White House Highlights Incentives to Address Challenges, Seeks New Commitments

Challenge.gov, an online portal that facilitates public-sector prize competitions, is celebrating its fifth anniversary later this year. Numerous federal agencies have used prize competitions to spur innovation around areas ranging from water desalination to lung cancer, according to a White House blog post. Those agencies have found that this incentive-laden approach increases cost-effectiveness, encourages risk-taking, and reaches participants beyond a typical scope.

To build on momentum around the use of prizes to address identified challenges, the Obama administration will hold an event this fall to highlight the role that these incentives play in solving critical issues in the U.S. and around the world. The event will showcase public- and private-sector relevant commitments from federal, state, and local agencies, companies, foundations, universities, and nonprofits, with various examples noted here. Individuals and organizations interested in participating in this event or making commitments should contact the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) at challenges@ostp.gov by August 28, 2015.