Toggle light / dark theme

The XPrize and other competitions are helping to advance science and technological innovation.


Over the years, we have had alumni go on to become successful academic scientists, company managers and entrepreneurs. The networks that the participants create with each other during the competition are useful to tap into throughout their careers. Recently, I also learnt that a winning team from 2020 decided to create a bioelectronics start-up, INIA Biosciences, that aims to use ultrasound to interact with the immune system to relieve chronic inflammatory diseases.

More companies and foundations are seeing the advantages of science competitions and are organizing innovation challenges. The organizers benefit from recruiting talented people, gaining fresh ideas and promoting an image of innovativeness. The participants are rewarded with training, network building and prize money. In addition to the Innovation Cup, we also organize events such as the €1 million Future Insight Prize, which is given out annually to honour and enable scientists solving key challenges of humanity.

MARJOLEIN CROOIJMANS: The judge

Chair of the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Entrepreneurship Program Innovation Community (EPIC), Cambridge, Massachusetts and PhD Student at Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands.

Join this channel to get access to perks:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDukC60SYLlPwdU9CWPGx9Q/join.

Neura Pod is a series covering topics related to Neuralink, Inc. Topics such as brain-machine interfaces, brain injuries, and artificial intelligence will be explored. Host Ryan Tanaka synthesizes informationopinions, and conducts interviews to easily learn about Neuralink and its future.

Most people aren’t aware of what the company does, or how it does it. If you know other people who are curious about what Neuralink is doing, this is a nice summary episode to share. Tesla, SpaceX, and the Boring Company are going to have to get used to their newest sibling. Neuralink is going to change how humans think, act, learn, and share information.

Neura Pod:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/NeuraPod.
- Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/neurapod.
- Medium: https://neurapod.medium.com/
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2hqdVrReOGD6SZQ4uKuz7c.
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/NeuraPodcast.
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NeuraPod.
- Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@neurapod.

Opinions are my own. Neura Pod receives no compensation from Neuralink and has no formal affiliations with the company. I own Tesla stock and/or derivatives.

Edited by: Omar Olivares.

Strategies built by data definitely work.

The overall strength of a professional sports team is measured with one straightforward metric: wins. However, winning one game, let alone a championship, is extremely difficult in professional sports leagues. As the popularity of sports has grown worldwide over the last century, so has the level of competition in professional sports leagues and what it takes to win. Athletes today are bigger, faster, stronger, and more skilled than their counterparts from previous generations. Professional sports organizations need to look for any advantage to help put their teams in the best position to win. More and more pro sports organizations have turned to data science in search of competitive advantages in recent years. One sports team that has consistently used data science as part of its recipe for success is the English football club Liverpool FC. Although all professional football teams feature an analytics department, Liverpool is unique in its approach.

Full Story:


Recesnt success of teams from various sports show the importance of data science in competitive sports.

The Future Of Space Tech & Innovation — Dr. Joel Mozer Ph.D., Director of Science, Technology & Research, United States Space Force.


Dr. Joel Mozer is the Director of Science, Technology, and Research, United States Space Force (https://www.spaceforce.mil/).

With a PhD in Physics, and MS in Atmospheric Science, from University of Arizona, Dr. Mozer serves as the principal scientific advisor to the Commander and is the senior authority for all science and technology matters for an organization of approximately 11,000 space professionals worldwide, and manages a global network of satellite command and control, communications, missile warning and launch facilities. In this role, he interacts with other principals, operational commanders, combatant commands, acquisition, and international communities to address cross-organizational science and technical issues and solutions.

Dr. Mozer represents USSF science and technology on decisions, high-level planning, and policy, building coalitions and alliances throughout the U.S. government, industry, academia, the international community, and other scientific and technology organizations.

Dr. Mozer entered government service in 1992 with the U.S. Air Force. Prior to his current assignment, he was Chief Space Experimentalist of the Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicle Directorate. In that role, he was responsible for managing AFRL’s $40 million-per-year investment in research and development related to the development of experimental satellites and payloads and conducted a team of 100 engineers and scientists at Kirtland and Holloman Air Force Bases, New Mexico — all working to develop cost-effective ways to assemble, integrate, test and fly novel spacecraft and systems and demonstrating new concepts for Department of Defense systems and missions. His area of specialization relates to space control and remote sensing — understanding the natural and man-made space environment and developing forecast tools for warfighters, theater battle commanders and other decision-makers to mitigate risks.