The incentive2innovate conference I described in my previous post includes the following:
PAUL JANSEN - Partner, McKinsey & Company - McKinsey & Company will present the findings of its recent research report, "And the winner is ...": Capturing the Promise of Philanthropic Prizes. The report responds to the recent surge in interest in philanthropic prizes by examining their potential as instruments of philanthropy and by profiling current practices in their design and delivery, drawing lessons from the social, public and private sectors. The session will discuss the recent renaissance in prizes, identify a number of ways in which they can be distinctive instruments for producing social benefit, and review interesting practices in their effective design and delivery. Finally, the session will discuss the potential future of prizes, and how each industry can invest to support it.
Here's more about the McKinsey & Company’s report:
More and More Foundations Advance Their Causes by Offering Prizes, Report Says - Philanthropy -
Prizes for philanthropic-minded efforts are increasing not only in their number, but also in the size of the cash awards they convey, and are being applied by an ever-expanding list of sponsors to a broader range of issues than in the past.
But the report, issued by McKinsey & Company’s Social Sector Office, warns that this growth has also resulted in “many overlapping prizes and growing clutter,” and that quantity doesn’t always signal quality.
Here's the paper: "And the winner is ..." - Capturing the promise of philanthropic prizes (PDF). I haven't had a chance to read it - I just saw it today and it's 124 pages. Skimming it, I do see some coverage of space prizes and acknowledgement of interviews of space prize personalities like Doug Comstock, Ken Davidian, and Andrew Petro.
Monday, March 09, 2009
Major Innovation Prize Conference - i2i (incentive2innovate)
X PRIZE Foundation and BT Global Services to Host Innovation Conference at the United Nations in June - X PRIZE Foundation press release:
With the world facing major challenges everywhere we look – from the economy to energy and healthcare to national security and climate change – there’s an urgent need to develop cost-effective and powerful systems to drive innovative solutions. With this in mind, The X PRIZE Foundation – in close collaboration with BT Global Services, the United Nations and the John Templeton Foundation – is presenting a first-of-its-kind Incentive 2 Innovate (i2i) conference to highlight two powerful, yet underutilized tools: OPEN COLLABORATION and INCENTIVIZED COMPETITION. ...
Here's the conference web site: incentive2innovate. The conference covers the innovation prize model and related innovation practices like open source and crowdsourcing. It includes track on healthcare, energy and environment, and global development, and also includes lots of material that isn't specific to 1 field or industry. It also includes many people and organizations covered on this blog: the X PRIZE Foundation and their partners, Innocentive, Cisco, the Freedom Prize, Changemakers ... and many I've never covered. Here's a sample of the speakers. For the space readers, note that Steve Isakowitz is in the "rumor mill list" of potential next NASA Administrators.
THOMAS KALIL - The White House - LUNCH KEYNOTE - The Power of Politics & Prizes - Governments are beginning to revisit the prize incentive model to find new ways to solve major problems within their communities and across borders. Mr. Kalil will discuss the government’s current and future use of prizes as a tool for addressing the grand challenges of the 21st century.
STEVE ISAKOWITZ - Chief Financial Officer United States Department of Energy - With massive efforts to revive the economy and address urgent energy policies, the new White House is looking to the Department of Energy to play a central role in kick starting an energy revolution.
DR. ANTHONY J. TETHER - Former Director Defense Advanced Research ProjectsAgency (DARPA) - Dr. Tether, Former Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), headed the DARPA Grand Challenge that led to the development of an autonomous ground vehicle. 35 teams were invited to the National Qualification Event, a rigorous eight-day vehicle testing period. This event was truly groundbreaking because for the first time autonomous vehicles were interacting with both manned and unmanned vehicle traffic in an urban environment.
PETER H. DIAMANDIS, M.D. - Chairman & CEO X PRIZE Foundation - Dr. Diamandis will show how the X PRIZE Foundation uses prize philanthropy to drive radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity. Dr. Diamandis will share how the $10 Million Ansari X PRIZE drove $100 Million in team expenditures and launched a $1 Billion industry.
