Open Innovation or Unfair Competition?

GOOGLE DEFENDS AGAINST ANTITRUST CLAIMS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION Mega-giant internet company Google was hit last week with multiple antitrust charges in the European Union in the form of a “Statement of Objections” issued by the European Commission. The Commission alleges that Google has been abusing its dominance on the market by forcing Android phone makers and mobile network providers to load Google’s applications on Read More

Unilever Wants Your Ideas

Unilever recently opened a new platform to help them grow their business using open innovation.  The new Open Innovation portal is designed to find the latest and greatest technologies from around the world. Unilever plans to use submissions to its portal to improve upon existing concepts, as well as discover new ideas and ways of working with innovation partners. The company has expressed its commitment to the Read More

Abandoned Buggies – Help is on the Way!

Recently Singapore’s Municipal Services Office (MSO) unveiled its plans for a new app and web portal in an effort to improve government services. Minister of Culture, Community, and Youth, Ms. Grace Fu, is in charge of the project and believes it will greatly improve municipal services using the power of crowd-sourcing. The goal is for users to provide information and feedback to the MSO using the new platform, which Read More

Uncle Sam Wants YOU

The Pentagon’s Strategic Capabilities Office has advised that it has plans to seek out new and improved innovations from industry professionals in the field of weaponry. The Pentagon’s goal is to put its existing weapons to work in new and useful ways. This is all in an effort to keep one step ahead of other heavy-hitters such as Russia and China.  This is the first time the Pentagon has reached out for help in this Read More

Become a Space Archaeologist!

Dr. Sarah H. Parcak, American archeologist and Egyptologist, was recently awarded the 2016 Ted Prize for her pioneering work in “space archeology,” a concept involving the use of satellite imaging, taken from over 400 miles above Earth, to uncover ancient sites which have gone undiscovered for millennia. An important function of space archeology is to expose and monitor looting of historic locations. Part of the Read More

A "Cool" Shipping Idea?

Do you have a “cool” shipping idea? The Hershey Company recently launched a crowd-sourcing campaign on NineSigma to seek out the next big innovation in shipping, specifically, shipping cold chocolate to warm climates.  According to the contest website, Hershey is looking to develop “a lightweight, affordable shipping system that will keep chocolate close to the temperature at which it was packed, 75°F or below, for Read More

Crowdsourcing and Clinical Trials

A recent article written by Llewellyn King discusses crowd-sourcing’s newest application: clinical drug trials. Traditional drug trials are not terribly efficient at actually helping patients who are suffering from a particular disease. These trials are lengthy and expensive, and the control group is often treated with a placebo or nothing at all. What’s worse is that the knowledge gained from such trials is Read More

Open Innovation Efforts Gaining Traction at Indian University

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched a prestigious venture to raise quality standards of Indian products to attract capital and technological investment in India.  The initiative is called ‘Make in India’. According to The New Indian Express, The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Cell at Cochin College of Engineering and Technology is being launched this week.  The Cell is aimed at developing Read More

Crowdsourcing to the Rescue!

Thanks to Laura Keeney of the Denver Post for picking up on DigitalGlobe's efforts to assist the earthquake relief effort in Nepal through the use of CrowdSourcing.  DigitalGlobe is enlisting the general public's assistance with relief efforts in Nepal following Saturday's magnitude-7.8 earthquake, and anyone with an Internet connection and some spare time can help. The company on Saturday deployed its FirstLook Read More

Your Future Downtown

In many cities across the country, urban renewal is a policy supported by local governments.  It typically involves renovation and investment that is encouraged by local governments, often combined with business incentives.  Historically, there has not been a way to engage large groups of people in the urban renewal process.  Thanks to Rock Hill, South Carolina's Jason Broadwater, that's all about to Read More