NASA's Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation (CoECI) educates the NASA workforce on crowdsourcing and challenges. It makes these tools easy to use by reducing barriers. CoECI has completed over 333 challenges on topics like software, algorithms, design, and more. Challenges provide significant cost savings over traditional contracts, often 40% on average. CoECI also helps manage the challenge pipeline and implements lightweight processes to promote adoption of open innovation across NASA.

1. OPENING UP
INNOVATION AT NASA
NASA’s Open Innovation Toolkit And Experience
NASA’s Center Of Excellence For Collaborative Innovation (COECI)
STEVE RADER STEVEN.N.RADER@NASA.GOV
@NASA_NTL
Trade names, trademarks, and logos are used in this report for identification only. Their usage does not constitute
an official endorsement, either expressed or implied, by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Public Release Notice
This document has been reviewed for technical accuracy, business/management sensitivity, and export control
compliance. It is suitable for public release without restrictions per NF1676 TN48649

2. NASA’s Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation
Trade names, trademarks, and logos are used in this report for identification only. Their usage does not constitute an official endorsement, either expressed or implied, by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
HQ
ARC
GRC
GSFC
KSC
LaRC
MSFC
JPL
JSC
SSC
AFRC
Educates NASA workforce on the value of
crowdsourcing & challenges.
Makes crowdsourcing & challenges easy to
use by removing/reducing barriers.
Across NASA Centers Public Facing - Worldwide Across US Federal Agencies

3. CoECICoECI
NASA Crowdsourcing Landscape
Months
$1K to $250K
Ideas, design,
software
Years
$100K+ to $Ms
Technology
demos
Days/Weeks
Recognition
Software apps/tech
concepts
Duration
Awards
Products
Weeks
Recognition
Ideas, info
Months
Varies
Design
Months
Recognition
Scientific
observations and
analysis
Worldwide
Space Act
Worldwide
Amer. Innov. and
Competitiveness Act
Students (US)
Space Act; grants &
cooperative agreements
Who
Authority
NASA
N/A
Worldwide; US-
led (COMPETES)
Procurement;
COMPETES Act
US-led (to win prize)
NASA prize authority
Public prize/challenge programs
Other public crowdsourcing
initiatives (no program lines)
Internal crowdsourcing
program
STUDENT
CHALLENGES
These opportunities can be accessed by the public on the NASA Solve website: www.nasa.gov/solve

4. NASA Programs & ProjectsU.S. Federal Agencies
USE
TO ENGAGE THE PUBLIC AS PARTNERS IN MAKING PROGRESS IN THE EXPLORATION OF SPACE
AND
In Collaboration with
Researchers
Crowd Offerings
Trade names, trademarks, and logos are used in this report for identification only. Their usage does not constitute an official endorsement, either expressed or implied, by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
HQ
ARC
GRC
GSFC
KSC
LaRC
MSFC
JPL
JSC
SSC
AFRC
Tapping NASA’s Internal Crowd
As a part of NASA’s
TO RUN CHALLENGES AND PERFORM WORK
USING CONTRACTS WITH CURATED CROWDS
Network of 2M
Technical
Problem Solvers
working across
Industry,
Academia &
Government
Crowd of 400K
diverse problem
solvers that
specializes in
technical
problem solving
challenges
Crowd of 36M
problem solvers
with its genesis
in the X-Prize
Challenges
Network of 20K
problem solvers
working across
Industry,
Academia &
Government
Network of
100K problem
solvers.
Specialize in
large scale
challenges.
Crowd of 1.6M
data scientists
focusing on
machine
learning and big
data challenges
Crowd of 1.4M
software
developers and
data scientists
focusing on
algorithms and
software
Crowd of
100K film
makers and
creatives that
focus on video
challenges
Network of 13K
companies,
researchers,
and individuals
providing
technology
searches
500K+ worker
that can be
inexpensively
mobilized for
micro-tasks like
training machine
learning
Crowd of 29M
freelance
workers that
provide
products via
tasks and
contests
Crowd of 4.8M
mechanical
engineers &
designers
competing in
CAD/Design
Challenges
Community of
10K+ software
developers/
teams that can
build software.

