NASA is organizing the 2021 Innovators' Competition to Find New Ideas.

ByShehryar Makhdoom | Published date:
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A new entrepreneurial initiative launched by NASA is inviting creative ideas and unknown contributors to improve the agency's scientific mission goals.

The science agency is looking for fresh ideas to help the commercial sector with its key priorities. As NASA pursues its aim of fostering innovation and developing new technologies at lower prices, it also engages in the Entrepreneurs Challenge, which is in line with that purpose.

NASA's technologies include several unique concepts that enable important scientific endeavours, according to Nicole Rayl, NASA's acting chief technologist for science in Washington, D.C.

Today's new ideas pave the way for tomorrow's ground-breaking research, and we sponsor and support that work at every stage of development. We're always so eager to see all of the new things from various competitions like this.

As a result of their involvement, successful participants will promote new developments in three scientifically defined scientific and technological focus areas:

Low-cost, miniature satellite systems to help conduct scientific research.

Sensor technologies that use metamaterials.

Technologies for managing and processing low concentrations of biomarkers.

The Science Mission Center is offering $90,000 to finalists who have completed both stages of the competition for the upcoming competition.

To encourage their participation in the follow-on activities that NASA offers through its Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) the program, NASA will invite all recipients to get involved.

A first-round contest will include five-page white papers on various ideas. These papers outline different capabilities and how those ideas may impact specific science-facilitating technologies. NASA's team is reviewing as many as 20 of the competition's most outstanding concepts, and it is giving each of them $10,000.

Components of comprehensive submissions will be developed by companies that make it to Round 2. The white paper submissions will be far more thorough, and the Virtual Pitch Event will be conducted online.

A NASA team judges them based on the papers and pitches they provide. Entrepreneurs interested in one of the specific subject areas will be contacted for the Virtual Pitch Event. Ten teams will be awarded $80,000 at the end of the contest.

For more information on the Entrepreneurs Challenge, visit this link.

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