InnoCentive Announces Launch of Water Sensor Challenge

WALTHAM, Mass., July 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- InnoCentive, Inc., the global leader in open innovation, crowdsourcing, and prize competitions, today announced the launch of a new Challenge, Real-Time Sensor to Monitor Sewer Overflows, seeking ideas for a new generation of low-cost, low-maintenance sensors to monitor sewer overflows. This $10,000 Ideation Challenge is being offered through the partnership of Cincinnati Innovates, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Cincinnati Metropolitan Sewer District and Northern Kentucky Sewer District 1.

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The ability to effectively collect real-time information from these locations is key to reducing sewer overflows in urban areas such as Greater Cincinnati. The lack of cost-effective technologies to monitor such overflows often makes data collection efforts in these areas inefficient and unsuccessful. This Challenge seeks ideas for an efficient, low-cost and low-maintenance real-time sensor to monitor sewer overflows and characterize the impact of wet weather on urban sewers.

"EPA supports this challenge in partnership with Confluence, the water technology innovation cluster in the Greater Cincinnati region," said Sally Gutierrez, director of U.S. EPA's Environmental Technology Innovation Cluster Program. "Billions of gallons of raw sewage and storm water runoff pollute our waterways each year. This Challenge is a great way to engage members of the water technology sector to foster collaboration, innovation, and create economic opportunity, while solving current, pressing human health and environmental issues like water pollution."

Solvers are encouraged to consider similar sensors already being used in other applications or industries that could be modified for overflow monitoring, as well as to think "outside the box" to suggest novel ideas for a new generation of sensors that could provide a clear advantage over existing technologies.

"This is the 100th anniversary of water research and innovation in Cincinnati," said Elizabeth Edwards, venture capital investor and founder of Cincinnati Innovates. "It's only fitting that this year Cincinnati Innovates will highlight globally competitive water research."

"After the successful 'My Air My Health' Challenge, we are excited to be collaborating again with the U.S. EPA, and this time with Cincinnati Innovates as well," said Alph Bingham, co-founder and board member of InnoCentive. "Whether it's finding better ways to recycle lead-heavy glass, improving water access and quality in developing countries, or helping reduce agricultural pollutants, our creative global Solvers have risen admirably to help tackle these world-changing health and environment Challenges, proving that great ideas and solutions can come from anyone and anywhere."

To participate in this Challenge, please visit www.innocentive.com/epa. Twitter users can follow the Challenge at #epawaterchallenge.

About Cincinnati Innovates

Cincinnati Innovates is in its fifth year and has awarded over $350,000 in grant awards. Past winners have gone on to receive national media attention and have collectively raised over $8 million in follow-on financing. Details can be found online at www.cincinnatiinnovates.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 several government agencies in the U.S. and Europe 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 [email protected], or call 1-855-CROWDNOW (U.S.) or +44 (0) 207 224 0110 (International). 

Media Contacts:

Elizabeth Edwards 
Cincinnati Innovates 
513-502-9756 
[email protected]

Steve Bonadio 
InnoCentive, Inc. 
978-482-3300 
[email protected]

Kiley Nichols 
Schwartz MSL for InnoCentive 
415-512-0770  
[email protected]

SOURCE InnoCentive, Inc.