The Innocentive Chicken Sexing Grand Challenge is seeking transformative ideas to identify the sex of the chick within the first 7 days of incubation.
We seek ideas to accelerate the technological innovation that can resolve this issue at its root. This calls for early‑stage, non‑invasive methods to determine embryonic sex inside the egg (in‑ovo)—ideally within the first 7 days of incubation—while preserving egg viability and enabled at industrial‑scale throughput.
The global egg industry faces a profound ethical and economic contradiction. More than 7 billion male layer chicks—hatched only to be discarded—are euthanized within hours of birth every year because they cannot lay eggs and are uneconomical for meat production. This practice, historically accepted as an operational necessity, has become one of the defining animal‑welfare issues of modern times.
The demand today for reliable sex identification before hatch is a rapidly expanding opportunity. Current approaches and technologies remain far from complete and not at all ethical, constrained by scientific limits, operational bottlenecks, and cost barriers.
This Grand Challenge invites cross‑disciplinary thinkers—from photonics to quantum sensing, from medical imaging to artificial intelligence, from specific expertise to general expertise to no specific expertise—to contribute transformative ideas that can redefine how the world produces one of its most ubiquitous foods ethically, sustainably, with continued profitability.
A winning idea to this Challenge will present a potentially transformative solution, with real potential and viability to address the stated technical, economic & operational, regulatory and ethical requirements, while highlighting how the compromises with existing failed approaches are overcome.
Your IP remains fully protected throughout this Grand Challenge. Solvers retain ownership of all background IP they bring to the Challenge and all new IP they create in the course of developing their Proposed Solution.
By submitting a written proposal, Solvers grant Wazoku permission to evaluate the submission solely for the purposes of evaluating the Challenge.
For winning Proposed Solutions that demonstrate viable commercial potential, Wazoku will support the Solver through a defined commercialization pathway, including:
- identifying and engaging relevant partners, investors, acquirers, or licensees
- facilitating further development of the IP toward commercial readiness
- negotiating appropriate commercial agreements on behalf of, and in collaboration with, the Solver
Where Wazoku plays an enabling role in securing investment, acquisition, licensing, or other commercial arrangements for the IP in your Proposed Solution, the Solver will receive a share of up to 10% of the realised value of the IP, under mutually agreed commercial terms. This applies only when commercial value is created through Wazoku’s direct involvement.
Awards:- Commercialize your IP
Deadline:- 19-01-2026
