Innocentive

We have recently launched a survey to solicit your insight about open innovation.  Working with a professional survey firm, DB5/CrossTabs (www.cross-tabs.com), we would like to gather your thoughts on a short list of topics. Your participation enters you to win $1000 in a drawing at the end of April. The survey is brief and takes less than 20 minutes.

As always, we respect your anonymity and privacy. Your identity, contact information and responses remain confidential.

InnoCentive Survey for SOLVERS

InnoCentive Survey for SEEKERS

Thank you again for your support.

Sincerely,

The InnoCentive Research Team

About InnoCentive

Founded in 2001, InnoCentive built the first global web community for open innovation, enabling scientists, engineers, professionals and entrepreneurs to collaborate to deliver breakthrough solutions for innovative R&D-driven organizations. InnoCentive Seekers, who collectively spend billions of dollars on R&D, submit Challenges to the InnoCentive Marketplace where more than 175,000+ engineers, scientists, inventors, business people, and research organizations in more than 175 countries are invited to solve them. Solvers who deliver the most innovative solutions receive financial awards ranging up to US$1,000,000. InnoCentive’s Seekers include commercial, government and non-profit organizations such as Procter & Gamble, Avery Dennison, Pendulum, Eli Lilly and Company, Janssen, Solvay, GlobalGiving and The Rockefeller Foundation.

Website: www.innocentive.com
Corporate blog: http://blog.innocentive.com
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/InnoCentive-Open-Innovation-Network/21552458050
Twitter: http://twitter.com/InnoCentive

Corporate Headquarters:

InnoCentive, Inc.
201 Jones Rd, 4^th Floor East
Waltham, MA 02451
Toll free: +1-866-812-7339

Key people:

• Dwayne Spradlin, President & CEO
• Robert Kinney, CFO & VP, Operations
• David Ritter, Chief Technology Officer
• Jon Fredrickson, VP of Sales
• Bonnie Becker, VP of Marketing
• Lisa Reinhold, VP of Client Services

Challenge Industry Types:

• Business and Entrepreneurship
• Chemistry
• Computer Science and IT
• Engineering and Design
• Food & Agriculture
• Life Sciences
• Mathematics and Statistics
• Physical Sciences
• Requests for Partners/Suppliers

Stage of Funding: Series B: To date InnoCentive has received over $16 million in investment through Spencer Trask Ventures.

Solvers:

• The InnoCentive Solver community is one of the worlds most diverse, socially committed and financially rewarded network of creative minds.
• InnoCentive offers the world’s most intellectually stimulating and personally rewarding Challenges.
• InnoCentive gives Solvers the opportunity to apply passion, creativity and knowledge necessary to Challenges that change the world one innovation at a time.

Seekers:

• Seekers are corporations large and small, non-profit organizations and government entities.
• InnoCentive seekers are visionaries who understand that R&D must evolve to meet the challenge of the 21st century in order to properly accelerate product creativity, ingenuity and time to market.
• Open access to one of the world’s most diverse and socially committed network of creative minds.
• InnoCentive manages the lifecycle of innovation, providing a systematic, confidential and pay-for-performance approach for any organization to find, review and purchase innovation.

Awards: Range from $5,000 to $1 million based on the complexity of the problem. To date over $4 million in award money has been awarded to Solvers. To date 472 Submissions have been awarded, for prizes typically in the $10,000 to $25,000 range.

Interesting Facts and Statistics (updated 6/02/09)

Total Solvers: 175,000+
Total Challenges Posted: 876
Project Rooms Opened to Date: 236,386
Total Solution Submissions: 13,900
Total Awards Given: 472
Total Award Dollars Posted: $21.79 million
Total Dollars Awarded: $4.31 million
Average Success Rate:  45%
Total employees: 32

Solutions of Note

InnoCentive has worked with several non-profit organizations to aid in finding solutions to some of the world’s most pressing Challenges. Below is an overview of some of the Challenges that have recently been solved through InnoCentive.

Oil Industry Outsider Solves Oil Spill Recovery Challenge

In the summer of 2007, the Oil Spill Recovery Institute (OSRI) posted 3 Challenges on the InnoCentive website, all dealing with oil spill recovery issues. The first of these Challenges was solved in November 2007 by an oil industry outsider who used his expertise in the concrete industry to come up with the winning solution. John Davis, an InnoCentive Solver from the Central United States, was awarded $20,000 for his creative solution. Find out more about this Challenge.

Solver brings Light to African Villages

In late 2007, SunNight Solar, an organization that is dedicated to shining a light on problems plaguing the developing world including poverty, women’s safety, health, and literacy, sought the help of InnoCentive’s Solver community to create a dual-purpose solar light to serve as both a lamp and a flashlight to be used in African villages and other areas of the world without electricity. This invention provides sufficient light for security at night, enabling children to study and allowing family members to safely walk to outhouses at night. An electrical engineer from New Zealand solved the Challenge and was awarded $20,000 in March 2008.  Find out more about this Challenge.

TB Alliance Works to Eradicate One of the World’s Deadliest Diseases

In late 2007, the TB Alliance, a not-for-profit, product development partnership (PDP) dedicated to accelerating the discovery and development of new and improved drugs to treat tuberculosis, posted a Challenge on the InnoCentive web site.  The Challenge was seeking a theoretical solution to simplify the manufacturing process of a current drug compound.  This new methodology would improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of producing the compound, making it more widely available and more effective against the spread of TB, which is responsible for one death every 20 seconds. The solution was provided by two Solvers, one of whom was a scientist with a very personal stake in finding a cure for TB.  As a child, his mother was a victim of the disease, and at the age of 14 he was forced to become the breadwinner for his family.  His contribution to developing a cost effective process will benefit millions suffering from TB especially from developing and underdeveloped countries.   Find out more about this Challenge.

For More Information contact:

Connie French - 978-482-3389
press@innocentive.com

InnoCentive Seeks Sales/Account Manager - U.S.

Founded in 2001, InnoCentive (www.InnoCentive.com) built the first global web community for open innovation, enabling scientists, engineers, professionals and entrepreneurs to collaborate to deliver breakthrough solutions for R&D-driven organizations. InnoCentive Seekers, who collectively spend billions of dollars on R&D, submit complex problems to the InnoCentive Marketplace where more than 165,000 engineers, scientists, inventors, business people, and research organizations in more than 175 countries are invited to solve them. Solvers who deliver the most innovative solutions receive financial awards ranging up to US$1,000,000. InnoCentive’s Seekers include commercial, government and non-profit organizations such as Avery Dennison, SAP, Procter & Gamble, Pendulum, Eli Lilly and Company, Janssen, Solvay and The Rockefeller Foundation.

Reporting to the Vice President of Sales and based on the East Coast, this individual will be responsible for growing established relationships with InnoCentive’s Global 1,000 Clients. This includes expanding existing relationships, seeking out and extracting ideas for InnoCentive Challenges, and driving sales to achieve targeted financial goals. The selected candidate must be comfortable interacting with senior management and their respective scientific and technical staff across different functions.   The ideal candidate will need to work closely with Client Services to ensure overall client satisfaction and account growth.   An entrepreneurial nature, as well as experience in needs-based consultative selling are requirements.

