Deadline looming for Industry Innovator submissions
By
Nick Wakeman
The deadline was extended to July 18, but that is now just days away. Here are insights on what we are looking for and what it takes to be a 2018 Industry Innovator.
EDITOR's NOTE: The deadline for the Industry Innovator awards is now just days away.
As previously announced we have extended the nomination deadline to midnight July 18 for the Industry Innovator awards program.
It is time to get your submissions in. Here are some insights from questions we've received.
Besides questions about a deadline extension, the most common questions I’ve received have to do with the nuances of the awards. “Are you looking for X or Y?”
The Industry Innovator awards program is part of a broader Government Innovation Awards program produced by WT, FCW, GCN and Defense Systems.
The awards come in two parts, Public Sector Innovations and Industry Innovators.
So what is the difference?
The Public Sector Innovations are awards that will go to agencies for specific projects that have undertaken. This is a great opportunity for industry to nominate customers.
The Industry Innovators, on the other hand, are an opportunity for companies to showcase what they have done to foster innovation.
As I’ve told some people, think of a project that you did for a specific customer that involved an innovative approach, solution or technology. Then work backwards from there.
Think about these questions. How did you put that innovation together? Did you invest in a lab? Or did you hire specific people? Did you make an acquisition? Form a partnership? Some combination of all of those?
We are interested in what your company has done to foster innovation and what that pay off has been.
It is not about one specific project, but that project can be an example of the results of your work. In fact, you probably should have more than one example, so we know that one project isn’t just a one-off occurrence.
Another great example of your innovation could be that you formed a practice area around a solution or technology.
The nomination form calls out six specific technology areas: Artificial Intelligence, Analytics and Automation; Cybersecurity; Cloud and Infrastructure; Digital Transformation; Internet of Things and Smart Cities; and Unmanned Systems. But you aren’t limited to those areas. Innovation can come from any corner of government IT.
Here are three core criteria for how winners will be selected:
- Tangible evidence of the efforts that are driving innovation in this space. This includes, but is not limited to, internal investments, acquisitions, partnerships or alliances, relevant patents and key contract wins.
- The solution itself -- both the technology involved and how the company is leveraging it.
- The mission impact. What are the problems or challenges that government customers need to solve, and how is this innovative company helping to address those challenges?
As we’ve said throughout this process, industry is the engine that powers so many government innovations and rarely gets its share of the spotlight.
Please submit your nominations today, and make sure Industry Innovators get the credit they deserve!