NAE Grand Challenges for Engineering

Program Status
Completed
September 19, 2025
July
15
2006
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At-a-Glance

A diverse committee of experts from around the world, some of the most accomplished engineers and scientists of their generation, proposed 14 grand challenges for engineering. The panel, which was convened by the U.S. National Academy of Engineering NAE at the request of the U.S. National Science Foundation, did not rank the challenges, nor did it endorse particular approaches to meeting them. Rather than attempt to include every important goal for engineering, the panel chose opportunities that were both achievable and sustainable to help people and the planet thrive. The panel’s conclusions were reviewed by more than 50 subject-matter experts. In addition, the effort received worldwide input from prominent engineers and scientists, as well as from the general public. Since the release of the NAE Grand Challenges for Engineering, the findings have inspired numerous events (including Global Grand Challenges Summits in London, Beijing, and Washington DC) and educational initiatives at all levels such as the Grand Challenges Scholars Program.

NAE Grand Challenges for Engineering

  • Make Solar Energy Economical
  • Provide Energy from Fusion
  • Develop Carbon Sequestration Methods
  • Manage the Nitrogen Cycle
  • Provide Access to Clean Water
  • Restore and Improve Urban Infrastructure
  • Advance Health Informatics
  • Engineer Better Medicines
  • Reverse Engineer the Brain
  • Prevent Nuclear Terror
  • Secure Cyberspace
  • Enhance Virtual Reality
  • Advance Personalized Learning
  • Engineer the Tools of Scientific Discovery

 

2006 - 2008 NAE Grand Challenges for Engineering Committee

WILLIAM PERRY
Committee Chair, (Former Secretary of Defense,  U.S. Department of Defense) Michael and Barbara Berberian Professor and Professor of Engineering, Stanford University

ALEC BROERS
Chairman, Science and Technology Select Committee, United Kingdom House of Lords

FAROUK EL-BAZ 
Research Professor and Director, Center for Remote Sensing, Boston University

WESLEY HARRIS, Department Head and Charles Stark Draper Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

BERNADINE HEALY
Health Editor and Columnist, U.S. News & World Report

W. DANIEL HILLIS
Chairman and Co-Founder, Applied Minds, Inc.

CALESTOUS JUMA
Professor of the Practice of International Development, Harvard University

DEAN KAMEN
Founder and President, DEKA Research and Development Corp.

RAYMOND KURZWEIL
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Kurzweil Technologies, Inc.

ROBERT LANGER
Institute Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

JAIME LERNER
Architect and Urban Planner, Instituto Jaime Lerner

BINDU LOHANI
Director General and Chief Compliance Officer,  Asian Development Bank

JANE LUBCHENCO
Wayne and Gladys Valley Professor of Marine Biology and Distinguished Professor of Zoology, Oregon State University

MARIO MOLINA
Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University  of California

LARRY PAGE
Co-Founder and President of Products, Google, Inc.

ROBERT SOCOLOW
Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University Environmental Institute J.

CRAIG VENTER
President, The J. Craig Venter Institute JACKIE YING Executive Director, Institute of Bioengineering  and Nanotechnology

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Recent Reports
  • Logo Institute
    Copyright2017
    A diverse committee of experts from around the world, some of the most accomplished engineers and scientists of their generation, proposed the 14 challenges outlined in this booklet.
    Authoring institutionNational Academy of Engineering
    Publication DateJanuary 1, 2017
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