| Partners, Networking and Open Source |
Michigan's ICT innovation Fund and management process is supported and driven by strategies emphasizing a shared
and collaborative innovation network, open sourcing and establishing and sustaining a culture of open innovation.
The Innovation fund is an opportunity and door for all of these relationships, and we invite and welcome large, small and intermediate size organizations to submit their innovative solutions for addressing Michigan's public sector challenges.
Partnering joins up internal and external resources to maximize performance and mitigate risk, and may include other Michigan public agencies, jurisdictions and governments, nonprofits and private sector partners.
Networking relies on systematic, sustained sharing of ideas, information, solutions and work with external partners such as government, private companies, not for profits, universities, associations and brokers, think tanks and citizens. Networking gives us the ability to source ideas from anyone, develop solutions to complex problems, engage citizens
and outside groups in policy development and program delivery, better predict which ideas are worth pursuing and boost responsiveness and create more learning opportunities.
Open Source engages the broader external community of a potentially unrelated and changing configuration of entities and individuals to serve a public ICT purpose, including gaining customized solutions at minimal cost. Open source can help create repositories of ideas, build in mechanisms for continuous improvements, gain customized
solutions at minimal cost, attract specialist contributions and engage the broader community to serve a public purpose.
Two initiatives under development illustrate this shared, networked and open source approach: the Michigan ICT Grand Challenge and the Michigan ICT Innovation Center. Both are an integral part of the Michigan innovation management process.
Michigan ICT Grand Challenge: The Challenge will be an open call for innovation, using ICT to address Michigan public policy challenges, opportunities and gaps. Challenge winners may (1) become Innovation Fund awardees, or (2) become initiatives within the Innovation Center, or (3) become incorporated within enterprise or shared service
ICT activities. Challenge emphasis will be on gubernatorial priorities within the following categories: value for money government, economic strength, health and education, public safety and quality of life.
Michigan ICT Innovation Center: The Innovation Center will be an ICT and business process reengineering center of excellence. The Center may include temporary, project based agency and private sector staff loans and assignments. The Center will be an implementation forum for Michigan Innovation Challenge winning nominations. The Center may be assisted by private sector, foundation and grant support, including federal grants.
