The ACT-IAC Institute for Innovation and the Federal Innovation Council (FIC) are launching a series of projects to support and promote innovation within the Federal government. These initiatives focus on issues to include build innovation as a core competency in the federal government; establish public-private partnerships and cross-sector collaboration; and encourage and develop innovative ideas from anyone working in or with a federal agency.
These projects are open to members from both government and industry.
Project 1: Developing a Government Innovation Practice
A collaborative project focused on making innovation more repeatable, learnable, and actionable across government. This effort will help define what innovation looks like in a government context and produce practical resources that agencies and practitioners can use to strengthen innovation capabilities. For more project information and to volunteer, click here.
Deliverables:
The Government Innovator's Guide — the central product. A practical, plain-language resource that includes:
- A working definition of innovation in observable, measurable terms (a practice, not a mood)
- An embedded Capability/Competency Model — the skills, behaviors, and attributes of highly effective government innovators, expressed in measurable terms and organized by maturity level
- A curated set of references, approaches, checklists, and available resources
An "Innovation in Government" Training Module — modular and portable, designed to drop into ACT-IAC programs or any agency's existing training, so the practice can scale beyond this team..
Project 2: Creating a Curated Library of Innovation Practices
This project will identify and curate existing information from government and private sector sources; and organize it for easy reference and access across by government and industry members using digital tools and collaborative forums to share, learn and leverage. This includes assessing and adapting the current NUCSL (National Use Case Library) to serve as the digital library for this purpose. For more project information and to volunteer, click here.
Deliverables:
- Curate and share documented thought leadership, examples, case studies and lessons and recommendations
- Develop and host Meet the Innovators Forum to broaden awareness of innovation across the federal government
- Launch "Innovators Spotlight" to highlight federal government innovators on the digital tool/website, in ACT-IAC newsletters, and during ACT-IAC and FIC meetings.
Project 3: Create Channel for Innovative Ideas
The project will design and launch “shark tank” or “ideation workshops” where employees across government or industry can propose creative and innovative ideas to address government needs, drive operational efficiencies, or accelerate or improve mission outcomes. These sessions will be organized around specific government challenges or issues posed by a government leader. Potential sources include, but are not limited to: the PMA, Challenge.gov, GAO reports, Agency strategies, Presidential Memos or Executive Orders, etc. Each session should be focused on one or more related challenges. These sessions will provide opportunities to create public-private partnerships or cross-agency collaboration to further develop promising ideas, and apply them in real use cases. Finally, these sessions should result in commitment and follow-through on ideas of merit.
Deliverables:
- Guide and or playbook for organizing and hosting shark tanks or innovation pitch competitions
- Shark Tank series of forums with FIC panel