In the spirit of wikipedia where people from all over the world contribute to a product (i.e. an encyclodpedia), crowdsourcing has emerged where organizations outsource the need to solve a problem to the public. Are you working on the next product or service that will change the world but can’t get past the last formula or technical approach? Check out Innocentive.

At Innocentive, companies (who can choose to remain anonymous) post their challenges and anyone from around the world can submit answers. The people who provide potential answers, even though they are registered users, remain completely anonymous.

Solutions are evaluated on the merit of their idea. The submitter’s previous work, current research, educational background, recent published papers (or lack thereof) do not play a factor in winning as the answers are provided anonymously. It’s the democratization of innovation.

Chosen solutions may be offered monetary prizes, formal recognition and of course, bragging rights.

My current weekend project to solve:  Dual Use – Off Grid – Illumination Device.

Source: NPR