Specific responsibilities will include:

• Contacting targeted companies, introducing the InnoCentive business model giving presentations to large senior level groups and establishing sales process through successful close
• Providing input on overall sales strategy to include presentations, sales materials, value proposition, key messages, etc.
• Developing a contact list, within targeted segments and maintaining a pipeline of potential client opportunities
• Developing an account strategy for each key account with focus on building relationships with key users of the InnoCentive model to ensure maximum utilization and continued subscription renewal
• Being accountable for revenue and performance consistent with the Sales Forecast and InnoCentive Company Objectives
• Working closely with other functions in the Company (Scientific Operations, Marketing) to achieve goals
• Minimum travel required is 50%.  East Coast based, preferably the northeast.

The successful candidate must possess:

• Proven experience in selling and closing new business opportunities, and maintaining accounts with large, multinational organizations
• Minimum 5 years’ experience selling information or consultative services into the pharmaceutical, biotech, chemicals, or consumer products industries
• Strong presentation skills at the C-level
• Excellent communications, relationship-building and organizational skills
• BA or BS degree in (advanced degree strongly preferred);

* We offer a comprehensive and competitive benefits package and encourage you to visit our website at: www.innocentive.com. To apply, please submit credentials to: careers@innocentive.com. EOE.

If you are recently unemployed or under-employed, InnoCentive can offer you a unique opportunity to use your mind and compete for cash prizes as high as $1 million.

By completing a free Solver registration, you can try your hand at solving Challenges from a variety of different industries. Minimum payments for successful solutions are $5,000 and average over $30,000.

Click here to complete your registration.

Once registered, you can view all available Challenges and begin receiving weekly emails with new Challenges as they are posted. Work from home, or wherever you can connect to the internet. Work full-time or as your schedule allows to vie for substantial cash awards.

InnoCentive is pleased to offer you access to a private group within CDD’s database, where you can archive, mine, and collaborate around pre-clinical chemical and biological drug discovery data. When you register you will be automatically added to the InnoCentive Open Access Group within CDD’s website.

Please Note: You are about to leave the InnoCentive website, however the confidentiality agreement you signed in order to access this project room remains in effect inside CDD’s InnoCentive Open Access Group. Although you will be able to collaborate with other InnoCentive Solvers on the CDD website, please do not share Challenge-specific data there. Note that InnoCentive does not monitor CDD’s InnoCentive Open Access Group, so Challenge-specific questions should be asked inside your InnoCentive Project Room.

If you have already signed up as a CDD member through InnoCentive click here to login.
If you are not yet a CDD member, please click here to register.

A Global Web Community of Open Innovation

Founded in 2001 by the venture capital arm of pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, InnoCentive is the world leader in prize-based open innovation. As a driving force in accelerated innovation, InnoCentive inspires and unites a web community of scientists, engineers, professionals and entrepreneurs worldwide who collaborate to deliver breakthrough solutions for some of the world’s most progressive organizations.

InnoCentive Corporate Seekers are among the world’s most innovative and creative
commercial enterprises, including Avery Dennison, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Procter & Gamble and Solvay.

In 2005, InnoCentive was spun off from Eli Lilly, enabling the company to expand its offerings and serve clients in a variety of other industries. The InnoCentive Marketplace now serves 60 disciplines and sub-disciplines, including:

• Business and Entrepreneurship
• Chemistry
• Computer Science and IT
• Engineering and Design
• Food Science
• Life Sciences
• Mathematics and Statistics
• Physical Sciences
• Requests for Partners/Suppliers

When trying to solve difficult R&D challenges, today’s solution seekers face a significant hurdle. R&D can be a fragmented process.  Talent and collaboration are limited to whichever team is assigned to a particular problem — potentially leaving outside the process those solvers with the best insights.

InnoCentive@Work is an internal web-based community, customized by InnoCentive for your organization. InnoCentive@Work  bridges the silos in disparate R&D organizations — something software models can’t do.  It applies your best internal resources to your organization’s hardest problems so they’re solved faster, better, and cheaper.  Cross-fertilization of ideas and solutions can accelerate R&D by only “inventing the wheel” once and by access­ing the currently untapped value of your institutional experience and knowledge.  Employees can see and collaborate on each other’s proposed solutions, so results occur faster and are more optimized — as measured by significant business impact, higher levels of solving activity, and freshness of thinking.

InnoCentive@Work isn’t just a tool.  It’s a transformation in how organizations practice R&D.  More than a web platform, it’s a comprehensive suite of offerings that help you create an internal web-based collaborative community for problem solvers.  The technology is easy to use.  And your proprietary informa­tion stays safe through a secure website.

InnoCentive is the open innovation leader with years of experience and proven successes.  As part of the implementation we help you:

* Develop Challenges
* Create a process for approving Challenges and reviewing submissions
* Utilize your internal reward currency
* Develop educational and communications materials
* Write policies for integrating open innovation into your existing processes

Later, as you gain experience with open innovation, we’ll also help you move problems from inside the organization to InnoCentive’s global scientific community of Solvers, further increasing the diversity of potential solutions.

For more information about InnoCentive@Work, contact us today at sales@innocentive.com

Depending on your organization’s level of experience with open innovation, you may require different approaches to implementing an open innovation strategy.  Is your organization already comfortable with open innovation and ready to start posting Challenges or do you need help?  Is your organization interested in trying open innovation first within your own pool of talent before reaching out to the broader marketplace?  To meet the full range of solution requirements, InnoCentive offers several product options.

InnoCentive Challenges - An InnoCentive Challenge is a unique problem posted by Seekers in the InnoCentive Open Innovation Marketplace. The goal of a Challenge is to solicit solutions from the Solver community, and ultimately choose the one that best fits the criteria set out by the Seeker. Challenges can be large or small, short-term or long-term. If a solution is selected as “best” by the Seeker, the Solver receives a financial award, which varies per Challenge.

InnoCentive ONRAMP – ONRAMP (Open iNnovation Rapid Adoption Methods and Practices) is a suite of professional services and technical resources from InnoCentive, developed and delivered by our team of scientists, PhDs and consultants to help Seeker companies adopt open innovation rapidly and successfully within their organizations.

InnoCentive@Work – For companies with a vast wealth of untapped research talent, InnoCentive@Work is a logical first step toward true open innovation.  InnoCentive@Work is a comprehensive suite of offerings that help clients create an internal web-based collaborative community for problem solvers.  Later, as companies gain experience with open innovation, we’ll also help move problems from inside the organization to InnoCentive’s global scientific community of Solvers, further increasing the diversity of potential solutions.

Contact us today at 978-482-3329 for more information on which offering is right for your company.

