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Serendipitous Science: ONR Global Reverse Engineers the Search for New Technology

Seeking out new technology or exciting ideas at the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global is something of a treasure hunt. Dr. Scott Walper, science director, ONR Global, says the search for innovative projects can take him and his team of program officers all over the world, relying on a bit of luck — or serendipity — to strike gold. But recently, Walper said he and his predecessor for Synthetic Biology at ONR Global, Dr. Patrick Rose, who is now with SPRIND (Germany’s Federal Agency for Disruptive Innovation) had an idea to try something a little different. Walper said, “The thought was we would put out a call for a ‘Serendipity Collective,’ where we would sponsor a workshop and ask people to tell us their craziest ideas”. To attract innovators, the team worked with the company IdeatePlus. Walper said Kevin D'Silva, IdeatePlus CEO, and his team were instrumental in helping develop and manage the event, setting up a web-based platform to crowdsource and push out a social media campaign. The website generated 73 concepts from more than 225 active participants. The information was collected and shared it with a team of experts, including an artist, engineer, scientist and someone from the humanities. The experts scored proposals based on originality and feasibility. Eight teams were then invited to the “Serendipity Collective” held in Berlin in May. From those core concepts, another panel of experts composed of representatives from ONR Global, DEVCOM, the VW (Volkswagen) Foundation and SPRIND picked the ones they wanted to sponsor with an award of $50,000 to kick-start their efforts.
October 31, 2023

Office of Naval Research Global Launches Second Round of 'Global-X' Challenge Focused on Polar Science

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global, in its sustained mission to become the partner of choice for the worldwide international Science and Technology (S&T) community, will launch the second round of Global-X, a nine-month international science challenge worth up to $500,000, to encourage groundbreaking research from all around the world.
January 01, 2021

ONR Global Names Dr. Marcus Tepaske as New Technical Director

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global has promoted Dr. Marcus Tepaske to the role of Technical Director, where he will lead experts in finding cutting-edge technologies and solutions and getting them into the hands of Sailors and Marines.
July 09, 2024

Worldly Perspective: SECNAV Talks S&T with ONR Global in Chile

The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV), the Hon. Carlos Del Toro, recently convened with representatives from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global's office in Santiago, Chile.
June 24, 2024

ONR Global Opens New Location in Melbourne, Australia

Scientific collaboration was front and center as Capt. James Borghardt, commanding officer of the Office of Naval Research Global, officially inaugurated a new location in Melbourne, Australia, on Nov. 6.
November 06, 2019

Laser Focus: ONR Global and the Competition for High-Intensity Lasers

ONR Global recently sponsored the travel of a Nobel Laureate to a conference about the development of high-intensity lasers in the U.S. and Europe.
June 03, 2019

Strengthening Scientific Diplomacy: ONR Global Celebrates 20 Years in Santiago, Chile

Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Lorin Selby, as well as other leaders from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and ONR Global — the command’s international arm — recently traveled to Santiago, Chile, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of ONR Global’s office in that city.
December 19, 2022

Office of Naval Research Global Launches $750K 'Global-X' Challenge

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global has launched Global-X, a nine-month international science challenge worth up to $750,000, to encourage groundbreaking research from all around the world.
April 22, 2020

ONR Global and Royal Air Force Partner in First Synthetic-Fueled Drone Flight

In February 2022, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global and Royal Air Force (RAF) Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO) conducted the first-ever drone flight using synthetic kerosene.
March 31, 2022

ONR Global sponsors winning round of naval Hacking for Defense challenge in Chile

The Avante 2020 Challenge, with the financial support of the local Naval Polytechnic Academy through its INNOVAPOLINAV program, the Production Development Corporation (CORFO), and the Office of Naval Research Global, selected two winning teams to develop a technological solution to a set of problems proposed by the Chilean Navy.
January 01, 2021