Recently InnoCentive announced a partnership with a leading science and technology publication, Popular Science. The partnership will enable connections to be made between organisations whom are experiencing important science, technology or engineering problems and people and global communities who have the expertise to solve the problems.

Part of the alliance between InnoCentive and Popular Science is the launch of Popular Science Open Innovation Pavilion and the additional of a new $25,000 Challenge. InnoCentive announced the launched challenge asks problem solvers (from around the world) to design an innovative science lesson plan for students in grades 6-8 based on the Massachusetts Science and Technology/ Engineering Curriculum Framework. The aim of the challenge is to present teachers an exciting lesson plan they can share the excitement and opportunities which exist in the science and technology industry with their middle school students.

“Popular Science and InnoCentive want to connect organizations that have important problems and Challenges to the people and global communities who can best solve them,” said Mark Jannot, editorial director, the Bonnier Technology Group and editor-in-chief, Popular Science. “We’ve built this Pavilion for companies, public sector agencies, universities and other institutions to put their most pressing problems in front of InnoCentive’s global community of hundreds of thousands of Solvers, Popular Science’s millions of readers and other creative and passionate people interested in making tomorrow better than today.”

InnoCentive has announced each lesson plan is to have the ability to be taught in one to three 50 minute sessions, include a hands-on element and materials required for each lesson need to be readily available for a cost of no more than $50.

“Both our partnership with Popular Science and the introduction of the Pavilion to millions of new problem solvers are game changers,” said Dwayne Spradlin, president and CEO, InnoCentive. “Not only are we helping to open the door for students to consider the sciences as a fulfilling career choice via the new Challenge, but this partnership will also spark the imagination of diverse and creative problem solvers to participate in a variety of Challenges whose solutions can truly change the world.”

Further details of the challenge can be found here.