At Singularity University (SU) we believe it is possible to solve today’s most pressing problems within the next couple decades.
We call these the global grand challenges (GGCs). Our ambition and optimism stem from the nature of exponential technologies and their capacity to bring real, affordable solutions to billions in increasingly shorter and shorter time frames—while also empowering all people from around the globe to solve the challenges we each see around us.
Many important institutions around the world are working on the GGCs, including the United Nations, the Gates Foundation, XPrize, USAID and the coalition of organizations devoted to the Sustainable Development Goals. SU has partnerships and collaborations with many of these organizations, and we also bring our own approach to the GGCs.
So, what is SU’s GGC methodology? Let’s take a look
SU’s Global Grand Challenge Framework
We identify twelve GGC areas—such as energy, water, health, or environment—and divide them into resource needs and societal needs (see the below infographic to learn more). We then look to tackle each of the GGCs with three goals in mind:
- Ensuring basic needs are met for all people
- Sustaining and improving quality of life
- Mitigating future risks
Humanity has the resources to solve for immediate basic needs as well as anticipate and mitigate future risks—it is not an either/or, zero-sum game. At SU, we encourage and empower innovators to develop solutions suited for any of these three perspectives on the GGCs. Read More…