Accelerate Your Success
Your passion for innovation is what sets you apart as an industry leader. ONRAMP (Open iNnovation Rapid Adoption Methods and Practices) helps to ensure your vision — from the “big idea” to the final product — is embraced throughout your organization. ONRAMP gives you the tools you need for rapid adoption of an open innovation culture. You’ll inspire open innovation to accelerate R&D, produce breakthrough products, gain competitive advantage and speed time to market.

Our professional services and resources —with unmatched open innovation expertise, proven and repeatable “best practices” methodologies, and world-class practitioners — will help you transform the culture and processes of your organization. Not only will you see improved dividends, you’ll achieve higher ROI on your innovation investments across the board.

ONRAMP provides planning, education, communication and reporting services to help you manage the process, fine-tune your open innovation plan and measure the returns of your new innovation strategy. Realize the promise of open innovation and accelerate success with ONRAMP.

Find out more about InnoCentive’s ONRAMP suite of professional services and technical resources.
Click here to download the pdf.

Plan for Success
Develop a detailed plan for success with ONRAMP’s Planning and Roll-out services. The ONRAMP Best Practices Workshop helps your team understand the powerful benefits of open innovation and why organizational change is needed — and gives them the tools to accomplish it. The workshops culminate in an Account Plan, outlining first-year goals, the business plan and roll-out strategy.

Educate to Drive Transformation
Accelerate open innovation success with ONRAMP’s Training and Education services.
The Product and Process Training Session prepares you to successfully submit Challenge ideas and define milestones so you can harness the full power of InnoCentive. The Challenge Formulation workshop helps your team define their challenges using established best practices and develop a framework for one-to-one development of future Challenges.

Communicate Vision and Leadership
Share your innovation successes and promote organization-wide buy-in using ONRAMP’s internal communication tools. These tools help leaders and managers share their vision, build support for the new innovation approach and encourage adoption. Our innovative Seeker Portal allows you to view and securely transfer Challenges, Solver submissions and evaluations— and communicate with InnoCentive.

Stay in Touch, Maintain Control
Keep your finger on the pulse with ONRAMP’s reporting features. Our monthly electronic Scorecard details all of your organization’s Challenge and Solver activity, and provides statistics to monitor the process and measure effectiveness. ONRAMP’s Quarterly Business Review (QBR) provides the opportunity for dialog with other executives, focused on examining ROI, assessing lessons learned and offering recommendations for further action.

Please Note:
You are now leaving the InnoCentive website. When you click on the link below you will be directed to a Google Groups forum where you can further discuss this Challenge. This forum is open to the public. You may have to set up a free Google account to participate.

Please note that you are still bound by the Solver agreement, and may not discuss details of any other Challenges in this public forum.

Click here to discuss Challenge 6409250 – Is Open-Ended Evolutionary Innovation in a Quarantined System Possible?

1. We will email you a unique referral URL that identifies you as a referring Solver. This URL is associated with your Solver profile, so you may not give the URL to others to forward on your behalf.
2. Please forward your referral URL to individuals who you believe would be interested in becoming Solvers, and who are not currently enrolled as a Solver.
3. We will evaluate whether a referral is a Qualified Solver based on the InnoCentive Site terms.We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to determine whether a referred Solver is qualified as a referral.
4. We reserve the right to terminate or change the Refer-a-Friend program at any time, without notification.
5. If a referred Solver already has a Solver account, and registers again using your referral URL, you will not be eligible for a referral bonus if that Solver submits a qualified winning solution.
6. Do not spam
7. We must obtain tax information from Referrers who are US citizens or residents, and from Referrers who are not US citizens or residents, but whose businesses are taxable in the US. If you believe you are not required to pay taxes, you must provide satisfactory proof to us that we do not need to collect tax information. In order to be able to process a referral bonus, you will need to provide tax status information to us.
8. Be sure that you have completed all of your Solver profile contact form, and keep it up-to-date to ensure that we have current information. Without accurate contact information we will not be able to deliver referral payments. To update your Solver profile, login to the InnoCentive site and in “My Account” choose the “My Account Information” tab.
9. You will earn a referral bonus for any referred Solver who submits a winning solution, if that Solver and the award amount meet the following criteria:
   • The Challenge award amount received by the referred Solver is more than $2500.
   • Challenge award amounts from $2501 - 14,999 receive a bonus of $500.
   • Challenge award amounts of $15,000 or higher receive a bonus of $1500
   • Only the first awarded Challenge over $2501 per referred Solver results in a referral bonus.
   • The referred Solver’s winning solution must be submitted within two years of registering as an InnoCentive Solver.

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2008 InnoCentive Video Challenge Competition!

The first annual InnoCentive Video Challenge Competition was launched on November 29, 2007. For the Challenge, we asked Solvers to develop 30-90 second video commercials to promote InnoCentive and the benefits of joining the InnoCentive Solver community. The response was tremendous. Over 450 Solvers worked on this Challenge!

Watch the winning videos on our YouTube Playlist.

Details of the Video Challenge

Solvers were asked to communicate, in a persuasive and fun way, the benefits of being an active InnoCentive Solver. The list of recommended themes included, but was not limited to, the following:

• The intellectual thrill of solving tough InnoCentive Challenges
• The intellectual pleasure of working on important problems
• The pride of being part of a global community
• The opportunity to help solve some of the most pressing of the world’s problems
• The satisfaction of reaping significant financial rewards
• The convenience of working your craft on your own terms.

At the end of the submission period, 7 finalists were selected. Among the finalists, we awarded $5,000 prizes to two Solvers:

• Video #4: The Solver video selected by InnoCentive.
• Video #7: The Solver video that received the most votes by the Solver community.

We would like to thank all the Solvers who submitted videos in this competition. The originality, creativity, and diversity of the submissions demonstrated the wide range of talent present in our Solver community.

Press Department
978.482.3300
press@innocentive.com

InnoCentive Seeks Sales/Account Manager - U.S.

Founded in 2001, InnoCentive (www.InnoCentive.com) built the first global web community for open innovation, enabling scientists, engineers, professionals and entrepreneurs to collaborate to deliver breakthrough solutions for R&D-driven organizations. InnoCentive Seekers, who collectively spend billions of dollars on R&D, submit complex problems to the InnoCentive Marketplace where more than 165,000 engineers, scientists, inventors, business people, and research organizations in more than 175 countries are invited to solve them. Solvers who deliver the most innovative solutions receive financial awards ranging up to US$1,000,000. InnoCentive’s Seekers include commercial, government and non-profit organizations such as Avery Dennison, SAP, Procter & Gamble, Pendulum, Eli Lilly and Company, Janssen, Solvay and The Rockefeller Foundation.

Reporting to the Vice President of Sales and based on the East Coast, this individual will be responsible for growing established relationships with InnoCentive’s Global 1,000 Clients. This includes expanding existing relationships, seeking out and extracting ideas for InnoCentive Challenges, and driving sales to achieve targeted financial goals. The selected candidate must be comfortable interacting with senior management and their respective scientific and technical staff across different functions.   The ideal candidate will need to work closely with Client Services to ensure overall client satisfaction and account growth.   An entrepreneurial nature, as well as experience in needs-based consultative selling are requirements.