With the world facing major challenges everywhere we look – from the economy to energy and healthcare to national security and climate change – there’s an urgent need to develop cost-effective and powerful systems to drive innovative solutions. With this in mind, The X PRIZE Foundation – in close collaboration with BT Global Services, the United Nations and the John Templeton Foundation – is presenting a first-of-its-kind Incentive 2 Innovate (i2i) conference to highlight two powerful, yet underutilized tools: OPEN COLLABORATION and INCENTIVIZED COMPETITION. ...
Here's the conference web site: incentive2innovate. The conference covers the innovation prize model and related innovation practices like open source and crowdsourcing. It includes track on healthcare, energy and environment, and global development, and also includes lots of material that isn't specific to 1 field or industry. It also includes many people and organizations covered on this blog: the X PRIZE Foundation and their partners, Innocentive, Cisco, the Freedom Prize, Changemakers ... and many I've never covered. Here's a sample of the speakers. For the space readers, note that Steve Isakowitz is in the "rumor mill list" of potential next NASA Administrators.
THOMAS KALIL - The White House - LUNCH KEYNOTE - The Power of Politics & Prizes - Governments are beginning to revisit the prize incentive model to find new ways to solve major problems within their communities and across borders. Mr. Kalil will discuss the government’s current and future use of prizes as a tool for addressing the grand challenges of the 21st century.
STEVE ISAKOWITZ - Chief Financial Officer United States Department of Energy - With massive efforts to revive the economy and address urgent energy policies, the new White House is looking to the Department of Energy to play a central role in kick starting an energy revolution.
DR. ANTHONY J. TETHER - Former Director Defense Advanced Research ProjectsAgency (DARPA) - Dr. Tether, Former Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), headed the DARPA Grand Challenge that led to the development of an autonomous ground vehicle. 35 teams were invited to the National Qualification Event, a rigorous eight-day vehicle testing period. This event was truly groundbreaking because for the first time autonomous vehicles were interacting with both manned and unmanned vehicle traffic in an urban environment.
PETER H. DIAMANDIS, M.D. - Chairman & CEO X PRIZE Foundation - Dr. Diamandis will show how the X PRIZE Foundation uses prize philanthropy to drive radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity. Dr. Diamandis will share how the $10 Million Ansari X PRIZE drove $100 Million in team expenditures and launched a $1 Billion industry.
Google Lunar X PRIZE: Sponsorship Conference, VertiScooter, Tests, and More
I usually don't post about the Google Lunar X PRIZE teams announcements, since there are too many for me to keep up with, and by now if you're interested you should know to check there regularly. Every now and then I'll make an exception, though, and now seems like a good time for that.
A few weeks ago I mentioned the IEG Sponsorship Conference in Chicago with Peter Diamandis speaking. It looks like Lunatrex is there, too. They've also involved with a new product, the VertiScooter. Meanwhile ARCA shows some propulsion tests, Selene shows some rocket car testing, and more as you'll see at the Google Lunar X PRIZE teams site. Here's a cut-and-paste of the recent post headings:
Lunatrex: March 09, 2009
IEG Spnsorship Conference
Lunatrex: March 09, 2009
VertiScooter video on snow
Euroluna: March 09, 2009
Sunlight influence
Stellar: March 09, 2009
Team STELLAR update
Lunatrex: March 08, 2009
LunaTrex at IEG Sponsorship Conference
Lunatrex: March 08, 2009
Video of VertiScooter on land
Lunatrex: March 08, 2009
Video of VertiScooter on land
Lunatrex: March 08, 2009
LunaTrex lead company, AirBuoyant announces “VertiScooter”!
