Innovation Challenges

What is an Innovation Challenge?

Solving difficult problems requires curious and persistent people from different fields. Some companies and organizations are willing to pay for outsiders to work on these problems so they can get input from a broader set of people than their employees alone. This is especially useful when a problem requires a solution that might combine several disciplines, or a level of creativity that has even the experts stumped.

The EMU Center for Innovation and Leadership has compiled a directory of innovation challenges from companies and agencies around the world. They range in size from instructional videos to advanced engineering or research projects. Some come with hefty payouts or serious opportunities for learning and visibility.

Can you solve it?

Do you have creativity or knowledge that goes unused in your normal work? Are you looking for a new challenge to help to stimulate your own intellect? You might be a student looking for a senior project, an entrepreneur at heart who needs a hard problem to solve, or just someone who can show the best way to make a pizza for a $50 gift card.

Do you have a problem that needs to be solved? Enter details below and we will share it with our networks of bright, curious people around the world.

What's your innovation challenge?

Directory of Innovation Challenges

Innovation Marketplaces. These sites connect innovators with companies seeking solutions. They list innovation challenges from several sources and across sectors. Some specific challenges are listed on several of these sites at once.

Government and NGO: These span a wide variety of challenges, from confronting public health issues to highly technical engineering challenges. Some require specific expertise; others can be earned by creative people from any field.

Private Sector. Despite all of their resources, some of the world’s largest are still hungry for new ideas, and believe that people outside the organization may be best position to provide them

Foundations and Universities. Many organizations are actively supporting innovation in many fields as part of their core mission to promote research, education, social progress, or even space travel.

Closed challenges: you can no longer enter, but you can still learn a lot by reviewing these. Pay attention to the presentation or details of the winning team to get good examples of successful entries. And remember, most organizations post new challenges every few months or even every few weeks.