NASA Expands Crowdsourcing Efforts Globally

NASA has announced the awarding of its third iteration of crowdsourcing contracts, known as NASA Open Innovation Services (NOIS3), aimed at harnessing global talent to tackle complex space exploration challenges. Managed by NASA’s Johnson Space Center, the contracts are designed to engage the public in finding innovative solutions through various methods such as public prize competitions, freelance tasking, and technology searches.

With a total value of $475 million over a decade, the NOIS3 contracts represent a significant investment in open innovation, allowing NASA to remain at the forefront of technological advancement. The contracts include a minimum obligation of $500 per award, with the base period running from June 5, 2025, to May 31, 2027, and options extending potential work until 2035.

The initiative will see partnerships with 25 awardees from across the globe, including companies like Blue Clarity in Virginia, Challenge Works in the UK, and Freelancer International in Australia. NASA’s Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation (CoECI) will oversee the program, ensuring that both NASA and other federal agencies can leverage these partnerships to experiment with new methodologies and solve critical problems through collaboration.