Specific responsibilities will include:

• Contacting targeted companies, introducing the InnoCentive business model giving presentations to large senior level groups and establishing sales process through successful close
• Providing input on overall sales strategy to include presentations, sales materials, value proposition, key messages, etc.
• Developing a contact list, within targeted segments and maintaining a pipeline of potential client opportunities
• Developing an account strategy for each key account with focus on building relationships with key users of the InnoCentive model to ensure maximum utilization and continued subscription renewal
• Being accountable for revenue and performance consistent with the Sales Forecast and InnoCentive Company Objectives
• Working closely with other functions in the Company (Scientific Operations, Marketing) to achieve goals
• Minimum travel required is 50%.  East Coast based, preferably the northeast.

The successful candidate must possess:

• Proven experience in selling and closing new business opportunities, and maintaining accounts with large, multinational organizations
• Minimum 5 years’ experience selling information or consultative services into the pharmaceutical, biotech, chemicals, or consumer products industries
• Strong presentation skills at the C-level
• Excellent communications, relationship-building and organizational skills
• BA or BS degree in (advanced degree strongly preferred);

* We offer a comprehensive and competitive benefits package and encourage you to visit our website at: www.innocentive.com. To apply, please submit credentials to: careers@innocentive.com. EOE.

What is InnoCentive?
How did InnoCentive begin?
How does InnoCentive work?
What is the Open Innovation Marketplace?
What is an InnoCentive Seeker?
I am a potential Seeker. How do I learn more about InnoCentive and post our problems on the website?
What is an InnoCentive Solver?
How do I register and what information is required?
What do I do if I forget my username?
What do I do if I forget my password?
What is an InnoCentive Ideation Challenge?
What is an InnoCentive Theoretical Challenge?
What is an InnoCentive RTP Challenge?
What is an InnoCentive eRFP Challenge?
What is My InnoCentive?
What is a project room?
Why do I need to provide my full name and contact information before I can View Challenge Details?
How can I ask questions about a particular Challenge?
How do I submit a solution?
What is the deadline for submitting Challenges?
How is my intellectual property protected?
How do I transfer my intellectual property rights to the solution?
After I submit a solution, how much time does it take to be notified of the results?
How do I know these problems and awards are legitimate?
What type of verification does InnoCentive do on the winning Solver?
What’s in it for InnoCentive?

______________________________________

What is InnoCentive?

InnoCentive is a global, online marketplace where organizations in need of innovation–companies, academic institutions, public sector, and non-profit organizations–can utilize a global network of over 160,000 of the world’s brightest problem solvers.

How did InnoCentive begin?

InnoCentive began as a start-up incubated through the e.Lilly division of Eli Lilly and Company-a leading, innovation-driven pharmaceutical corporation. Eli Lilly was the first InnoCentive Seeker and helped formulate the initial InnoCentive Challenges and awards. InnoCentive is now incorporated as an independent company, partnering with many different Seekers in a variety of industries to revolutionize R&D practices.

How does InnoCentive work?

Seeker organizations post Challenges on the InnoCentive website in the Open Innovation Marketplace along with an appropriate award. Solvers submit solutions to the Challenge. The Seeker pays an award to the Solver who best meets the solution requirements as outlined in the Challenge.

What is the Open Innovation Marketplace?

The Open Innovation Marketplace is where InnoCentive connects Seekers and Solvers with a myriad of the world’s toughest Challenges. Seeker organizations post their Challenges in the Open Innovation Marketplace and offer registered Solvers significant financial awards for the best solutions. Solvers can search for Challenges based on their interests and expertise.

What is an InnoCentive Seeker?

InnoCentive Seekers are progressive, innovation-driven companies and non-profit organizations with tough business and R&D problems that need solutions. Seekers post these problems to the InnoCentive Open Innovation Marketplace.

I am a potential Seeker. How do I learn more about InnoCentive and post our problems on the website?

For general information on how InnoCentive works with Seekers, please visit our Seeker page. If you’d like to work with InnoCentive or need more detailed information, please call us at 978-482-3300 or 1-866-812-7339 and speak to one of our representatives who will discuss your specific needs and how InnoCentive’s model might work for you.

What is an InnoCentive Solver?

InnoCentive Solvers are the people or organizations who register with us to solve InnoCentive Challenges. To review Challenges and submit solutions, Solvers must be registered with InnoCentive. Registration is easy and free, and includes an online Solver terms of use Agreement.

How do I register and what information is required?

To register to be an InnoCentive Solver:

1. Go to https://www.InnoCentive.com/servlets/account/Register.po.
2. Create a username and password.
3. Provide an e-mail address and select your country location.
4. Tell us how you learned about InnoCentive.
5. Type the characters you see into the text box on the registration page.
6. After you complete the registration form, you will receive an e-mail confirming your registration.

Follow the instructions in the e-mail to verify and complete your registration.

What do I do if I forget my username?

If you forget your username, you can log into My InnoCentive using your e-mail address and password. Once you log in you will be able to see your username on the top of the web page.

What do I do if I forget my password?

If you forget your password:

1. Go to: http://www.InnoCentive.com/forgotpassword.
2. Enter your username or e-mail address.
3. Press the Submit button. You will receive an e-mail with a temporary password.
4. Log in at http://www.innocentive.com/servlets/account/Login.po with your temporary password.
5. Click the MY ACCOUNT tab and reset your password to something that is easy for you to remember. Be sure to press the Save Changes button.

If you do not receive the e-mail with your temporary password, please contact Support.

What is an InnoCentive Ideation Challenge?

An InnoCentive Ideation Challenge is a broad question formulated to obtain access to new ideas. Think of an Ideation Challenge as a brainstorming session or market survey.

In an Ideation Challenge, Solvers may:
• Submit ideas of their own
• Submit third party information that they have the right to use and further the authority to convey that right and the right to use and develop derivative works to Seekers
• Submit information considered in the public domain without any limitations on use
Solvers should not reveal any confidential information in their submissions. Often the Ideation Challenge will be followed by one or more of the other three challenge types to further develop the ideas and gain Intellectual Property protection when the concept has been well-defined.

Ideation Challenge submissions are typically about two written pages.

Note: Seekers receive a non-exclusive, perpetual license to use all submissions.

What is an InnoCentive Theoretical Challenge?

An InnoCentive Theoretical Challenge contains detailed solution requirements that Solvers must fulfill in their responses. In most cases, when a solution is chosen and an award is given, the intellectual property (IP) rights transfer from the Solver to the Seeker. However, some Seekers prefer to obtain a non-exclusive perpetual license when providing awards. Each Challenge statement spells out the IP requirements for that particular Challenge. A Seeker that requires specific IP rights or licensing, and also needs detailed solution submissions, should choose a Theoretical over an Ideation Challenge.