Selene: March 08, 2009
Rock(et) 'n' Roll
ARCA: March 07, 2009
ARCA propulsion tests
A few weeks ago I mentioned the IEG Sponsorship Conference in Chicago with Peter Diamandis speaking. It looks like Lunatrex is there, too. They've also involved with a new product, the VertiScooter. Meanwhile ARCA shows some propulsion tests, Selene shows some rocket car testing, and more as you'll see at the Google Lunar X PRIZE teams site. Here's a cut-and-paste of the recent post headings:
Lunatrex: March 09, 2009
IEG Spnsorship Conference
Lunatrex: March 09, 2009
VertiScooter video on snow
Euroluna: March 09, 2009
Sunlight influence
Stellar: March 09, 2009
Team STELLAR update
Lunatrex: March 08, 2009
LunaTrex at IEG Sponsorship Conference
Lunatrex: March 08, 2009
Video of VertiScooter on land
Lunatrex: March 08, 2009
Video of VertiScooter on land
Lunatrex: March 08, 2009
LunaTrex lead company, AirBuoyant announces “VertiScooter”!
Selene: March 08, 2009
Rock(et) 'n' Roll
ARCA: March 07, 2009
ARCA propulsion tests
McGill and LaserMotive Beam Power Team Updates
Competition team updates… - Space Elevator Blog - This has updates from the McGill Space Elevaotr Team and LaserMotive.
Space Access 2009 - Who is Going?
Space Access 2009 - Why Homeschool -
Long time readers know that each Spring I head to Arizona to attend Space Access 2009. This year I'll again fly with my father. One of my brothers will join us in Phoenix.
As for me at Space Prizes, I went the last 2 years, but I doubt I'll go this year, as there's a lot to do at home with a 6-month-old who we've just found out has allergies.
Also, the list of speakers at Space Access '09 was updated yesterday.
Long time readers know that each Spring I head to Arizona to attend Space Access 2009. This year I'll again fly with my father. One of my brothers will join us in Phoenix.
As for me at Space Prizes, I went the last 2 years, but I doubt I'll go this year, as there's a lot to do at home with a 6-month-old who we've just found out has allergies.
Also, the list of speakers at Space Access '09 was updated yesterday.
Friday, March 06, 2009
Prize Roundup - March 6, 2009
Peter Kokh Has Won The Gerard K. O’Neill Award - National Space Society Blog
TRUMPF Inc. Tweets from TECMA - Industrial Laser Solutions - TRUMPF Inc.'s profile, launched this week at http://twitter.com/TRUMPFinc, is believed to be a first for social networking in the metal fabricating industry. ... In addition, Doar says that TRUMPF will be atwitter at the upcoming Space Elevator games at Cape Canaveral, Florida, in late April. TRUMPF is one of the event sponsors, and the company's TruDisk technology will be utilized at the competition.
Recall the note on the time and place of the 2009 Space Elevator Games being not quite settled yet.
The Ever Inventive Saul Griffith - Business Week (link from X PRIZE Foundation) -
Griffith and his staff of 30 engineers believe that wind can play a much bigger role in the energy revolution if they can harness the more powerful winds 1,000 to 3,000 feet up, which contain more energy per square foot than any other renewable source. They are developing wing-shaped kites to do just that.
This also includes a video interview and a Make Magazine video tour of Squid Labs (which apparently has the Origin of Species text on a wall, among other things).
E85: The Flex-Fuel Challenge - This is a contest, and here's how it works: produce a video, take a photo, or write a song about renewability (and hey- if E85 flex-fuel is part of the story, we wouldn't mind a bit).
Briefs: ARCA engine tests; Unreasonable tests; Biodiesel launch - RLV News
Meeting the 100mpg challenge - Automan, Oman's Car Magazine (link from X PRIZE Foundation)
TRUMPF Inc. Tweets from TECMA - Industrial Laser Solutions - TRUMPF Inc.'s profile, launched this week at http://twitter.com/TRUMPFinc, is believed to be a first for social networking in the metal fabricating industry. ... In addition, Doar says that TRUMPF will be atwitter at the upcoming Space Elevator games at Cape Canaveral, Florida, in late April. TRUMPF is one of the event sponsors, and the company's TruDisk technology will be utilized at the competition.
