Deadline: Mar 26, 2010

Enzyme Inhibitors for Use in Fruit and Vegetable Products

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 17:07:18 GMT

The seeker requires additives or processes that inhibits fruit and vegetable enzymes involved in the degradation of food products. This is a Theoretical Challenge that requires only a written proposal to be submitted. The Challenge award will be contingent upon theoretical evaluation of the proposal by the Seeker.

Challenge Reward: $20,000 USD Deadline: Apr 26, 2010

Increasing Chemical Stability and Delivery of Small RNAs in Environmental Applications

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:51:48 GMT

The Seeker is looking for novel approaches to increase chemical stability and delivery of small RNA molecules in environmental applications. This Challenge requires only a written proposal. You can try our new Team Project functionality on this Challenge.

Challenge Reward: $20,000 USD Deadline: May 10, 2010

Plant Ontology Creation

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:37:21 GMT

The Seeker is looking for software that can automatically create ontology similar to systems that currently exist within the public domain. Solvers are asked to create demonstrations of similar technologies that achieve similar results.

Challenge Reward: $30,000 USD Deadline: May 23, 2010

Flexible Light Weight High Temperature Fire Partition

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:00:18 GMT

The Seeker is looking for a lightweight material or system of materials that can serve as a high temperature fire partition. It must be able to meet a very stringent US fire test.

Challenge Reward: $50,000 USD Deadline: May 25, 2010

Help Reduce the Placebo Effect in Clinical Drug Trials!

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:37:42 GMT

Markers predictive of placebo-responders in clinical drug trials, or rational for improved trial designs, are required in order to increase the efficacy of clinical drug trials and better understand the effects of human therapies. This is a Theoretical Challenge that requires only a written proposal to be submitted. The Challenge award will be contingent upon theoretical evaluation of the proposal by the Seeker.

Challenge Reward: $25,000 USD Deadline: Apr 10, 2010

Collection and Curation of Protein Expression Data

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:35:43 GMT

The Seeker is looking for Solvers to develop a text-mining software technology that will help them ingest and manage protein expression data contained in publically available PDFs. More details are available once the Solvers enter a project room.

Challenge Reward: $25,000 USD Deadline: May 10, 2010

Design of a Solar Water Treatment System based on TiO2 Nanoparticles

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:00:08 GMT

The Rockefeller Foundation is providing support to this Seeker for the design of a low cost water treatment system based on solar radiation and titanium dioxide (TiO2). It is part of the Global Giveback Innovation Challenge Set. A prototype design will be required using known proven technology supplied by the Seeker.

Challenge Reward: $15,000 USD Deadline: Apr 08, 2010

Digital Gene Expression Analysis

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:57:55 GMT

The Seeker is looking for solvers to develop a software platform to perform digital gene expression analyses based on next generation sequencing.

Challenge Reward: $25,000 USD Deadline: May 08, 2010

What Do We Not Know to Cure Type 1 Diabetes?

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:01:35 GMT

This Challenge is asking InnoCentive Solvers to formulate well-defined problems aimed at advancing our knowledge about Type 1 Diabetes and ultimately eradication of the disease. This is an Ideation Challenge with a guaranteed award for at least one submitted solution.

Challenge Reward: $5,000 USD Deadline: Mar 15, 2010

Mn2+ Chelation

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:38:33 GMT

A compound which chelates Mn²⁺ following thermal activation is desired.

Challenge Reward: $20,000 USD Deadline: Mar 29, 2010

Seeking a Stable Micro-structured System in High Ionic Strength Aqueous Pesticide Solution

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:09:19 GMT

We are seeking a microstructure system such as an emulsion or gel or surfactant structure that is stable when mixed with high ionic strength salt solutions.

Challenge Reward: $30,000 USD Deadline: Apr 29, 2010

Resistance Measurement

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:59:01 GMT

Methods for measuring contact resistances are desired.

Challenge Reward: $10,000 USD Deadline: Mar 28, 2010

Potential Drug Targets for Kinetoplastid Infectious Diseases

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:53:14 GMT

The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), is looking for potential drug targets for kinetoplastid infectious diseases affecting the developing world (African Sleeping Sickness, Visceral Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous Leishmaniasis, and Chagas Disease). The focus is on chemically validated targets and associated small molecules. This Challenge requires only a written proposal.

Challenge Reward: $10,000 USD Deadline: Apr 16, 2010

Automatic Transfer of Live Samples

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:28:46 GMT

The Seeker is looking for an automated system to transfer live samples. This Challenge requires only a written proposal.

Challenge Reward: $20,000 USD Deadline: Mar 25, 2010

Lightning as an Alternative Energy Source

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:13:45 GMT

We seek ideas for capture, transfer, switching and storage of electrical lighting discharges as a potential alternative energy source. The four subsystems will be judged separately and a portion of the award will be dedicated to each subsystem. Solvers are eligible to address one or more of the subsystems for the award on each. This is an Ideation Challenge so your creativity and experience qualify you to participate in this Challenge. Responses are expected to be about 2-3 written pages not including figures, however there is no strict limit on length.