What is an InnoCentive RTP Challenge?

An InnoCentive RTP (Reduction to Practice) Challenge is similar to an InnoCentive Theoretical Challenge in its high level of detail. However, an RTP requires that the Solver submit a validated solution, either in the form of original data or a physical sample. Also the Seeker is allowed to test the proposed solution. Your IP is always transferred in an RTP Challenge.

What is an InnoCentive eRFP Challenge?

eRFPs allow Seekers to submit Requests for Proposals to the InnoCentive Solver community. This global community includes organizations and individuals, such as contract research organizations, scientists, university researchers, and technology companies. After a Solver submits an eRFP response, the Seeker evaluates the responses and determines which Solver(s) to contact for further business discussions. With eRFPs, the Solver must not provide any confidential information in the eRFP response. If your eRFP response is selected, you will negotiate the terms of the contract (including scope of work, tasks and duration) directly with the Seeker.

What is My InnoCentive?

My InnoCentive is the secure area of our web site for Solver interactions with InnoCentive. My InnoCentive is created when a Solver registers with InnoCentive. My InnoCentive provides links to Solver’s open (in progress) and closed Challenges. The Solver can edit his interests, public profile, and account details at My InnoCentive.

What is a project room?

InnoCentive created a secure space online called a “project room”; where Solvers can access the secure and confidential communication forum pertaining to a particular Challenge. In the project room, you can review the Challenge details, submit your solution proposal, ask questions, and receive answers confidentially from the InnoCentive team.To open a project room, you must be a registered Solver and accept the Solver Agreement.

Why do I need to provide my full name and contact information before I can view Challenge Details?

When you view Challenge Details, you will be viewing confidential information posted by InnoCentive Seekers. In order to ensure security for both the Solver and Seeker, we need your legal name and contact information.

How can I ask questions about a particular Challenge?

To ask questions, you must open a project room for the Challenge:

1. Click the ‘Messages’ link at the top of your project room for the Challenge. After you click the link, the Compose New Message button appears.
2. Click the button to enter your question for the InnoCentive Challenge.

You can review the Challenge details, submit your solution proposal, ask questions, and receive answers confidentially from the InnoCentive team. You can also click the Messages button on the right side of the screen in your project room.

How do I submit a solution?

1. Go to http://www.InnoCentive.com
2. From the menu, choose My InnoCentive.
3. Log in using your username and password.
4. Select the Challenge from your list of Open Challenges.*
5. Click the Submit a Solution button on the right side of the screen of your project room.
6. Download and complete the Solution Submission Form for the Challenge. Save this document on your computer. It gives a few pointers for what a submission should contain.
7. Select Browse to access each file on your computer that you plan to submit. There is an option to send up to 3 files.
8. Press the Send to InnoCentive button.
9. You will be asked to confirm your email address and enter your phone number so we may contact you if needed.
10. Press the Submit button and a confirmation of the receipt of your submission will display.

*Note: To submit a solution proposal, you must be a registered Solver and have signed the Solver Agreement when you opened the project room. If you have questions regarding the challenge or your submission use the Messages button located in your project room for the Challenge

What is the deadline for submitting Challenges?

Seekers can establish a deadline for receiving proposed solutions. Be sure you submit your solution proposal as soon a possible, even if it is before the deadline. When choosing between solutions of similar quality, the earlier submission is likely to be preferred. If Seekers receive a solution proposal they want to accept, they reserve the right to award a Challenge before the deadline. InnoCentive recommends that you submit your solution proposals upon completion without waiting until the deadline date.

How is my intellectual property protected?

We know how important your work is, and InnoCentive takes precautions to help protect both Seekers and Solvers. First, only InnoCentive and the Seeker that posted the problem can see any proposed solutions. Second, we require both the Seeker and the Solver to sign an agreement protecting confidential information.

How do I transfer my intellectual property rights to the solution?

If the Seeker selects your solution and the transfer of IP rights is a requirement of the Challenge, you must transfer your IP rights to the solution before receiving a financial award. To transfer your IP rights, you must sign a document stating that you own the intellectual property and have the ability to transfer these rights. If you are employed, your employer must sign an agreement to transfer ownership of the intellectual property. In our experience, transfers are consistently resolved to everyone’s benefit.

After I submit a solution, how much time does it take to be notified of the results?

It depends. Seekers typically complete their evaluations within 2 to 6 months after the Challenge deadline. You will be notified if your submission is accepted or rejected. Where available, we also include detailed feedback from the Seeker about your submission.

How do I know these problems and awards are legitimate?

InnoCentive only posts problems and awards from highly reputable Seeker companies and not-for-profit organizations, such as Proctor & Gamble, Eli Lilly, and the Rockefeller Foundation. We have gone to great length to make sure that our Solvers are treated fairly by our Seeker clients.  In the InnoCentive Seeker agreement, we have provisions to ensure and obligate Seekers to pay awards to the best solution that meets the stated criteria of a particular Challenge. In addition, InnoCentive has the right to audit the decision making process of the Seeker on any specific awards where there might be an issue or question around payment. To date, we have had no need to exercise that audit right. Most importantly, we have over a seven year track record, paying out more than $3.5 million in awards to over 300 winning Solvers without ever having an issue around payment. We pride ourselves on the trust we have built up with both our loyal Solvers and our satisfied Seeker clients. To see previously awarded InnoCentive Challenges, please visit our Awarded Challenges web page.

What type of verification does InnoCentive do on the winning Solver?

Once a Solver submission has been chosen as the winning solution, InnoCentive will conduct a Solver verification process where the Solver’s identity will be confirmed by receiving a photo ID, such as a passport, the Solver will be required to sign, have notarized, and return an Affidavit re-affirming the Solver agreement they have signed, and InnoCentive requires that the Solver’s employer or academic institution sign an Employer Waiver document waiving any and all IP rights that they might have to the Solver’s submission as a result of an employment agreement.

What’s in it for InnoCentive?

InnoCentive provides an open innovation resource for progressive companies, empowers people everywhere to unleash their creativity, and helps non-profit organizations bring innovation to communities around the world. InnoCentive works with Seeker organizations to define and post their problems on a global community website. Seeker organizations pay Solvers for the winning solutions. In addition, Seekers pay InnoCentive a fee to post Challenges and, in some cases, they also pay InnoCentive a commission on the amount awarded. InnoCentive does not charge Solvers to view Challenges and submit solutions.

Are you attending any of these events? Want to see InnoCentive in person? Come to our booth or presentation at any of these events to see us in action.

