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NIH: Follow that Cell Challenge
Challenge:
The ability to predict the behaviour and function of a single cell over time could reveal valuable information such as how cells transition from healthy to diseased and their response to treatment. NIH ran a $500,000, two-stage Challenge looking for tools and methods that could that could deliver this.
Result:
Two biological engineering researchers were awarded. The first solution involved a nano-pipette with a tip so fine that it can non-invasively sample tiny amounts of material from inside a cell. The second solution involved engineering cells to secrete molecules of interest so analysis can occur without even going inside the cell.
“The winning solutions can have an immediate impact in research labs and will very likely lead to further innovations by these groups and others.”
Joshua Gordon, M.D., Ph.D, NIMH Director
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Thomson Reuters: Exposing Data Relationships
Challenge:
Thomson Reuters wanted to improve their Web of Knowledge™ tool through customer-driven product insights. InnoCentive allowed them to first capture the crowd's creative new use cases for the tool and then receive an app that made the selected use case a reality.
Result:
The winning solution was data visualisation app, in the form of elegant and well-documented Java code from a Solver in Hungary. The solution was perfectly suited to specification and could be implemented quickly without a heavy demand on in-house resources.
“By engaging with expert technologists in the scholarly community, we are able to expand the way users interact with the data in the Web of Knowledge.”
Gordon Macomber, Managing Director,
Thomson Reuters Scholarly and Scientific Research
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NASA: Strain Measurement of
Kevlar Webbing
Challenge:
Kevlar and Vectran could be used for inflatable structures that provide long-term human habitation in space. As part of their testing, NASA required new methods of measuring the strain on these materials at elevated temperatures, something current methods did not consistently allow for.
Result:
Three Solvers ended up being awarded, with one having no formal background in material science, finding his winning insight instead from his time at medical college. Ultimately NASA were able to end a 3-year roadblock and find solutions in places they never would have looked normally.
“This Challenge allowed the team to continue on with other priorities; they do not have time to stop.”
Tom Jones, Deputy Project Manager, Research Lunar Surface Systems
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General Fusion: Method for Sealing Anvil under Repetitive Impacts Against Molten Metal
Challenge:
General Fusion were seeking methods to seal a metal cylinder and the surface of the cylindrical hole into which it fitted such that molten lead on one end of the cylinder was isolated from a vacuum on the opposite end, without being compromised by the repetitive impacts and high temperatures of the cylinder.
Result:
Awarded $20,000 to MIT-trained mechanical engineer and inventor listed on 35 patents. General Fusion have since contracted the Solver to integrate his design into their specific setup.
"We wanted to experiment with crowdsourcing to see what kind of ideas we could get by going outside our organization”
Brendan Cassidy, Open Innovation Manager at General Fusion
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