Farmers in India apply fertilizer without knowing their soil's actual nutrient profile because lab testing is too slow and expensive, resulting in both wasted input costs and degraded soil over time.
Repository of problems worth solving
World Solve is a public institutional repository for identifying real unresolved problems across science, society, health, governance, economics, and local systems. Each entry is intended to be citable, inspectable, and actionable.
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Every problem has a stable citation code for reference and discussion.
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Search by category, geography, status, and keywords.
Builder-oriented
Use the repository to find startup ideas, policy leads, and research agendas.
Storing intermittent solar power affordably for small businesses in Haiti.
open
Haiti, North America
Small businesses in Haiti that adopt solar power still face frequent downtime because battery storage remains too expensive to bridge non-sunny periods, limiting productive use of electricity.
Deployable technologies for governance frameworks ensuring transparency and accountability in the use of advanced surveillance.
open
Zambia, Africa
A persistent gap exists in realizing practical, scalable solutions for governance frameworks ensuring transparency and accountability in the use of advanced surveillance. Scientific understanding, engineering readiness and institutional capacity remain insufficient to translate promising concepts into durable impact under real-world constraints of cost, skills and governance.
Field-ready systems for methods for assessing the cumulative impacts of climate change and other stressors on human health.
open
Chile, South America
Current approaches to methods for assessing the cumulative impacts of climate change and other stressors on human health either underperform under variable field conditions or generate externalities that undermine long-term sustainability and equity. Closing the gap requires coordinated advances in science, systems design and enabling institutions.
Building resilient stormwater infrastructure for flood-prone cities in Colombia.
open
Colombia, South America
Fast-growing cities in Colombia regularly flood due to undersized or absent stormwater infrastructure, with retrofit costs far exceeding current municipal budgets.
Scalable solutions for protocols for the responsible sharing and use of large-scale human genomic and health data.
open
Guatemala, North America
Achieving protocols for the responsible sharing and use of large-scale human genomic and health data at meaningful scale demands simultaneous progress in fundamental research, engineering integration and socio-technical systems that work for low- and middle-income settings. Existing efforts remain fragmented relative to the magnitude of the challenge.
Breakthrough approaches to open-source platforms for collaborative climate model development and evaluation.
open
Canada, North America
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for open-source platforms for collaborative climate model development and evaluation creates cascading risks across interconnected human and natural systems. Key missing elements include durable performance, low lifetime cost, and governance arrangements capable of sustaining impact beyond pilot stages.
Overcoming barriers to point-of-care multiplex diagnostics for priority AMR pathogens.
open
Colombia, South America
Current approaches to point-of-care multiplex diagnostics for priority AMR pathogens either underperform under variable field conditions or generate externalities that undermine long-term sustainability and equity. Closing the gap requires coordinated advances in science, systems design and enabling institutions.
Reducing traffic fatalities on rural highways in Mexico.
open
Mexico, North America
Rural highways in Mexico experience disproportionately high fatality rates due to inconsistent road design standards, poor lighting, and insufficient emergency response infrastructure.
Overcoming barriers to solutions for providing safe and dignified housing for climate-displaced populations.
open
Nepal, Asia
Despite recognition of its importance, reliable methods for solutions for providing safe and dignified housing for climate-displaced populations are still lacking. Progress is hindered by incomplete mechanistic knowledge, high capital and operational barriers, and the absence of deployment models suited to the contexts of greatest need.
Scalable solutions for earth-abundant multi-day energy storage chemistries.
open
Bolivia, South America
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for earth-abundant multi-day energy storage chemistries creates cascading risks across interconnected human and natural systems. Key missing elements include durable performance, low lifetime cost, and governance arrangements capable of sustaining impact beyond pilot stages.
Scalable solutions for nature-based solutions for flood risk reduction that also support biodiversity and livelihoods.
open
Nepal, Asia
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for nature-based solutions for flood risk reduction that also support biodiversity and livelihoods creates cascading risks across interconnected human and natural systems. Key missing elements include durable performance, low lifetime cost, and governance arrangements capable of sustaining impact beyond pilot stages.
Employees in public institutions of India who report corruption face inadequate legal protection, discouraging disclosure of misconduct and undermining accountability mechanisms.
Breakthrough approaches to institutional designs that increase the political feasibility of ambitious climate policies.
open
Vietnam, Asia
Achieving institutional designs that increase the political feasibility of ambitious climate policies at meaningful scale demands simultaneous progress in fundamental research, engineering integration and socio-technical systems that work for low- and middle-income settings. Existing efforts remain fragmented relative to the magnitude of the challenge.
Breakthrough approaches to galactic cosmic ray shielding without prohibitive mass penalties under real-world constraints.
open
Colombia, South America
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for galactic cosmic ray shielding without prohibitive mass penalties creates cascading risks across interconnected human and natural systems. Key missing elements include durable performance, low lifetime cost, and governance arrangements capable of sustaining impact beyond pilot stages.
Field-ready systems for interventions that reduce the structural drivers of health inequities across populations.
open
South Africa, Africa
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for interventions that reduce the structural drivers of health inequities across populations creates cascading risks across interconnected human and natural systems. Key missing elements include durable performance, low lifetime cost, and governance arrangements capable of sustaining impact beyond pilot stages.
Integrated pathways for institutional arrangements that accelerate the diffusion of proven climate solutions.
open
Nepal, Asia
Current approaches to institutional arrangements that accelerate the diffusion of proven climate solutions either underperform under variable field conditions or generate externalities that undermine long-term sustainability and equity. Closing the gap requires coordinated advances in science, systems design and enabling institutions.
Systemic solutions addressing circular economy systems that eliminate leakage of plastics into the environment.
open
Greece, Europe
Current approaches to circular economy systems that eliminate leakage of plastics into the environment either underperform under variable field conditions or generate externalities that undermine long-term sustainability and equity. Closing the gap requires coordinated advances in science, systems design and enabling institutions.
Systemic solutions addressing nature-based solutions for river basin management that balance human and ecological needs.
open
South Korea, Asia
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for nature-based solutions for river basin management that balance human and ecological needs creates cascading risks across interconnected human and natural systems. Key missing elements include durable performance, low lifetime cost, and governance arrangements capable of sustaining impact beyond pilot stages.
Deployable technologies for solutions for equitable access to high-quality secondary and tertiary education.
open
Australia, Oceania
Despite recognition of its importance, reliable methods for solutions for equitable access to high-quality secondary and tertiary education are still lacking. Progress is hindered by incomplete mechanistic knowledge, high capital and operational barriers, and the absence of deployment models suited to the contexts of greatest need.
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