5. CoECI’s Challenge Experience
333 Challenges Total Completed or in Progress
Trade names, trademarks, and logos are used in this report for identification only. Their usage does not constitute an official endorsement, either expressed or implied, by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
61 Technical Solutions
34
12
4
2
2
2
1 2
40 Software/Apps
31
3
3
2
1
21 Algorithms
17
1
1
1
1
23 Graphics/Designs
13
6
4
71 Ideation
53
7
5
4 1
1
1
31 CAD Modeling/
Mechanical Design
27
4
1
17 Videos
6
4
5
1
1
37 Technology Survey
27
10
2 Consulting Services
1
1
35 Other
32
2
1

6. CoECI NTL Challenge Metrics

7. $142,500 – Cost of this Software Challenge by Topcoder
25%-50%
Savings
Urine
Volume in
Microgravity
NASA’s Proven Toolset for High Impact Results
Robonaut
Vision
Algorithm
$60,000 – Cost of Algorithm Challenge by Topcoder
$650,000 – Est. Cost of Phase II SBIR to Develop Algorithm
Astronaut
Email $193K-$300K – Est. Cost for In-House Development
Significant Cost Savings (Average Challenge Savings 40%)
$2.5K & 2 months: Cost of NASA@WORK Challenge
$1.3M & 3-5 years – Est. Cost for Phase II SBIR
91%
Savings
7
99.99%
Savings

8. 6 Hours – Image Processing Time for Code from Topcoder Challenge
NASA’s Proven Toolset for High Impact Results
Data Driven
Forecasting
of SPEs
Asteroid
Data
Hunter 15% Improvement - Algorithm from Challenge by Topcoder
Asteroids Found by Catalina Sky Survey Algorithm
Lunar Map
& Model
Portal 19 Hours – Baseline code image processing time
Increased Performance
8 Hour Prediction – Algorithm from Challenge by Innocentive
2 Hour Prediction – NASA’s Existing Capability
3X
Improvement
4X
Improvement
8

9. NASA’s Proven Toolset for High Impact Results
DTN
Security Key
Architecture
Mars
Balance
$50,000 – Cost of Theoretical Challenge by Innocentive
Solution enables turning ballast mass into scientific returns.
Briefed to Mars program to incorporate for future missions.
Measuring
Strain in
Kevlar
$40,000 – Cost of the Challenge by Innocentive
Solved a 3-year-old problem for how to test Kevlar webbing for
its durability in the trying conditions in space.
Solving Previously Unsolved Problems
$108,000– Cost of the Challenge on Topcoder
Solution provides an approach to security key exchanges in
disrupted/delayed networks.
Previously it was uncertain if a solution was even possible.
9

10. Manage the Challenge Pipeline
Structure to be Flexible/Tailorable
Minimize Effort Required
Make Repeatable
Adoption Doesn’t Just Happen
Implement a Lightweight Processes
Invest in Tools and
Templates

11. Make using Open Innovation as easy
as possible for the workforce
Reduce Barriers
contracts
legal
processes
mentoring
hand holding
examples
challenge extraction/definition
“Be a Sherpa” – Dyan Finkhausen, GE

12. Cultural Resistance or “Antibodies”
Organizations Resist Change (Even/Especially If Mandated)
Houston We Have a Problem
HBS Case Study of Initial Use (and rejection) of Open
Innovation in NASA’s Human Health & Performance
Directorate
Havas use of Victors & Spoils
HBS Case Study of the acquisition of Victors and Spoils
crowd-based creative community and its cultural
rejection by Havas middle management.

13. Boiling the Frog:
Gradual Adoption though the Viral Spread of Effective Tools

14. “The Future of Work”
We are in the midst
of a significant shift
in how work is
performed and how
organizations will
get work done.
Source The Human Cloud, the Gig Economy, & the Transformation of Work
Report by Staffing Industry Analysts (www.staffingindustry.com) 2017

15. Communities of Practice
But Scaled to Global Crowds
Global collections of passionate experts that
are aggregating knowledge and building
expertise.
Some are capitalizing on “diversity” to
provide match unexpected, unknown, or
hard to find expertise to provide
innovative solutions to unsolved
problems.

16. Source: Freelancing in America 2017
Edelman Intelligence – commissioned by Upwork and Freelancers Union 2017

17. Source: Freelancing in America 2017
Edelman Intelligence – commissioned by Upwork and Freelancers Union 2017

18. Crowds, gig-workers, freelancers are a rapidly growing
resource with increasing capabilities
Curated communities are attracting passion and building
expertise and skills
Open methods are extremely effective for accessing valuable
innovations
Those that fail to innovate will be left behind
“OPEN” is the Future and
“INNOVATION” is No Longer Optional