InnoCentive has been around for almost a decade. Until recently, though, few people had heard of this global web community, which connects “Seekers” (companies that need solutions) with a pool of 200,000+ registered “Solvers” (people who come up with ideas). Anyone can register as a Solver, receive notification of challenges, and compete for cash awards offered by Seekers. But since the typical challenges are highly technical and/or analytical, InnoCentive hasn’t attracted a lot of popular attention.
Then came the Deepwater Horizon spill. Over the past few weeks, that crisis has raised concerns about the economy and ecology of the Gulf of Mexico, along with new questions about big business and government regulation. One more outcome: People are realizing that it can be very difficult to solve complex engineering problems.
There’s also a growing recognition that the technology solutions we rely on may not be as sturdy as most of us assumed. British Petroleum admits they were not prepared for such an extreme situation, which raises the question . . . what might happen next, in some other industry? There may be big problems in the making today that have will have no ready answers if or when they occur.
So the media is suddenly taking an interest in how innovative solutions can be identified and implemented—fast. Hear from InnoCentive CEO Dwayne Spradlin in interviews on Hardball with Chris Matthews and Wake Up with Al Roker. And visit the InnoCentive blog to find out about the Emergency 2.0 Pavilion, which offers a new kind of space for people with ideas to respond in crisis situations.
Cynthia Giles
Spotfire Blogging Team
Image Credit: Microsoft Office Clip Art
