I'm supposed to be researching business opportunities for the Citizens Advice Bureau but somehow started reading about -

Open innovation.........

Innocentive is a website that encourages people to get together via the internet to solve problems. They say -

We believe in the power of open innovation, bringing together creative minds to create breakthrough solutions that touch every human life.

Founded in 2001, InnoCentive connects companies, academic institutions, public sector and non-profit organizations, all hungry for breakthrough innovation, with a global network of more than 180,000 of the world's brightest minds on the world's first Open Innovation Marketplace™.

These creative thinkers -- engineers, scientists, inventors, and business people with expertise in life sciences, engineering, chemistry, math, computer science, and entrepreneurship -- join the InnoCentive Solver™ community to solve some of the world's toughest challenges.

Seeker™ organizations post their challenges on the InnoCentive web site, and offer registered Solvers significant financial awards for the best solutions. Seeker™ and Solver™ identities are kept completely confidential and secure, and InnoCentive manages the entire IP process.