	Sumantra Ghoshal Conference on Managerially Relevant Research May 17-18 | London London Business School Speaker: Alph Bingham, Founder, InnoCentive
	Front End of Innovation May 18-20 | Boston, MA
	i2i - incentive2innovate June 8-9 | New York, NY United Nations Keynote Session:  Open Innovation Culture Speaker: Dwayne Spradlin, President and CEO, InnoCentive Panel Session: Incentivized Competition Panelist: Alpheus Bingham, Founder, InnoCentive
	2009 Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management August 7-11,2009 | Chicago, IL Session: Strategic crowdsourcing: Orchestrating innovation through the cream of the crowd Speaker: Dwayne Spradlin, President and CEO, InnoCentive
Previous Events
	3rd Annual Open Innovation Conference April 6-8, 2009 | Las Vegas, NV Speaker: Jon Fredrickson, VP of Sales, InnoCentive
	Research Capacity Building, Knowledge Sharing, and Innovation in Global Health April 3 | Washington, DC Panel Session: Exploring Novel Collaborative Research Models and Partnerships Panelist: Alph Bingham, Founder, InnoCentive
	ILO Institute March 23 | Chicago, IL Panel Session:  Exploring Novel Collaborative Research Models Speaker: Alph Bingham, Founder, InnoCentive
	Design Indaba Conference February 25-27 | Cape Town, South Africa Cape Town International Convention Centre Speaker: Dwayne Spradlin, President and CEO, InnoCentive
	OMPlanet 2009 January 26-28, 2009 | Orlando FL Session: Competing in a World of Networked Organizations: Implications for Marketing Tuesday, January 27 | 2:00pm-3:30pm Speaker: Dwayne Spradlin, President and CEO, InnoCentive
	CoDev 2009 January 26-29, 2009 | Scottsdale, AZ Speaker: Jon Fredrickson, VP of Sales, InnoCentive
	Ocean Tomo - Fall 2008 Live IP Auction and Conference October 29-30 | Chicago, IL Session: Achieving Success Through Open Innovation - The New Paradigm Speaker: Alph Bingham, Founder and Member, InnoCentive Board of Directors
	Highlands Forum - Competitive Intelligence Forum II October 26-28 Session: InnoCentive, a Marvel of Crowdsourcing Speaker: Alph Bingham, Founder and Member, InnoCentive Board of Directors
	IIR 14th Annual Innovation Immersion Conference October 20-22 | Phoenix, AZ Wigwam Resort & Spa Speaker: Tom Venable, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, InnoCentive
	OECD Expert Workshop on Knowledge Markets in Life Sciences October 16-17 | Washington DC Session: Tapping a Network:  Approaches and Applications Speaker: Alph Bingham, Founder and Member, InnoCentive Board of Directors
	SAP TechEd October 14-16 | Berlin, Germany ICC Berlin, Neue Kantstraße / Ecke Messedamm
	IIR Technology Web 2.0 Kongress October 13-14, 2008 | Hamburg, Germany Session: Why Open Innovation Companies will Prosper in the 21st Century Monday, October 13 | 10:45 am Speaker: Dwayne Spradlin, President and CEO, InnoCentive
	Innovation Seminar Series - Haas Business School, UC Berkeley October 8 | Berkeley CA Session: Open Innovation and Crowd-Searching Solution Space:  Spot Capacity, Risk Distribution and Diversity Keynote Speaker: Alph Bingham, Founder and Member, InnoCentive Board of Directors
	Gartner Portals, Content and Collaboration Summit September 17–19, 2008 | Los Angeles, CA Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Panel Session: Open Innovation Networks Panel: Harnessing the Power of Idea Marketplaces Thursday, September 18 | 2:00-3:15 PM Panelist: Dwayne Spradlin, President and CEO, InnoCentive
	PDMA 2008 Annual International Conference September 15-17, 2008 | Orlando, FL Disney’s Contemporary Resort Session: Guru Roundtable 1: Open Innovation:  Your OnRamp to Creating a Better Product | Monday, September 15th, 1:15 PM Speaker: Dwayne Spradlin - President and CEO, InnoCentive
	World Economic Forum Innovation Summit September 3-4, 2008 | Stanford University Session: Wednesday, September 4 | 10:00 AM Speaker: Dwayne Spradlin - President and CEO, InnoCentive
	Innovation Brokering in Federal Government Markets Research & Acquisition Conference August 20, 2008 | Bedford, MA Session: InnoCentive - Example Innovation Brokering Threads Speaker: Alexander Orlando, Director Innovation Public Sectors, InnoCentive
	AIB 2008 Annual Meeting June 30- July 3, 2008 | Milan, Italy Panel Session: Innovation and Globalization: Looking Outward and Looking Inward Panelists: Tom Venable, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, InnoCentive Alexander Orlando, Director of Sales, InnoCentive Inc.
	IFT Annual Meeting and Food Expo June 28-July 1, 2008 | New Orleans, LA Ernest N. Morial Convention Center Panel Session:Open innovation: The InnoCentive Model Panelist: Jon Fredrickson, Director, Innovation Expansion, InnoCentive, Inc
	Sensors Expo and Conference June 9-11, 2008 | Rosemont, IL Donald E. Stephens Convention Center Keynote Panel: Innovation at a Crossroads Panelist: Jon Fredrickson, Director, Innovation Expansion, InnoCentive, Inc
	Frost & Sullivan - Innovations in New Product Development and Marketing June 8-11, 2008 | San Diego, CA Loews Coronado Bay Resort Session: Changing the Innovation Model, Changing the Innovation Culture Speaker: Tom Venable, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, InnoCentive
	IT Midia Brazil June 5-6, 2008 | Sao Paulo, Brazil Keynote Session: The Collaborative Economy Keynote Speaker: Dwayne Spradlin, President and CEO, InnoCentive
	CIMIT Forum June 3, 2008 | Boston, MA MGH Simches Research Center Panel Discussion: Information Arbitrage in Medicine Panelist: Bruce Ackman, Director of Business Development, InnoCentive
	Front End of Innovation May 19-21, 2008 | Boston, MA Boston World Trade Center and Seaport Hotel, Booth #28 Session: The Answer IS in Left Field Speaker: Tom Venable, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, InnoCentive
	iCitizen Interactive Resource Client Symposium May 20-21, 2008 | Columbus, Ohio Session: The Allure of Open Innovation Speaker: Tom Venable, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, InnoCentive
	San Diego Software Industry Council May 17, 2008 | San Diego, CA Panel Discussion: Innovation Strategies: Relationships, Monetization, and Distribution Panelist: Chuck Davis, Regional Director, Open Innovation Solutions, InnoCentive
	European Patent Forum May 5-6, 2008 | Ljubljana, Slovenia Session: Open innovation Speaker: Alpheus Bingham, President and Chief Executive Officer, InnoCentive
	Product Development Impact April 7-9, 2008 | Scottsdale, AZ Session: Co-Development/Open Innovation Clinic—Getting Started, Getting Results Speaker: Tom Venable, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, InnoCentive
	CoDev 2008 January 21-23, 2008 | Scottsdale, AZ

