Longitude Prize to be launched with £10m awaiting winner

A £10m prize is being launched to solve one of the greatest scientific problems facing the world today.The competition idea is based on the 1714 Longitude Prize, which was won by John Harrison. His clocks enabled sailors to pinpoint their position at sea for the first time.In an updated version, the public will be asked to choose a new challenge.Six potential categories will be announced, ranging from healthcare to the environment.After a special 50th anniversary edition of the BBC science series Horizon on Thursday, the public will be able to cast their vote on the issue that they would most like to see tackled.Geoff Mulgan, chief executive of the charity Nesta, which is looking after the prize, said: "If you want to solve a scientific problem, one method is to go to top universities and top scientists and ask them to solve it."But over the years, and this was something pioneered by the Longitude Prize in the 18th Century, it's often better to open it up to anyone to come up with a solution."The original £20,000 prize was set by the British government to solve the most vexing issue of the 18th Century: how to determine a ship's longitude at sea.For sailors to pinpoint their position on the waves, they required two clocks: one that was set each day, using the the height of the sun in the sky, and another that kept the time back at port.The problem with the latter was that the pitch and roll of the oceans, and the humidity and temperature changes at sea would damage the delicate mechanisms of a timepiece.But Mr Harrison, a clockmaker from Yorkshire, created a chronometer that overcame these problems.It took several prototypes and decades of battling with the scientific elite before he was finally deemed the winner. His work revolutionised navigation and saved countless lives.Now, 300 years later, a new challenge is being launched.Nesta and the government-funded Technology Strategy Board are offering £10m for a solution to the biggest scientific problem of our time.The categories from which "the problem" will be chosen will be announced on Monday. These themes have been been selected by a Longitude Committee, chaired by the English Astronomer Royal, Prof Sir Martin Rees, after widespread consultation with experts across various fields.Each category will be examined in the Horizon programme to be broadcast on BBC Two at 2100 on Thursday. After that, a public vote will be opened, with a favoured theme to be announced on 25 June.Experts will then convene to refine the details of the challenge, with anyone from around the world able to submit their solution.Mr Mulgan said: "We're going to set a very precise measurement of what will count as eligibility for winning the prize."The prize will only be awarded when someone can demonstrate that their invention actually meets those criteria."He said that it could be several years before a winner is decided.(BBC)Bakudaily.az