Recall the note on the time and place of the 2009 Space Elevator Games being not quite settled yet.
The Ever Inventive Saul Griffith - Business Week (link from X PRIZE Foundation) -
Griffith and his staff of 30 engineers believe that wind can play a much bigger role in the energy revolution if they can harness the more powerful winds 1,000 to 3,000 feet up, which contain more energy per square foot than any other renewable source. They are developing wing-shaped kites to do just that.
This also includes a video interview and a Make Magazine video tour of Squid Labs (which apparently has the Origin of Species text on a wall, among other things).
E85: The Flex-Fuel Challenge - This is a contest, and here's how it works: produce a video, take a photo, or write a song about renewability (and hey- if E85 flex-fuel is part of the story, we wouldn't mind a bit).
Briefs: ARCA engine tests; Unreasonable tests; Biodiesel launch - RLV News
Meeting the 100mpg challenge - Automan, Oman's Car Magazine (link from X PRIZE Foundation)
Link Additions
I've added a few links to the blogroll/websiteroll to the right:
Maximizing Progress - See, for example, Geoffrey von Maltzahn ~ Top MIT Grad Inventor! on the Lemelson-MIT Student Invention Prize.
Science Fiction Awards Watch
Marooned - Science Fiction books on Mars - Winners of SF prizes and awards, and contestants in SF contests, appear frequently.
Idea Connection - The link is to their list of contests, but there are lots of other resources there on related approaches to innovation like crowdsourcing, open innovation, and so on. Here's the Home Page.
Maximizing Progress - See, for example, Geoffrey von Maltzahn ~ Top MIT Grad Inventor! on the Lemelson-MIT Student Invention Prize.
Science Fiction Awards Watch
Marooned - Science Fiction books on Mars - Winners of SF prizes and awards, and contestants in SF contests, appear frequently.
Idea Connection - The link is to their list of contests, but there are lots of other resources there on related approaches to innovation like crowdsourcing, open innovation, and so on. Here's the Home Page.
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Healthcare X PRIZE Advisory Summit
X PRIZE Foundation, WellPoint and the WellPoint Foundation Hold Advisory Summit to Propose Ideas for Healthcare X PRIZE - X PRIZE Foundation press release:
The X PRIZE Foundation, an educational nonprofit prize institute that fosters innovation through competition, WellPoint, Inc. (NYSE: WLP), the nation’s largest health benefits company in terms of medical membership and the WellPoint Foundation, one of the largest corporate foundations in the United States, will host an Advisory Committee Summit today in Washington, D.C. to discuss ideas for the development of a Healthcare X PRIZE, as well as viable options for designing an incentivized competition that will tackle these challenges. ... Attending advisory committee members include: Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, Chairman and CEO, X PRIZE Foundation; Chad Pomeroy, Vice President, Consumer Innovation, WellPoint; Bill Bradley, former U.S. Senator; Elizabeth J. Dietz, Partner, Health care, IBM Global Business Services; Dr. Glenn Steele Jr., President and CEO, Geisinger; Dr. Jim Weinstein, Senior Author, "The Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care"; John Doyle, CSO, Ascension Health and Yury Rozenman, Global Head of Marketing, Pharmaceutical Sector, BT Global Services.
The X PRIZE Foundation, an educational nonprofit prize institute that fosters innovation through competition, WellPoint, Inc. (NYSE: WLP), the nation’s largest health benefits company in terms of medical membership and the WellPoint Foundation, one of the largest corporate foundations in the United States, will host an Advisory Committee Summit today in Washington, D.C. to discuss ideas for the development of a Healthcare X PRIZE, as well as viable options for designing an incentivized competition that will tackle these challenges. ... Attending advisory committee members include: Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, Chairman and CEO, X PRIZE Foundation; Chad Pomeroy, Vice President, Consumer Innovation, WellPoint; Bill Bradley, former U.S. Senator; Elizabeth J. Dietz, Partner, Health care, IBM Global Business Services; Dr. Glenn Steele Jr., President and CEO, Geisinger; Dr. Jim Weinstein, Senior Author, "The Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care"; John Doyle, CSO, Ascension Health and Yury Rozenman, Global Head of Marketing, Pharmaceutical Sector, BT Global Services.
