The Scientific American Open Innovation Pavilion Launches with Innovation Challenges for Science and Technology Enthusiasts

InnoCentive is now part of Wazoku

New York, New York – March 4, 2013 – Today marks the launch of the Scientific American Open Innovation Pavilion, jointly hosted on www.innocentive.com/pavilion/scientific-american and www.scientificamerican.com/openinnovation. The online hub to foster scientific collaboration and open innovation is the result of a partnership between InnoCentive, Inc., the global leader in open innovation, crowdsourcing, and prize competitions, and Scientific American, the leading authoritative publication for science in the general media.

The Scientific American Open Innovation Pavilion launches with four Challenges selected to appeal to problem solvers unique to both the InnoCentive and Scientific American audiences:

• Algorithm for Matching Latent Fingerprints: www.innocentive.com/ar/challenge/9932941
• Design of Student-centric Websites for Open-Enrollment Colleges and Institutions: www.innocentive.com/ar/challenge/9933168
• Breakthrough Health Tech Modifications – Consumer Technology that Improves Health: www.innocentive.com/ar/challenge/9933294
• Support Plate Replacement for Humanitarian Air Drops: www.innocentive.com/ar/challenge/9932740

Commercial organizations, government agencies, and non-profits (known as ‘Seekers’) are able to post ‘Challenges’ on the Scientific American Open Innovation Pavilion. These ‘Challenges’ are well-articulated descriptions of scientific and technical problems that require innovative solutions. The Scientific American Open Innovation Pavilion provides these ‘Seekers’ with unprecedented access to a global pool of problem solvers, including InnoCentive’s existing 285,000-person-strong solver network and Scientific American’s audience of five million monthly visitors to ScientificAmerican.com.

“We are truly thrilled to see the fruits of our joint collaboration to bring the Scientific American Open Innovation Pavilion to life,” said Jen-Ling Liu, InnoCentive’s Vice President of Strategic Alliances. “We are equally delighted by our expanded relationship with Nature Publishing Group, and by the exciting opportunities for solving important challenges facing our world that the new Pavilion will provide to both Seekers and Solvers alike.”

“NPG is pleased to expand its relationship with InnoCentive,” said Steven Inchcoombe, Managing Director, Nature Publishing Group. “InnoCentive is well placed to help organizations partner with the scientific community to solve problems. The Scientific American Open Innovation Pavilion will allow these organizations to reach millions of new problem solvers who are science and technology enthusiasts.”

“We are excited to offer our readers opportunities to challenge themselves by presenting them real problems to solve,” said Mariette DiChristina, Editor in Chief of Scientific American.

The Scientific American Open Innovation pavilion marks the growth of InnoCentive’s collaboration with Nature Publishing Group (NPG), Scientific American’s parent organization. In June 2009, InnoCentive and NPG launched the nature.com Open Innovation Pavilion, which is hosted on www.innocentive.com and nature.com, www.nature.com/openinnovation.

The Scientific American Open Innovation Pavilion is one of several Scientific American initiatives that center around solving real life science challenges. Since May 2011, the magazine has actively promoted citizen science projects at www.scientificamerican.com/citizen-science. In 2012, Scientific American launched the Science in Action Award, powered by the Google Science Fair, which recognizes a project by young scientists that addresses a social, environmental or health issue to make a practical difference in the lives of a community.

About Scientific American

Scientific American is at the heart of Nature Publishing Group’s consumer media division, meeting the needs of the general public. Founded in 1845, Scientific American is the oldest continuously published magazine in the U.S. and the leading authoritative publication for science in the general media. Together with scientificamerican.com and 14 local language editions around the world it reaches more than 5 million consumers and scientists. Other titles include Scientific American Mind and Spektrum der Wissenschaft in Germany. Scientific American won a 2011 National Magazine Award for General Excellence. For more information, please visit www.scientificamerican.com.

About InnoCentive

InnoCentive is the global leader in crowdsourcing innovation problems to the world’s smartest people who compete to provide ideas and solutions to important business, social, policy, scientific, and technical challenges. Our global network of millions of problem solvers, proven challenge methodology, and cloud-based technology combine to help our clients transform their economics of innovation through rapid solution delivery and the development of sustainable open innovation programs. For more than a decade, leading organizations such as AARP Foundation, Air Force Research Labs, Booz Allen Hamilton, Cleveland Clinic, Eli Lilly & Company, EMC Corporation, NASA, Nature Publishing Group, Procter & Gamble, Scientific American, Syngenta, The Economist, Thomson Reuters, and the U.S. EPA have partnered with InnoCentive to rapidly generate innovative new ideas and solve problems faster, more cost effectively, and with less risk than ever before. For more information, visit www.innocentive.com, email info@innocentive.com, or call 1-855-CROWDNOW (U.S.) or +44 (0) 207 935 0827 (International).