Page 46 - Federal Computer Week, July 2019

FCWIdeas
How government can ‘spin in’
commercial innovations
There are multiple venture models agencies can use to leverage cutting-edge technology from the private sector
BY WILLIAM D. EGGERS AND MAX MEYERS
Historically, government has fos- tered technological leaps, from space flight to GPS to vaccines. Now, however, leading capabili- ties are often already commercial: Consumer facial recognition might be sufficient for law enforcement, commercial mapping tools have become part of the arsenal used by military special forces, and com- mercial genetic testing could offer public health data and insights beyond what research studies are likely able to recruit.
More and more, government access to cutting-edge technology, skills and business models involves
tapping into the advances being made by outside players. Instead of spinning off government innova- tions into commercial products, governments now need ways to “spin in” commercial innovation — engineering a reverse tech transfer.
Traditional acquisition approach- es often fail to attract commercial innovators, however. Just 3 per- cent of Small Business Innovation Research grants go to what we typi- cally think of as startups (backed by multiple venture capital firms). And it is not necessarily easier to attract big tech companies, where high-profile employee protests have
cut short several projects. Federal agencies should draw
on a broader set of investment strategies by adapting external engagement models from corporate venture capitalists. Our research highlights four models.
Industrial base: Portfolio investment strategy
As soldiers met evolving threats in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Joint Improvised Threat Defeat Orga- nization needed to tap into ready solutions to counter new types of improvised explosive devices by sourcing technologies to counter
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July 2019 FCW.COM