Research and design for Longitude Prize 2014
Read the Antibiotics Report we wrote for the Prize here.
Science Practice is the lead research partner for Longitude Prize 2014, a project run by the Centre for Challenge Prizes at Nesta and funded in collaboration with Innovate UK.
As lead research partner our role was to design the structure of the six challenge prize candidates for the main Longitude Prize 2014. The topics for these prizes were Antibiotics, Dementia, Flight, Food, Paralysis, and Water.
Over six months in early 2014 we engaged with over 170 experts from around the world to first understand the challenges in each area, identify potential paths towards a solution, and finally shape them into six distinct prizes.
The aim of this process was to ensure that the resulting challenge prizes not only encourage innovation, but do so in a way that will have the greatest positive impact at a global scale. The resulting challenge prizes, their structure, as well as the decision making process behind them were presented as Challenge Reports.
In June 2014, following a month of open public vote, Antibiotics was selected as the challenge for Longitude Prize 2014. To learn more about this challenge and the types of solutions sought, have a look at our Antibiotics Report.
The Longitude Prize 2014 Candidates
As the projected number of people with dementia is expected to triple by 2050, the Dementia prize looked at some of the technological solutions that could lead to a significant improvement in the quality of life of people with dementia and their carers.
The Water prize described the current challenges in producing potable water from seawater and how developing a sustainable and affordable desalination technology could relieve some of the pressures on our limited fresh water supplies.
As the global demand for food grows, the Food prize considered the challenges in developing sustainable and equitable technologies to enhance our capacity to produce healthy and nutritious food.
The Paralysis prize drew attention to the complexity of the condition and the often unseen secondary effects of paralysis and directed potential solutions towards restoring affected functions and, ultimately, independence.
Challenging the lack of sustainability of existing fossil fuel aviation, the Flight prize encouraged the development of scalable, practical and zero-emissions aircraft that could radically change mainstream aviation.
The Antibiotics prize presented how the overuse and misuse of antibiotics has led to an increase in antibiotic resistance and proposed that prize solutions focus on the development of rapid, accurate, and affordable diagnostics.
The Longitude Act of 1714
The Longitude Prize 2014 aims to mirror the outcomes of the Longitude Act of 1714.
Drawing on the need for a solution to assess a ship’s longitude at sea, the original Act attracted significant interest from innovators and inventors across different fields of expertise.
Ultimately, it was John Harrison, a carpenter and clockmaker, who invented the marine chronometer which was able to keep time at sea and allow for the measurement of longitude by means of celestial navigation.
In celebration of 300 years since the Longitude Act was passed, the Longitude Prize 2014 aims to provoke both experts and driven problem-solvers to come up with a solution to one of the most pressing challenges of our times.
Research Methodology
Engaging with experts to help design the six challenge prizes was our main responsibility for the Longitude Prize. Using a design-led approach, this task became one of finding the most useful research stimulus to encourage constructive conversations. As our work on the project progressed, the types of stimulus used changed, as did our understanding of the different roles experts could play in this process.
6 Challenge Prizes designed
200 hours of interviews
170 experts consulted
Phase 1:
Challenge Mapping
Engaging with experts to create imagined landscapes mapping out the key barriers to innovation in the challenge areas.
Phase 2:
Challenge Prototyping
Designing the structure of the six challenge prizes by testing out different models with experts seen as potential competitors.
Phase 3:
Challenge Reporting
Summarising the decision-making process behind the structure of the challenge prizes and reviewing this with experts.
