Applications for the InnoCentive Solvers Challenge Fund 2020 are now open. This is an Ideation Challenge run by InnoCentive as Seeker with a guaranteed award for at least one submitted solution.
This Challenge is asking InnoCentive Solvers to formulate well-defined problems aimed at advancing our knowledge about Coronavirus. One could think of this as what might we have known that would have allowed us to respond more effectively against COVID-19.
This Challenge is asking InnoCentive Solvers to formulate well-defined problems or hypotheses aimed at advancing our knowledge about Coronavirus. This is a somewhat unusual Ideation Challenge in the sense that the Solvers are not expected to provide a solution to any problem.
Rather, they have to define problems or areas requiring further exploration and research. Ideal problems are those whose eventual solution will greatly expand our knowledge of Coronavirus. Once formulated, the proposed problems will form the basis of new research projects offered to CDC/WHO/NIH for their consideration.
Benefits
Winners will receive cash awards of $2,500 USD
Features
Still being an Ideation Challenge, it has the following distinct features:
- The Seeker guarantees paying at least $500 in total awards. This means that your submission does not necessarily need to be perfect – it just needs to be better than others for you to win an award. And we anticipate paying up to five awards.
- You are not required to transfer exclusive intellectual property rights to the Seeker. Rather, by submitting your proposal, you grant the Seeker a royalty-free, perpetual, non-exclusive license to redistribute your idea submitted for this challenge to certain health/government entities and by extension allow them also the non-exclusive right to practice your idea or to fund labs which are also allowed to practice the idea. The non-exclusive grant still allows you to further the idea in any way for your own considerations.
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.
Submission Deadline
Submissions to this Challenge must be received by 11:59 PM (US Eastern Time) on May 24, 2020. Late submissions will not be considered.
