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: Develop an Innovation Ecosystem
This project will seek to foster innovation as a core competency in government by supporting capability building. At the heart of capability building is (a) defining the competencies needed, and (b) creating the training modes and mechanisms to support awareness and skills development. Expanding these capabilities broadly across the government helps to build a broader ecosystem and culture.
Deliverables:
- Develop "capability model" to identify core skills, attributes, and behaviors of highly innovative people
- Develop an "Innovation in Government" Module that can be ported into ACT-IAC programs, or any federal agency training
Project 2: Strengthen Collaboration and Impact
Many challenges faced across the federal government exhibit similar characteristics and common barriers. Innovative or creative approaches to address these in one instance can accelerate change if shared in a timely manner and with information (e.g.., practices, processes, data, decision models, etc.) that can be quickly leveraged. Overall impact is enhanced if government leaders don’t have to “relearn the same lessons” or have to search to identify what’s already been tried. A key competency of innovative learning organizations is proactively sharing thought leadership, highlighting examples and case studies, and capturing lessons and recommendations for others to follow.
This project will focus on curating existing information from across federal government and presenting it both in forums and through digital tools to serve as the “marketplace” for innovation in the federal government. This includes assessing and adapting the current NUSCL (National Use Case Library) to support this effort.
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
To volunteer, complete this online form.