Numerous Events on the Automotive X PRIZE Blog
The Progressive Automotive X PRIZE Blog level of activity has been much higher lately:
Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE Media Exposure - From January 1 through December 31, 2008, the Prize received coverage on approximately 150 TV and radio stations across the globe, 100 national and international newspapers and 900 blogs and websites. ... The 2008 coverage equated to approximately 212 million print impressions, 299 million broadcast impressions and 650 million web impressions, totaling more than one billion impressions for the 2008 calendar year. The equivalent ad value was over $7 Million.
Registration Closes for the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE - I cannot immediately provide an actual accounting of the number of applications that we received this week. I can say that it easily exceeds 50. Add these applications to the almost 40 Registered Teams that have previously been reviewed and accepted, and you can imagine that we are looking at a very compelling year to come. Not all of the new applicants will be accepted as a Registered Team. However, from the initial reviews, we anticipate having a very strong starting line up as we move to the next phase of the competition. ... After tonight, the competition will begin a transformation. Come Monday morning, our entire focus will change. The work of sharing new ideas and technologies from the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE Registered Teams will begin in earnest.
Reasoning Behind the Purse Split
We've Got Mail - I'd guess that the big stack of mail is more teams registering with postmarked entries.
FuelOurFutureNow.com at NSTA - Planning on being at the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) 2009 National Conference on Science Education in New Orleans, March 19-22?
Calling All Teams: New Opportunities for Funding and Press
Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE Media Exposure - From January 1 through December 31, 2008, the Prize received coverage on approximately 150 TV and radio stations across the globe, 100 national and international newspapers and 900 blogs and websites. ... The 2008 coverage equated to approximately 212 million print impressions, 299 million broadcast impressions and 650 million web impressions, totaling more than one billion impressions for the 2008 calendar year. The equivalent ad value was over $7 Million.
Registration Closes for the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE - I cannot immediately provide an actual accounting of the number of applications that we received this week. I can say that it easily exceeds 50. Add these applications to the almost 40 Registered Teams that have previously been reviewed and accepted, and you can imagine that we are looking at a very compelling year to come. Not all of the new applicants will be accepted as a Registered Team. However, from the initial reviews, we anticipate having a very strong starting line up as we move to the next phase of the competition. ... After tonight, the competition will begin a transformation. Come Monday morning, our entire focus will change. The work of sharing new ideas and technologies from the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE Registered Teams will begin in earnest.
Reasoning Behind the Purse Split
We've Got Mail - I'd guess that the big stack of mail is more teams registering with postmarked entries.
FuelOurFutureNow.com at NSTA - Planning on being at the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) 2009 National Conference on Science Education in New Orleans, March 19-22?
Calling All Teams: New Opportunities for Funding and Press
Genius Rocket
Super Bowl Ads and the Rise of the Prize Economy - New York Times -
Mark Walsh, chief executive of the start-up Genius Rocket, loved this year’s Super Bowl — not so much the game, but the hit Doritos ad, the $1 million prize it won for the two brothers from Indiana and what their triumph represents. ...
His current venture, Genius Rocket, runs an online marketplace where people compete to get paid for their work, ranging from 90-second video ads for the Web to product logos and book covers. ...
The buyers, mainly consumer marketers, issue a request for work, describing what they want. Then, far-flung creators submit their work and the buying company picks one or a few winners. The prizes typically range from $5,000 to $500, Mr. Walsh said. ...
His stable of enterprising amateurs and freelancers possess “incredible talent,” Mr. Walsh said, and they can do advertising and marketing projects for a tenth the cost of traditional ad agencies. ...
Mark Walsh, chief executive of the start-up Genius Rocket, loved this year’s Super Bowl — not so much the game, but the hit Doritos ad, the $1 million prize it won for the two brothers from Indiana and what their triumph represents. ...