		Business Week Building an Innovation Culture - Podcast 6/10/09
		Discovery Channel The Daily Planet 5/27/09
		Business Week The Next Wave of Open Innovation 4/08/09
		Discovery News Sustainable Energy Blog The Bright Side of Green Energy 3/12/09
		U.S. News and World Report Using Social Media and Crowd-Sourcing for Quick and Simple Market Research 1/27/09
		Fast Company Crowdsourcing Innovation:  Q&A with Dwayne Spradlin of InnoCentive 12/15/08
		NBC Chicago Thinkers Putting Creative Caps on for Cash 11/06/08
		Newsweek It’s Getting Crowded in Here 09/13/08
		Business Week Can America Invent it’s Way Back? 09/11/08
		Forbes Hot Technology That Could Change Health Care 08/27/08
		WNPR: Where We Live Crowdsourcing with Jeff Howe 08/26/08
		ABC News Now Get Paid to Solve Company’s Problems 08/11/08
		New York Times If You Have a Problem, Ask Everyone 07/22/08
		Business Week Podcast: How InnoCentive is still Innovative 07/02/08
		Forrester The Real Business Model for Web 2.0: Corporate Clients 06/09/08
		The Boston Globe InnoCentive is putting out the call on the Net for eco-friendly answers 05/27/08
		InformationWeek Innovation Marketplace Helps People With Good Ideas Find Problems 04/26/2008
		Science Magazine Science by the Masses 03/31/08
		Time Magazine How Many People Does It Take To Make a New Lightbulb? 03/10/08
		Freakonomics Solve a Company’s Problems, Win Cash 02/29/08

————————————————————————————————————

Online Journalism Blog
How news organisations can use ‘open innovation’ - interview with InnoCentive CEO Dwayne Spradlin 4/09/09

Healthcare Finance News
InnoCentive Raises the Bar on R&D 4/3/09

UK Times Online
New Ways to Get Rich From Your Inventions 2/15/09

Oil and Gas Investor
Oil Field Innovation 2/12/09

Mechanical Engineering Magazine
Outside Help 2/11/09

ECT News Network
E-Commerce News: Collaboration: Crowdsourcing - the More, the Monier? 12/17/08

Mass High Tech
InnoCentive Awards $40k for TB Drug Method Solution 12/04/08

WebWorkerDaily
InnoCentive:  The Answer is in the Crowd 12/03/08

Emirates Business 24/7
Crisis May Provide Platform for Innovation 12/02/08

Business Week
Innovation for Hard Times 11/21/08

International Business Times
InnoCentive and EnterpriseWorks/VITA Collaborate to Develop an Affordable Rain Water Storage System for Developing Nations 11/18/08

Knowledge@Wharton
Why an Economic Crisis Could be the Right Time for Companies to Engage in “Disruptive Innovation” 11/12/08

Change This
Open Innovation: Your On-Ramp to Creating a Better Product 11/5/08

We Media
InnoCentive nominated for a We Media Game Changers Award 11/4/08

Finance and Commerce
InnoCentive Project Leads to a Better Flashlight 10/27/08

Finance and Commerce
InnoCentive, an ‘eBay for ideas’, Uses the Web to Solve Tech Problems 10/27/08

Mass High Tech
SAP Incents InnoCentive with $950k 10/24/08

Público.es
Mercenarios de la Innovación 10/13/08

Daily Mail Online
New Breed of Workers Enjoy a Fraction of the Nine-to-Five 10/11/08

SAP Network Blogs - Podcast
Craig Cmehil - Video Interview with CTO David Ritter 09/22/08

Search SAP
How SAP is making friends, and Web 2.0 09/18/08

Search SAP - Podcast
SAP and open innovation (Podcast interview with David Ritter and Mark Yolton) 09/17/08

Green Biz
Collaboration is the Key to Green Success 09/14/08

Ovum
SAP and InnoCentive team up in innovation marketplace 09/13/08

Philadelphia Inquirer
Crowdsourcing: Idea power from the people 09/13/08

Consumer Passion
The Changing Face of Open Innovation 09/11/08

Search SAP
Connect, collaborate and co-innovate 09/11/08

Business Week Blog
SAP invests in InnoCentive 09/09/08

ZDNet
SAP teams up with InnoCentive; Software IP questions abound 09/09/08

SAP Network Blogs
SAP Teams with InnoCentive to Foster Community Collaboration with Benefit$ for All 09/08/08

Kansas City Star
Even the Pentagon shares ‘open-source’ approach 09/01/08

O Globo
Um mundo de soluções 08/31/08

Philanthro Media
The Rise of PhilanthroSourcing 08/28/08

Veja
O mercado virtual de boas idéias 08/20/08

Linux Insider
Prize Power: How Competition Inspires Tech Innovation 08/06/08

Il Sole 24 Ore
Si chiama Spradlin e risolve problemi 07/31/08

Oren Harari
What Do Amazon and Zipcar Have in Common? 06/27/08

News Digital Media (Australia)
Customers as business innovators 06/16/08

Condé Nast
Charity Prize Fight 06/12/08

Raman Coke
iCitizen Recap 05/21/08

Advergirl
iCitizen: Call to Open Your Brand 05/20/08

CleanTechGreenTech
Foundation Issues Challenge on InnoCentive for Radically Improved and Energy-Efficient Air Conditioning 05/20/08

Philanthropy 2173
More improvements for social idea markets 05/16/08

ClickAdvisor
InnoCentive $6.5m more funding/Cambrian to the deadpool 05/13/08

Philanthropy 2173
Improving Marketplaces for Social Ideas 05/12/08

EE Times
Engineering creativity ’swarms’ the heart of sensors confab 05/12/08

Mass High Tech
InnoCentive intakes $6.5 M in second round of funding 05/07/08

VentureBeat
Dean’s audio post: interview with InnoCentive’s Dwayne Spradlin 05/07/08

Xconomy
InnoCentive Raises $6.5 Million for Innovation Network: “Ready for Prime Time,” says CEO in Our Q&A 05/07/08

CondeNast Tech Observer
X-Prize, Meat Edition 04/25/08

01Net
Avec le « crowdsourcing », vous êtes tous des innovateurs 04/18/08

Venture Beat
Hope for the Little Guys at the Intellectual Property Symposium 04/18/08

Fast Company
The Power of the Prize 04/17/08 (May 2008 issue)

Marketing Week
In search of an honest opinion 04/03/08

One Degree
Crowdsourcing 101: Episode 4 - Concluding Thoughts 03/19/08

Spicy IP
InnoCentive: Open Innovation Marketplace 03/19/08

Crowdsourcing: Jeff Howe
Chapter 3: From So Simple a Beginning 03/13/08

Macleans
Eyes on the Prize 03/06/08

NYTimes
Putting Innovation in the Hands of the Crowd 03/03/08

Stephen Shapiro: Changing the Rules of Innovation and Creativity
A Fun Innovation Diagnostic 03/03/08

Business Innovation Factory
Rewriting the Rules in R&D Doesn’t Mean Starting From Scratch 02/28/08

(un)spun.dk
Outside-In Innovation 02/26/08

Jim Ferry Blog
Online Idea Generation and Crowdsourcing 02/25/08

Jurg Benders
Crowdsourcing in Environmental Protection 02/24/08

InformationWeek
Down To Business: Innovation: Get Off The Stump And Get On With It 02/23/08

