Unconventional Competition Unleashes Outside-the-Box Innovation

Throughout human history, competition has been the primary driver of meaningful innovation. Unfortunately, this competition is too often limited to a few traditional competitors who all see things pretty much the same way. Recognizing this weakness, a set of public and private sponsors are establishing and running "formal competitions" aimed at addressing intractable technological challenges. These challenges range from low-cost space flight, to ultra-efficient vehicles, to making "personal genomics" an affordable technology. Competitors range from universities, to cor.....