Innocentive makes first wet chemstry awards
InnoCentive, the online enterprise that brings the scientific research and development community together to find innovative solutions, has made its first awards for wet chemistry.
A retired chemist received US$25,000 (€27,100) for submitting a break-through pathway for synthesis of a compound, a graduate student received $30,000 for synthesis of a protected unnatural amino acid, and a biotechnology company received $15,000 for providing a solution to another posted challenge.
InnoCentive posts two types of scientific challenges at www.InnoCentive.com: 'paper' chemistry and 'wet' chemistry. Paper chemistry solutions require only a documented solution, whereas wet chemistry problems require laboratory work, supporting literature and an actual sample for validation. The pay-off for the wet chemistry solutions is therefore much greater than for the paper solutions to reflect the amount of work involved.
InnoCentive also recently awarded two paper chemistry rewards: one to a researcher in Europe and the other to a chemistry professor in North America. Both received awards for viable solutions provided to the regio-and stereo-controlled tricyclic alcohols challenge.
Since its launch in July 2001, InnoCentive has registered some 8,000 solvers who are currently working on more than 40 scientific challenges. The company has also launched a Referral Rewards Program, which rewards members with $1,000 for each new registered solver they refer who submits the best solution to a challenge.