The Frontal Cortex
InnoCentive 02/20/08

MindMob
Kluster: Crowdsourcing Design 02/20/08

Media Post
InnoCentive Calling all Video Makers 02/20/08

Tech Crunch
First Look: Kluster’s Market Approach to Crowd Sourcing 02/18/08

Information Week
Report from India: Outsourcing For Innovation 02/14/08

Without Thought
Problem Playground 02/11/08

unitedBIT
Businesses Find New Ways to Make Money Online 2/10/08

The Webquarters
Unleashing Innovation, the Unplugged Way 2/08/08

Newzy France
Vos Idees valent de l’or 02/07/08

PCR Project
Prevention, Conflict Analysis, and Reconstruction 01/31/08

London Times
Learn to love social networking sites 01/27/08

Financial Times
Cash for answers 01/25/08

NPR
Bringing Light to Africa’s Dark Nights 01/15/08

About
Are You an Innovator? 01/09/08

Info World
Mob wisdom means business 12/10/07

Computerworld Singapore
Should your company ‘crowdsource’ its next project? 12/07/07

Opensource Association
Tapping Your Global Brain - An Interview with Author Satish Nambisan 11/30/07

New York Times
Win Fabulous Prizes, all in the name of Innovation 11/12/07

Newsweek
Bringing Flashlights to Africa 11/12/07

Business Wire
Prize4Life Celebrates One Year Anniversary of $1 Million ALS Biomarker Challenge 11/6/07

Crowdsourcing Directory
Ideagoras: Marketplaces for ideas 11/2/07

Innovation
Advantages of Open Innovation 10/30/07

Les Echos
Les entreprises veulent s’appuyer sur les internautes pour innover 10/19/07

Tech Biz Watch
Crowdsourcing: Milk the Mases for Inspiration 10/19/07

BBC Radio 4
Eureka Democracy -Peter Day considers if innovation is best left to companies 10/11/07

London Times
How to tap in to online riches 10/6/07

Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
Problem Solving via Innovation 9/28/07

Small Planet Partners
How Might an Unknown Einstein Earn Attention Today? 9/24/07

CIO
Open Your Doors to Innovation 9/10/07

NPR
Businesses Harness Power of the Crowd 07/28/07

Wired
Using Crowd Power for R&D 7/13/07

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WALTHAM, Mass. and NEW YORK - March 20, 2009 - InnoCentive, Inc., the global open innovation marketplace, and Nature Publishing Group (NPG), a leading scientific and medical publisher, today announced a partnership to facilitate greater scientific collaboration and open innovation.

Under the agreement, InnoCentive and NPG will work together to stimulate the involvement of scientists worldwide in solving global scientific challenges, via an online marketplace for problems and their solutions. The concept of “open innovation” addresses the research challenges that organizations face, by using external expertise to solve problems and drive development of new products and technologies. Global challenges such as the development of better protection against malaria, finding ways to shorten the clinical trials process and the design of environmentally friendly, sustainable product packaging, to name a few, require broad and diverse expertise.

InnoCentive’s open innovation web site provides a platform for organizations, companies and government agencies (known as ‘Seekers’) to post innovation ‘Challenges’ for the public (known as ‘Solvers’) to solve for financial reward. NPG and InnoCentive intend to jointly produce an online platform for open innovation challenges in the coming months, to facilitate the participation of NPG’s large expert audience.

“NPG’s flagship journal Nature has for nearly 150 years been at the forefront of bringing significant advances in science to the attention of the research community and the public, and strives to be an integral part of the scientific community, aiding collaboration and the spread of knowledge. For large global challenges like infectious diseases and climate change, it makes sense to cast the net as wide as possible to find experts who can solve a problem,” said Steven Inchcoombe, Managing Director, Nature Publishing Group. “Through this partnership with InnoCentive, Nature Publishing Group hopes to explore how we can help increase the chance of solving these global problems. We look forward to working with InnoCentive to promote the expertise of scientists and bring benefits to the wider community.”

This agreement comes at a pivotal time when businesses, especially those in life sciences, are endeavoring to maintain research and development activities with reduced budgets and resources.  The partnership of NPG and InnoCentive will accelerate the uptake of open innovation as a complementary business model that has particular appeal during a global economic downturn.

“Nature is one of the most well-known scientific publications on the market and this partnership boosts awareness of the benefits of open innovation within the scientific community,” said Dwayne Spradlin, CEO of InnoCentive, Inc. “It is imperative for companies to engage in open innovation for many reasons, including cost savings and improving lead times to development. Nature Publishing Group has been a pioneer in their use of Web 2.0 tools to interact with their community. We look forward to working with them.”

Further details will be announced in due course.

About Nature Publishing Group (NPG):

Nature Publishing Group (NPG) is a division of Macmillan Publishers Ltd, dedicated to serving the academic, professional scientific and medical communities. NPG’s flagship title, Nature, was first published in 1869. Other publications include Nature research journals, Nature Reviews, and a range of prestigious academic journals including society-owned publications. NPG also provides news content through Nature News. Scientific career information and free job postings are offered on Naturejobs.

 In recent years, NPG has developed a reputation for innovation, using Web 2.0 technologies to foster new forms of scientific communication and collaboration. Examples include the social bookmarking service Connotea, which enables researchers to share, find, and organize articles of interest. Meanwhile, NPG’s professional networking website for scientists, Nature Network, helps scientists to meet, communicate and collaborate.

 NPG is a global company with principal offices in London, New York and Tokyo and offices in Basingstoke, Boston, Buenos Aires, Delhi, Hong Kong, Madrid, Melbourne, Munich, Paris, San Francisco, Seoul and Washington DC. For more information, please go to www.nature.com.

 About InnoCentive

Founded in 2001, InnoCentive built the first global web community for open innovation, enabling scientists, engineers, professionals and entrepreneurs to collaborate to deliver breakthrough solutions for R&D-driven organizations. InnoCentive Seekers, who collectively spend billions of dollars on R&D, submit complex problems to the InnoCentive Marketplace where more than 170,000 engineers, scientists, inventors, business people, and research organizations in more than 175 countries are invited to solve them. Solvers who deliver the most innovative solutions receive financial awards ranging up to US$1,000,000. InnoCentive’s Seekers include commercial, government and non-profit organizations such as Avery Dennison, Procter & Gamble, Pendulum, Eli Lilly and Company, Janssen, Solvay, SAP and The Rockefeller Foundation.

For more information on InnoCentive, go to: www.innocentive.com.

###

 InnoCentive and InnoCentive Challenge are registered trademarks of InnoCentive, Inc. Other product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.

For more information contact:

Grace Baynes
Corporate Public Relations, Nature Publishing Group
+44 (0)20 7014 4063
g.baynes@nature.com

Connie French
InnoCentive Marketing Director[A1] 
978-482-3300
press@innocentive.com