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How You Can Help Find a Cure for Ebola

Dec-08-14 By IdeaConnection
The Ebola outbreak may be fading from the headlines, but it is still a huge problem that is claiming thousands of lives.  To help speed up the development of a definitive cure for the devastating disease, the Scripps Research Institute is enlisting members of the crowd to use their computer downtime to carry out critical research.

Erica Ollmann Saphire, a Professor at Scripps, said: "We have the information in my lab that will tell us how to fight it . But we need computational power to calculate which drugs will best fit in the targets that we find."

Countdown to the Inaugural World Open Innovation Conference

Dec-01-14 By IdeaConnection
Have you got your tickets?  This week sees the very first  World Open Innovation Conference.  Leading industry and academic figures will gather in Napa Valley, California on December 4-5 for two days of research, lectures, presentations and brainstorming, designed to forge stronger links between business practice and academia.

Intelligence Community Embraces Open Source and Crowdsourcing

Nov-24-14 By IdeaConnection
In a recent radio interview, the chief information officer of the USA’s National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) restated the organisation's support and investment in crowdsourcing solutions.  Speaking on Federal News Radio, Dave White highlighted the GitHub platform and the need for wider collaboration.

The GitHub platform is an open innovation portal that allows registered users to help the agency develop apps across 16 areas, including anti-piracy and tools for first responders.

Why Problem Solvers Love IdeaConnection

Nov-17-14 By IdeaConnection
IdeaConnection's problem solvers are drawn from diverse disciplines, countries and cultures. They work together in small teams to solve open innovation challenges for businesses and for the common good.

At any one time a team could consist of an engineer, biologist, chemist and physicist. In their own words, here are some of the reasons why these brilliant minds enjoy stretching their creative problem solving muscles.

Crowdsourcing Push to Replace Unpopular Logo Proposal

Nov-10-14 By IdeaConnection
There is discord in the city of Yogyakarta on Java. A proposed logo and slogan for the cultural heart of the Indonesian island has caused such an uproar that citizens want to have a go themselves and crowdsource a new emblem that represents the city.

Toymaker’s Open Innovation Success Story

Nov-02-14 By IdeaConnection
Toymaker Fisher Price has revealed how its crowdsourcing strategy is paying dividends with the creation of new products at lower cost and in truncated timeframes.

At a recent iMedia Summit in Atlanta, Georgia, Olga Patel, Senior Manager of Open Innovation at Mattel (owners of Fisher Price), told the assembled throng about the open innovation success story of its Little People line of toys.

Crowdsourced DNA Project to Speed Up Research

Oct-27-14 By IdeaConnection
A new crowdsourced citizen science project could speed up some microbial research by nearly 40,000 years. Uncovering Genome Mysteries is a new project being hosted on IBM's World Community Grid. Researchers are hoping to unlock the biological secrets of marine microbes from all over the world, whether they are in Botany Bay in Australia or the Amazon River in Brazil.

Understanding the genetic similarities between microbes could lead to new medicines, new crop technologies and new eco-friendly materials.  And that's just for starters!

UAE aims to be a Global Innovation Powerhouse

Oct-20-14 By IdeaConnection
The UAE (United Arab Emirates) has set its sights on being one of the most innovative nations in the world within the next seven years.  Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE has launched an ambitious innovation strategy that focuses on seven sectors - education, health, renewable energy, space, technology, transport and water. He also wants to create a national culture that encourages innovation and entrepreneurship.

And who would bet against him achieving these ambitions?  After all, it was Sheikh Mohammed’s drive and vision that turned a tiny patch of desert into the global city of Dubai.

Open Innovation Challenge Offers $1 Million for Ebola Protection

Oct-13-14 By IdeaConnection
The Ebola outbreak that has now spread outside of Africa, could become "the next AIDS" unless there is a fast global response. That’s according to Thomas Frieden, Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Africa alone, the rate of spread is faster than the efforts to care for those infected.

The fight against the deadly hemorrhagic fever is happening on several fronts, and to boost protection for health workers, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has turned to the crowd for help.

Scientific Research to Benefit from More Open Innovation

Oct-06-14 By IdeaConnection
Open innovation is giving science a big boost with the announcement of a challenge fund to advance bioelectronic medicines research and the launch of an open innovation stem cell technology center.