Advance personalized learningInstruction can be individualized based on learning styles, speeds, and interests to make learning more reliable.- Make solar energy economicalSolar energy provides less than 1% of the world's total energy, but it has the potential to provide much, much more.
- Enhance virtual realityTrue virtual reality creates the illusion of actually being in a different space. It can be used for training, treatment, and communication.
- Reverse-engineer the brainThe intersection of engineering and neuroscience promises great advances in health care, manufacturing, and communication.
- Engineer better medicinesEngineers are developing new systems to use genetic information, sense small changes in the body, assess new drugs, and deliver vaccines.
- Advance health informaticsStronger health information systems not only improve everyday medical visits, but they are essential to counter pandemics and biological or chemical attacks.
- Restore and improve urban infrastructureGood design and advanced materials can improve transportation and energy, water, and waste systems, and also create more sustainable urban environments.
- Secure cyberspaceIt's more than preventing identity theft. Critical systems in banking, national security, and physical infrastructure may be at risk.
- Provide access to clean waterThe world's water supplies are facing new threats; affordable, advanced technologies could make a difference for millions of people around the world.
- Provide energy from fusionHuman-engineered fusion has been demonstrated on a small scale. The challenge is to scale up the process to commercial proportions, in an efficient, economical, and environmentally benign way.
- Manage the nitrogen cycleEngineers can help restore balance to the nitrogen cycle with better fertilization technologies and by capturing and recycling waste.
- Prevent nuclear terrorThe need for technologies to prevent and respond to a nuclear attack is growing.
- Develop carbon sequestration methodsEngineers are working on ways to capture and store excess carbon dioxide to prevent global warming.
- Engineer the tools of scientific discoveryIn the century ahead, engineers will continue to be partners with scientists in the great quest for understanding many unanswered questions of nature.
Shape the Future
Global Grand Challenges Summits
2019 Global Grand Challenges Summit
London, UK
September 16, 2019
Previous Summits
Committee Member Spotlight
W. Daniel Hillis
Applied Minds Inc.
Mr. Danny Hillis is a member of the Committee on Grand Challenges for Engineering.
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Popular
Engineering for You Video Contest 2 (E4U2)
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Jimmy Carter on the Needs of the Poor
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Ed Catmull on Energy
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Norm Augustine on the Nature of Challenges
Xu Kuangdi on Fusion, IT, and Biotech
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21st Century Innovations
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Watch the Video
Grand Challenges High School
Students at Tesla STEM High School in Redmond, WA and Thomas A. Edison High School in Fairfax, VA are inspired by the National Academy of Engineering's 14 Grand Challenges for Engineering.
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2015 NAE Forum: Grand Challenges; Part 1
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2015 NAE Forum: Grand Challenges; Part 2
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Grand challenges in the news
Call for Engineering Action on the COVID-19 Crisis
While the current COVID-19 crisis is separating us physically, it also compels us to work together to address its accompanying societal and economic challenges, ranging from arresting the contagion to relieving the health care stress to production of vaccines to reimagining life in today’s remote working and learning environment. These challenges are ideally suited for engineers, but the first step is bringing together people with great ideas. This project provides a mechanism for that to happen.
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Artificial skin heals wounds and makes robots sweat Mon, July 06, 2020 Imagine a dressing that releases antibiotics on demand and absorbs excessive wound exudate at the same time. Researchers at Eindhoven University of Technology hope to achieve just that, by developing ... Jellyfish-inspired soft robots can outswim their natural counterparts Thu, July 02, 2020 Engineering researchers at North Carolina State University and Temple University have developed soft robots inspired by jellyfish that can outswim their real-life counterparts. A completely new plasmonic chip for ultrafast data transmission using light Wed, July 01, 2020 Researchers from ETH Zurich have achieved what scientists have been attempting to do for some 20 years: in their laboratory work as part of European Horizon 2020 research projects, they have ... Multi-wavelength lasers spot early signs of bladder cancer Tue, June 30, 2020 European photonics researchers are developing a new endoscope based around multi-wavelength lasers and advanced imaging and optical analyses technologies to scan for the early signs of bladder cancer. Glove translates American Sign Language in real time Mon, June 29, 2020 Researchers at UCLA have designed a glove-like device that can translate American Sign Language into English speech in real time though a smartphone app. Transparent, breathable face masks are well under way Thu, June 11, 2020 Researchers from the École Polytechnique fédéral de Lausanne and the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Material Sciences and Technology have been working on creating a transparent, breathable, and safe ... New research leads to lighter and greener bridges Wed, June 10, 2020 To accommodate the request for ever longer bridges, the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and COWI studied how to optimize structures to reduce the weight of the bridge deck, in particular ... Physicists develop ‘most sensitive strain sensor ever made’ Tue, June 09, 2020 Physicists have created what they claim is the most sensitive strain sensor ever made, an advance said to bring new levels of sensitivity to wearable tech. 'Bat-like' sensor could help social distancing as lockdown lifts Mon, June 08, 2020 A disruptive Scottish start-up company based in the Edinburgh Business School Incubator has developed a sensor which allows an Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) to understand the physical world around ... Artificial brains need sleep just as much as regular brains do Fri, June 05, 2020 A new study carried out by Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists points towards androids requiring rest time in order to perform at their best, much like our human brains need sleep. Smart sponge selectively soaks up oil in water Fri, June 05, 2020 A highly porous smart sponge that selectively soaks up oil in water has been developed by a team led by Northwestern University. Smart tinting on windows set for effectiveness and durability Thu, June 04, 2020 Researchers have developed an improved method for controlling smart tinting on windows that could make them cheaper, more effective and more durable. Glasgow University team power wearables with sweat Wed, May 20, 2020 Future wearable electronic devices could be powered by human sweat instead of conventional batteries, claim researchers at Glasgow University. AI algorithm detects and identifies brain lesions Tue, May 19, 2020 Researchers from Cambridge University and Imperial College London developed an AI algorithm that detects and identifies different types of brain injuries. Wearable sensors to predict COVID-19 infections in US military hospitals Mon, May 18, 2020 The Pentagon invested in new wearable COVID-19 sensors developed with a healthtech firm for deployment to military hospitals in the U.S. and Southeast Asia. This Boston Dynamics robot herds flock of sheep in New Zealand Fri, May 15, 2020 Boston Dynamics' four-legged robot Spot herds sheep in a video from Rocos who just announced a partnership with the robotics company to automate field and crop management on rugged terrain.
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