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Open Innovation Contest for Environmentally Friendly Shower

Aug-26-13 By IdeaConnection
Inspiration can strike anywhere – in the bath, on the bus, over the park and under the shower. Next time you’re in your favorite creative spot, especially if it’s beneath a powerful spray of water, see if you can come up with a new design for a more sustainable shower.

Unilever has launched a global open innovation contest for the next generation of showers that have a minimal impact on the planet and on our wallets.

Apps Contest to Change the World

Aug-22-13 By IdeaConnection
If you’re young, inventive, creative and have a brain the size of a planet then consider turning your talents and smarts to help improve the world.

The InnoApps Challenge is a four-month pan-European contest for young developers to create Windows Phone app to help others.

Crowdsourcing Strategies that Governments Use

Aug-20-13 By IdeaConnection
In cafes, bars, restaurants and living rooms in towns and cities all over the world we bemoan the political classes and systems of governments.  We blame them for many of the difficulties that befall society.

Whether or not they are to blame or how much is hugely debatable, but one thing is clear as the Government Executive magazine points out in a recent article – more than ever before the public are involving themselves in local, regional and federal government.

Thanks to open innovation and crowdsourcing, citizens are having their say and providing novel solutions to improve our lot.

Open Innovation Best Practices: A New Report

Aug-18-13 By IdeaConnection
Wondering how to make the best use of open innovation to drive your company forward? Concerned you may not be maximizing the paradigm's potential? Then, check out this new report Open Innovation: Enhancing Idea Generation Through Collaboration.

The paper has identified 11 open innovation best practices based on research into how leading companies are tapping external sources of expertise.

Crowdsource Computer Game Targets Killer Disease

Aug-14-13 By IdeaConnection
Gamers can now join in the fight against ash dieback, a killer fungal disease currently threatening the UK’s woodlands.

Fraxinus is a Facebook puzzle game where users solve onscreen combinations. This will help scientists decode genetic structures to learn more about the fungus and stop it in its tracks.

U.S. Navy and Open Innovation for Disaster Response

Aug-13-13 By IdeaConnection
The U.S. Navy has signed a deal with software company Modus Operandi Inc., for the provision of a new crowdsourcing analysis system.

The software will help emergency response teams during disasters and social unrest.

Movie Maker’s Difficult Crowdsourcing Experiment

Aug-11-13 By IdeaConnection
Total Recall and Basic Instinct director Paul Verhoeven has been complaining that a crowdsourced script writing project he set up was a “headache”.

The Dutch filmmaker made his comments in an interview with the BBC about his latest film. It grew out of a script written collectively by the audience.

Open Innovation at Ford’s Silicon Valley Lab

Aug-08-13 By IdeaConnection
Ford’s Silicon Valley Lab is driving into the future with a crowdsourcing approach to the creation of groundbreaking apps and entertainment features for its vehicles.

The Silicon Valley Business Journal recently published a fascinating feature on Ford’s open source platform called Open XC - a main focus of the lab. The neat research tool has been designed to let third party developers create any number of innovative software programs.

Open XC plugs into a car via Bluetooth to access the tons of data produced by its electrical systems.

High Performance Facebook Fans Crowdsource Porsche Sports Car

Aug-06-13 By IdeaConnection
Prestige car maker Porsche has a reputation for being tuned into its social media audience, giving followers plenty of insights and information about its cars and greatly valuing their input.

As part of the "50 Years of the Porsche 911" anniversary festivities, and to celebrate reaching five million "likes” on Facebook, it looked to fans to help customize a one-off 911 Carrera 4S sports car. That car has now been built.

Open Innovation Combats Threat to New Zealand’s Kiwifruit Industry

Aug-04-13 By IdeaConnection
PSA (pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae) is a bacterial disease that affects kiwifruit species. It carries no risk to human or animal health but can result in the death of vine species and is a huge threat to New Zealand’s billion-dollar kiwifruit industry.

Kiwifruit Vine Health a New Zealand-based organization set up to deal with the problem is now turning to open innovation to find ways of managing and combating the disease.

PSA attacks the vines, not the kiwifruit and it’s spread by animals, humans, windborne pollen, orchard tools and vehicles.