Challenge Reward: $30,000 USD Deadline: Apr 19, 2010

Sunlight/UV-light dose indicator

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:17:16 GMT

The Rockefeller Foundation is providing support to this Seeker to design an indicator which gives a visual sign of being exposed to sunlight/UV-light. It is part of the Global Giveback Innovation Challenge Set. This is a Reduction-to-Practice Challenge that requires a written proposal and experimental proof-of-concept data.

Challenge Reward: $40,000 USD Deadline: Apr 11, 2010

Make Water from Lake Victoria Safe to Drink!

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:14:48 GMT

This Challenge requires a design for an easy-to-use and robust method that purifies water from Lake Victoria so that it is safe to drink. It is part of the Global Giveback Innovation Challenge Set. This is a Theoretical Challenge that requires only a written proposal to be submitted. The Challenge award will be contingent upon theoretical evaluation of the proposal by the Seeker.

Challenge Reward: $20,000 USD Deadline: Mar 11, 2010

Small-scale River Turbines for the Peruvian Jungle

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:14:48 GMT

A design is required for a robust and easy to assemble river turbine producing 6 kWh per 24 period of operation from a river flowing at approximately 1 meter per second. The turbines are for platform-mounted use on the rivers of the Peruvian jungle. The power produced will be used to electrify Peruvian villages, schools and medical centers. It is part of the Global Giveback Innovation Challenge Set.

Challenge Reward: $20,000 USD Deadline: Mar 11, 2010

Design of a Low Cost Rainwater Harvesting Storage Tank in a Wetland Region

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 19:33:05 GMT

The Rockefeller Foundation is providing support to this Seeker for the design of a new rainwater harvesting storage tank for use in a wetland Region in India. It is part of the Global Giveback Innovation Challenge Set. The tank needs to be affordable by the local people and have a capacity of 6000 liters. High water table, flooding, differential settlement and acidic soil are just some of the issues to be overcome with the proper design.

Challenge Reward: $20,000 USD Deadline: Mar 11, 2010

Ester Hydrolysis

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:38:06 GMT

Mild hydrolysis conditions for cleaving ester bonds in the presence of protein are desired.

Challenge Reward: $20,000 USD Deadline: Mar 14, 2010

NASA Challenge: Data-Driven Forecasting of Solar Events

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:43:13 GMT

Forecasting solar activity is important for future manned and unmanned exploration of the solar system. The Seeker wishes to develop the ability to forecast the occurrence of a Solar Particle Event (SPE) within a select window in time. Methods must make use of current real-time space weather measurements and/or archived space weather data.

Challenge Reward: $30,000 USD Deadline: Mar 22, 2010

Algorithm to Identify Gene Networks from Microarray Data

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 21:12:09 GMT

The Seeker is interested in finding methods of creating gene networks from very large microarray datasets. Solvers are asked to implement algorithms that can operate efficiently and effectively to create such networks.

Challenge Reward: $30,000 USD Deadline: Mar 21, 2010

Genomic Marker Identification Software

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:32:29 GMT

The Seeker is looking for Solvers to develop a platform to infer single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from genomic sequence data. The Challenge outlines the specific requirements for the platform.

Challenge Reward: $30,000 USD Deadline: Mar 17, 2010

Biodegradable, Bioderived Elastomers for Medical Applications

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 21:43:36 GMT

As we focus on improved sustainability of disposable products, there are a number of options for rigid bioderived and biodegradable plastics and virtually none for elastomers. As both classes of materials are critical to the function of many devices we seek new bioderived and/or biodegradable elastomers.

Challenge Reward: $30,000 USD Deadline: Mar 17, 2010

Text Mining Software

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:43:50 GMT

The Seeker desires a method of automatically extracting biological sequence information from scientific publications based on some previously published approaches. This Challenge requests that Solvers provide demonstration code that fulfills the Seeker’s criteria.

Challenge Reward: $25,000 USD Deadline: Mar 15, 2010

Data Processing Algorithm

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:12:44 GMT

This Challenge is looking for a data processing algorithm to correct variability of analytical data. This is a Reduction-to-Practice Challenge that requires a written proposal and code.

Challenge Reward: $15,000 USD Deadline: Mar 14, 2010

Algorithms Optimized for Efficiency and Speed for Exploring and Testing Large Model Spaces

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 04:38:07 GMT

The Seeker is looking for Solvers to find an efficient and robust statistical algorithm and computing tool that can detect significantly well performing models based on 3 or more variables out of several hundred variables. The primary innovation in this Challenge seeks to find new ways of searching this tremendously large model space in order to find the most interesting and useful models.

Challenge Reward: $20,000 USD Deadline: Mar 25, 2010

ALS Biomarker

Fri, 15 May 2009 18:49:10 GMT

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder characterized by selective death of motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. This leads to muscle weakness, atrophy, and gradual paralysis. At present, there is no effective therapy for the disease and patients usually die within 2-5 years after the onset of symptoms. In order to accelerate the identification of effective treatments for ALS, a biomarker for measuring disease progression is needed.

Challenge Reward: $1,000,000 USD Deadline: May 15, 2011