Nesta welcomes participants to attend a global summit on Grand Challenge Prizes to be opened by Longitude Prize Chair and Astronomer Royal Lord Martin Rees.This inaugural international event is being organised with contributions from NASA, USAID and The Gates Foundation and will take place on Thursday 4 December 2014, at the prestigious Royal Society, in London.The one day programme will explore Challenge Prizes as a vehicle to encourage and stimulate radical innovation to address a range of global issues, as well as identifying challenges and innovation shortages where Challenge Prizes can encourage attention and stimulate new innovations to solve global problems.The summit will also discuss the implementation of the methodologies behind Challenge Prize design, focusing on four key thematic areas, which will be led by global-experts in their fields:empowering women and girlsaccess to a connected worlddying young from sugar, fat and smoke (non-communicable diseases)the death of the oceansAdditionally, plenary sessions and panels will pull together global leaders in innovation, entrepreneurship, technology and science, including entrepreneur Naveen Jain, who will lead the debate across a range of big societal, global challenges which require additional incentive and impetus to enable radical solutions.Current confirmed speakers and participants include:Esther Dyson, Founder, HICCupSteven Buchsbaum, Deputy Director, Discovery & Translational Sciences, Melina and Bill Gates FoundationProfessor Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical OfficerProfessor Calestous Juma, Professor of the Practice of International Development and Director of the Science, Technology, and Globalization ProjectJenn Gustetic, Challenges and Prizes Program Executive, NASAPeter Singer, Chief Executive Officer, Grand Challenges CanadaThe full programme and list of speakers will be announced in due course.