Search Results

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.

Collective maritime endeavors against piracy, smuggling, terrorism, weapons proliferation and other threats present unique technology challenges for Sailors, Marines and allies – but they also serve as catalysts for cooperation on science and technology (S&T) solutions, resulting in a growing number of partnerships worldwide.

Brazil's efforts to increase government investment in science and technology, as well expand its global presence, were the focus of the third Office of Naval Research (ONR)-sponsored International Lecture Series held Oct. 18.

Cyber and electronic warfare, shrinking defense budgets, and critical international science and technology partnerships were some of the key concerns for seven military leaders from around the world who met at the Sea-Air-Space Exposition.

A recent activity was executed with participants from Denmark, Canada and the United States using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to deploy GPS tags onto icebergs near Disko Bay, Greenland.

In a study that could improve how people learn and retain information, ONR Global-sponsored researchers in Rome significantly boosted the memory and mental performance of laboratory mice through electrical stimulation.

The Office of Naval Research’s ocean research is yielding enhanced weather and ocean prediction models that help Navy leaders understand how to route ships around the globe safely, reducing fuel consumption and avoiding ice flows.

The Office of Naval Research Global (ONR Global) continues to pursue aggressive energy goals established by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, with the design of a system that controls electrical flow for lighting, a highly efficient platform that may spark a new era of power savings.

The U.S. Office of Naval Research Global (ONR Global), in partnership with the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) Singapore, is proud to announce the launch of the GlobalX Innovation Joint Challenge: AI for Advancing Maritime Security. This nine-month international science challenge offers significant research partnerships to encourage groundbreaking research from around the world.

The international science challenge launched by the Office of Naval Research Global selects four teams with revolutionary concepts.