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.
Publicly citable
Every problem has a stable citation code for reference and discussion.
Filtered by relevance
Search by category, geography, status, and keywords.
Builder-oriented
Use the repository to find startup ideas, policy leads, and research agendas.
4194Total
4194Open
0Solved
9Humans
Achieving circular design rules and tracking systems for high-value consumer electronics 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.
economics-resources
africa
senegal
systems
circular
design
rules
tracking
high-value
consumer
electronics
systemic
solutions
society-governance
climate-environment
technology-computing
ensuring
methods
Low-income households in Kenya have almost no financial protection against climate-driven income shocks, and existing microinsurance products remain too costly or poorly understood to achieve meaningful uptake.
climate-environment
africa
kenya
products
against
shocks
low-income
households
designing
insurance
climate
have
economics-resources
income
community
global-unspecified
scale
Achieving systems ensuring the long-term stewardship and accessibility of scientific knowledge and 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.
local-regional
africa
dr-congo
systems
ensuring
long-term
stewardship
accessibility
scientific
knowledge
data
development
achieving
society-governance
economics-resources
climate-environment
technology-computing
designs
Achieving pathways for transitioning fossil-fuel dependent regions to diversified economies 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.
economics-resources
asia
china
pathways
transitioning
fossil-fuel
dependent
regions
diversified
economies
scalable
solutions
achieving
climate-environment
systems
society-governance
methods
designs
Design systems that remain usable for people with limited literacy, disability, low connectivity, language barriers, or insecure documentation. The challenge is especially acute in remote island communities, where existing solutions often assume stable institutions, high incomes, continuous connectivity, or centralized service delivery.
social-civic-problems
asia
indonesia
remote
island
communities
inclusive
access
digital
public
services
connectivity
design
economics-resources
society-governance
systems
Create conservation and restoration approaches that protect biodiversity while sustaining the people whose food, income, and culture depend on those ecosystems. The challenge is especially acute in informal settlements, where existing solutions often assume stable institutions, high incomes, continuous connectivity, or centralized service delivery.
economics-resources
africa
nigeria
biodiversity
ecosystems
informal
settlements
protection
supporting
local
livelihoods
create
conservation
restoration
communities
society-governance
public
social-civic-problems
Develop practical data collection, modeling, public deliberation, and evaluation tools for decisions currently made with incomplete or inaccessible evidence. The challenge is especially acute in informal settlements, where existing solutions often assume stable institutions, high incomes, continuous connectivity, or centralized service delivery.
society-governance
africa
nigeria
evidence
decisions
informal
settlements
local
difficult
policy
develop
practical
data
economics-resources
communities
public
worker
Create safe, economically viable collection, sorting, repair, reuse, and material-recovery systems suited to decentralized local markets. The challenge is especially acute in informal settlements, where existing solutions often assume stable institutions, high incomes, continuous connectivity, or centralized service delivery.
economics-resources
africa
nigeria
local
informal
settlements
circular
recovery
overlooked
waste
streams
create
safe
society-governance
communities
might
actors
public
Develop enforceable, worker-centered protections for safety, pay, benefits, bargaining, and grievance resolution outside conventional employment. The challenge is especially acute in informal settlements, where existing solutions often assume stable institutions, high incomes, continuous connectivity, or centralized service delivery.
economics-resources
africa
nigeria
informal
settlements
worker
protection
fragmented
economies
develop
enforceable
worker-centered
protections
communities
society-governance
public
social-civic-problems
remote
Build affordable monitoring and response systems that identify local environmental threats before they become chronic public-health crises. The challenge is especially acute in informal settlements, where existing solutions often assume stable institutions, high incomes, continuous connectivity, or centralized service delivery.
health-biology
africa
nigeria
mental-health
environmental
informal
settlements
early
detection
health
hazards
build
affordable
monitoring
economics-resources
society-governance
communities
public
Create accountable methods for prioritizing limited water, housing, health, energy, and social-protection resources without reinforcing local inequality. The challenge is especially acute in informal settlements, where existing solutions often assume stable institutions, high incomes, continuous connectivity, or centralized service delivery.
social-civic-problems
africa
nigeria
resources
informal
settlements
transparent
allocation
scarce
public
create
accountable
methods
economics-resources
society-governance
communities
worker
protection
Develop local skills, spare-parts access, inspection methods, and financing so public infrastructure continues functioning after installation. The challenge is especially acute in informal settlements, where existing solutions often assume stable institutions, high incomes, continuous connectivity, or centralized service delivery.
economics-resources
africa
nigeria
public
informal
settlements
safe
maintenance
essential
assets
develop
local
skills
society-governance
communities
social-civic-problems
worker
Create transparent financial mechanisms that help households and local institutions prepare for recurrent shocks before emergency aid is needed. The challenge is especially acute in informal settlements, where existing solutions often assume stable institutions, high incomes, continuous connectivity, or centralized service delivery.
economics-resources
africa
nigeria
informal
settlements
community-scale
climate-risk
financing
institutions
create
transparent
financial
mechanisms
society-governance
communities
public
social-civic-problems
local
Develop offline-capable, multilingual, trusted systems for issuing alerts, gathering local conditions, and coordinating response when normal communications fail. The challenge is especially acute in informal settlements, where existing solutions often assume stable institutions, high incomes, continuous connectivity, or centralized service delivery.
society-governance
africa
nigeria
informal
settlements
reliable
last-mile
emergency
communication
develop
offline-capable
multilingual
trusted
economics-resources
communities
public
local
worker
Create safe, affordable, shelf-stable alternatives or complements to donated blood for trauma, obstetric emergencies, and disaster settings.
economics-resources
blood
developing
stable
substitutes
remote
emergency
care
create
safe
affordable
communities
island
health-biology
social-civic-problems
missions
medical
Develop practical biomonitoring and exposure assessment for workers in recycling, dyeing, tanning, metalwork, and small manufacturing.
economics-resources
asia
india
exposure
detecting
toxic
informal
industrial
work
develop
practical
biomonitoring
assessment
climate-environment
workers
waste
global-unspecified
african
Develop delivery systems, manufacturing, payment models, and governance that move gene therapies beyond rare diseases and wealthy health systems.
society-governance
delivery
diseases
safe
equitable
gene-therapy
common
systems
develop
manufacturing
payment
climate-environment
governance
health-biology
technology-computing
economics-resources
ensuring
models
Create scientific and economic models that overcome the lack of commercial incentives for new antibiotics while ensuring equitable global access.
economics-resources
antibiotics
discovering
effective
against
priority
resistant
pathogens
create
scientific
economic
society-governance
equitable
access
global-unspecified
philosophy-ethics
rapid
lunar
Develop affordable, durable coatings, roofs, walls, and textiles that reduce indoor heat without high energy use or toxic material tradeoffs.
economics-resources
asia
india
heat
robust
materials
passive
cooling
extreme
develop
affordable
durable
coatings
society-governance
climate-environment
systems
designs
high
open
United States, North America
Create standards, repositories, incentives, training, and connectivity solutions that allow scientists outside elite institutions to access and contribute reproducible data.
society-governance
north-america
united-states
data
institutions
making
research
reusable
low-resource
create
standards
repositories
incentives
economics-resources
systems
public
technology-computing
climate-environment