Congress established the National Science Foundation (NSF) with the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 “to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity and welfare; to secure the national defense; and for other purposes.” With an annual budget of $7.5 billion (fiscal year 2016), NSF funds discovery, learning, innovation and research infrastructure to boost U.S. leadership in all aspects of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) research and education.
Since 2005, NASA has been at the forefront of federal agencies using challenge-driven approaches to meaningfully engage the public in the mission of the Agency. A number of NASA offices, Centers, and Mission Directorates are using challenge-driven approaches to solve a variety of problems. There are several NASA programs, pilots, and activities that design and implement different types of challenges. All current opportunities available to the general public through NASA challenges, prize competitions, and crowdsourcing activities and programs are listed on the NASA Solve website: http://www.nasa.gov/solve/. Use this site as your first stop for information and engagement. We want YOU to get involved! These activities have played an important role in stimulating innovation and helping NASA develop innovative solutions. They offer several unique benefits and can result in a variety of valuable outcomes ranging from NASA’s own immediate use of the solutions, development of new viable aerospace industry vendors and even commercialization of new products. These programs include: NASA’s Centennial Challenges’ Program within the Space Technology Mission Directorate directly engages the public at large in the process of advanced technology development that is of value to NASA’s missions and to the aerospace community. Millions of dollars in prizes have been awarded through this program since 2005. NASA’s Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation (CoECI) helps NASA and other U.S. government agencies collaborate to generate ideas and solve important problems. By using challenges, we can readily increase our creative capacity and reach by tapping into diverse talent from around the world. As a pioneer and active user of open innovation methods and tools, the NASA CoECI provides organizations with cost-effective and complementary means of accomplishing the Agency mission. Follow us on Twitter through @NASASolve and Facebook to stay informed and join the community.
Since 2005, NASA has been at the forefront of federal agencies using challenge-driven approaches to meaningfully engage the public in the mission of the Agency. A number of NASA offices, Centers, and Mission Directorates are using challenge-driven approaches to solve a variety of problems. There are several NASA programs, pilots, and activities that design and implement different types of challenges. All current opportunities available to the general public through NASA challenges, prize competitions, and crowdsourcing activities and programs are listed on the NASA Solve website: http://www.nasa.gov/solve/. Use this site as your first stop for information and engagement. We want YOU to get involved! These activities have played an important role in stimulating innovation and helping NASA develop innovative solutions. They offer several unique benefits and can result in a variety of valuable outcomes ranging from NASA’s own immediate use of the solutions, development of new viable aerospace industry vendors and even commercialization of new products. These programs include: NASA’s Centennial Challenges’ Program within the Space Technology Mission Directorate directly engages the public at large in the process of advanced technology development that is of value to NASA’s missions and to the aerospace community. Millions of dollars in prizes have been awarded through this program since 2005. NASA’s Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation (CoECI) helps NASA and other U.S. government agencies collaborate to generate ideas and solve important problems. By using challenges, we can readily increase our creative capacity and reach by tapping into diverse talent from around the world. As a pioneer and active user of open innovation methods and tools, the NASA CoECI provides organizations with cost-effective and complementary means of accomplishing the Agency mission. Follow us on Twitter through @NASASolve and Facebook to stay informed and join the community.
Congress established the National Science Foundation (NSF) with the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 “to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity and welfare; to secure the national defense; and for other purposes.” With an annual budget of $7.5 billion (fiscal year 2016), NSF funds discovery, learning, innovation and research infrastructure to boost U.S. leadership in all aspects of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) research and education.
The mission of EPA is to protect human health and the environment. EPA’s purpose is to ensure that: — all Americans are protected from significant risks to human health and the environment where they live, learn and work; — national efforts to reduce environmental risk are based on the best available scientific information; — federal laws protecting human health and the environment are enforced fairly and effectively; — environmental protection is an integral consideration in U.S. policies concerning natural resources, human health, economic growth, energy, transportation, agriculture, industry, and international trade, and these factors are similarly considered in establishing environmental policy; — all parts of society — communities, individuals, businesses, and state, local and tribal governments — have access to accurate information sufficient to effectively participate in managing human health and environmental risks; — environmental protection contributes to making our communities and ecosystems diverse, sustainable and economically productive; and — the United States plays a leadership role in working with other nations to protect the global environment. http://www2.epa.gov/innovation/prize-competitions
HHS Competes was established after the signing of the America COMPETES Act, to invest in innovation through research and development, and to improve the competitiveness of the United States. HHS Competes is a way for HHS employees to draw on external talent and ideas to solve critical problems. HHS has sponsored over 100 challenges and awarded 4 million dollars in prizes, leading to the development of many novel solutions to address complex problems.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST; www.nist.gov) is a non-regulatory Federal agency within the United States Department of Commerce. Founded in 1901 and now part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, NIST is one of the nation’s oldest physical science laboratories. Congress established the agency to remove a major handicap to U.S. industrial competitiveness at the time—a second-rate measurement infrastructure that lagged behind the capabilities of the United Kingdom, Germany, and other economic rivals. Today, NIST measurements support the smallest of technologies—nanoscale devices so tiny that tens of thousands can fit on the end of a single human hair—to the largest and most complex of human-made creations, from earthquake-resistant skyscrapers to wide-body jetliners to global communication networks.
FDA is responsible for protecting the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation. FDA is also responsible for advancing the public health by helping to speed innovations that make medicines more effective, safer, and more affordable and by helping the public get the accurate, science-based information they need to use medicines and foods to maintain and improve their health.