His current venture, Genius Rocket, runs an online marketplace where people compete to get paid for their work, ranging from 90-second video ads for the Web to product logos and book covers. ...
The buyers, mainly consumer marketers, issue a request for work, describing what they want. Then, far-flung creators submit their work and the buying company picks one or a few winners. The prizes typically range from $5,000 to $500, Mr. Walsh said. ...
His stable of enterprising amateurs and freelancers possess “incredible talent,” Mr. Walsh said, and they can do advertising and marketing projects for a tenth the cost of traditional ad agencies. ...
March Mission Madness
NASA Hosts 'Mission Madness' Tournament to Vote on Greatest Mission - SpaceRef -
This interactive Internet online feature enables you to share your opinion about the agency's greatest missions. Space fans will be able to view a lineup of 64 missions, learn about their goals, and predict which missions fellow exploration fans will vote for during this bracket-style, single elimination tournament.
This interactive Internet online feature enables you to share your opinion about the agency's greatest missions. Space fans will be able to view a lineup of 64 missions, learn about their goals, and predict which missions fellow exploration fans will vote for during this bracket-style, single elimination tournament.
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Don't Buy Plane Tickets Yet
Nothing new... - Space Elevator Blog - This reports that the location and dates for the 2009 Space Elevator Games I mentioned here aren't finalized in spite of the seemingly official notice, and describes what they've done in that direction so far and what the outstanding issues are.
There's also a mention of a Space Show appearance by LaserMotive's Jordin Kare.
There's also a mention of a Space Show appearance by LaserMotive's Jordin Kare.
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Prize Teams Make Strong Showing at Space Access '09
Space Access '09 Conference - RLV News - In addition to the talks with prize connections (that I detect; there may be others) that I listed in my post on Space Access '09 Program Additions, the latest update on the list of confirmed Space Access '09 speakers includes the following:
Charles Pooley/Microlaunchers (and other N-Prize contestants)
TrueZer0/Scott Zeeb and Todd Squires
TrueZero is a Lunar Lander Challenge team, so if my count is correct the LLC has a very strong showing of 6 (past and present?) teams at the conference this year. Maybe with so many LLC teams there will be some kind of meeting with X PRIZE Foundation and/or NASA Centennial Challenges representatives? That's what I'd do, at least.
In the "other N-Prize contestants" department, as noted here, Kiwi 2 Space was at Space Access '08 and plans to be there for '09.
Charles Pooley/Microlaunchers (and other N-Prize contestants)
TrueZer0/Scott Zeeb and Todd Squires
TrueZero is a Lunar Lander Challenge team, so if my count is correct the LLC has a very strong showing of 6 (past and present?) teams at the conference this year. Maybe with so many LLC teams there will be some kind of meeting with X PRIZE Foundation and/or NASA Centennial Challenges representatives? That's what I'd do, at least.
In the "other N-Prize contestants" department, as noted here, Kiwi 2 Space was at Space Access '08 and plans to be there for '09.
No More Pocket Protectors
I recently mentioned the Couture Fashion Week featuring Space Couture. Here's more now that the show has taken place:
Latest space fashion - Space for All
Beyond the jumpsuit: the future of space fashion - New Scientist:
Space tourists might enjoy this tailored approach to the classic flight jumpsuit, one of the winners of a Tokyo-based design contest co-sponsored by Rocketplane Global.
Robert Zubrin's new book "How to Live on Mars" also has some fashion advise for those of use who aren't models considering skin-tight space suits.
Latest space fashion - Space for All
Beyond the jumpsuit: the future of space fashion - New Scientist:
Space tourists might enjoy this tailored approach to the classic flight jumpsuit, one of the winners of a Tokyo-based design contest co-sponsored by Rocketplane Global.
Robert Zubrin's new book "How to Live on Mars" also has some fashion advise for those of use who aren't models considering skin-tight space suits.
Masten DARPA Contract, Tests, Interns, Visitors, and More
Won a contract, progress on all fronts - Masten Space Systems
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