About
What is the Grand Challenge?
Grand Challenges are ambitious but achievable goals that harness science, technology, and innovation to solve important national or global problems and that have the potential to capture the public’s imagination. On April 2, 2013, President Obama called on companies, research universities, foundations and philanthropists to join him in identifying and pursuing the Grand Challenges of the 21st century.
Our world is facing significant issues with a changing environment, increasing populations and limited resources. The intersection of people, resources and our planet is where CU Boulder can use its expertise in space-based observation and exploration to address our world’s most pressing problems.
How will CU Boulder address this challenge?
Our Space. Our Future. fuses CU Boulder’s unique strengths in Earth, space and social sciences with new technologies and partners to address the pace and pattern of changes for our environment, our resources and our planet.
We will:
- Develop pathways to connect critical earth and space science knowledge to stakeholders and decision makers through the incorporation of social science and education with earth and space science efforts.
- Create an environment within which academia, industry and government work collaboratively to solve problems of national and international importance.
- Build new infrastructure and capabilities that support CU Boulder's Earth and space science efforts while increasing CU Boulder’s stature nationally and internationally.
- Create new ways for education and training of students to meet national needs in the emerging Earth and space exploration sectors.
- Increase the number of federal and commercial partners engaged in CU Boulder earth and space exploration efforts, allowing CU Boulder to successfully compete for both traditional and nontraditional funding opportunities.
April 2, 2013
President Obama announces 21st Century Grand Challenges
President Obama calls on companies, research universities, foundations and philanthropists to join him in identifying and pursuing the Grand Challenges of the 21st century.
September 14, 2015
CU Boulder announces "Our Space. Our Future."
The University of Colorado Boulder announces a campus-wide Grand Challenge committed to transforming the landscape of space exploration and finding pathways to address significant issues our planet faces.
Two initiatives are introduced into the Our Space. Our Future. portfolio upon lanch:
The 2016 Innovative Seed Grant Program grants, awarded by the Offices of the Provost and the Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation, introduce new and promising research into the already vibrant mix of Grand Challenge projects, enhancing directions already underway and expanding into new and exciting areas of opportunity.
August 30, 2016
Space Minor launched
CU Boulder launches a brand new Space Minor program for undergraduate students as part of the growing Grand Challenge portfolio.
September 19, 2016
DigitalGlobe and Earth Lab announce new partnership
CU Boulder's Grand Challenge continues to gain momentum as the university and DigitalGlobe Inc. announce a partnership to provide Earth Lab with access to DigitalGlobe’s industry-leading high-resolution satellite imagery, data and analytics tools in order to advance earth and space science research.
March 6, 2017
Center for the Study of Origins announced
A unique Grand Challenge project in its inclusiveness, the multi-disciplinary center is primed to investigate an under-appreciated but important issue: the diversity, nature and justification of theories about the past, and how they inform our understanding of both the present and the future.
June 1, 2017
New campus-wide call for proposals
The Grand Challenge initiative announces a new call for proposals for the 2017 Grand Challenge, with the goal of building on and expanding the accomplishments of current programs and efforts.
September 19, 2017
Grand Challenge expands portfolio with three new projects
The cross-campus Grand Challenge initiative announces the selection of three new additions to the Grand Challenge portfolio: the Space Weather Technology, Research and Education Center (SWx TREC); the Nature, Environment, Science & Technology (NEST) Studio for the Arts; and the Magnetic CubeSat Constellation for Advanced Navigational Models project.