The fourth Global Grand Challenges Summit (GGCS) on the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Grand Challenges for Engineering will be held September 12–18, 2019, in London, UK. It is being jointly organized by the NAE, the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), and the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) and will be hosted by the RAEng.

An important part of each GGCS is student engagement. Each summit features a student team competition of innovation, design, and business development based on themes related to a major challenge facing society and the planet. Five student teams from each participating country (China, UK, and US) will propose ways to address aspects of the theme of this year’s summit, “Engineering in an Unpredictable World.” The teams will convene in London to compete, and then will be reassigned on site to mixed country teams for the final competition. This intercountry collaboration is an exciting new aspect of this year’s summit.

To determine the five finalists that will represent the United States at the London GGCS, teams will participate in a preliminary US-only competition.  The US playoffs will take place at the Keck Center of the National Academies (500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC) on April 19, 2019 and at the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering (100 Academy, Irvine, CA) on April 23, 2019.

The presentations will be 8 minutes (PowerPoint) and Q&A with Judges will be for 4 minutes. At the most three team members can be on stage presenting the project, but other members can be in the audience (though not involved in the presentation or the Q&A)

Competition Agenda (EAST | Washington, DC)

The hotels near Keck Center, Washington DC include:

Fairfield Inn and Suites

Pod DC Hotel

Hotel Harrington

Competition Agenda (WEST | Irvine, CA)

The hotels near the Beckman Center in Irvine, CA include:

Ayres Hotel and Suites

Hotel Irvine

Hyatt Regency Newport Beach